Dr. Zamenhof writes to Monsignor Schleyer.

Warsaw. 27 November 1887

Esteemed and honourable sir! I am sending to you the fruit of my ardous labours; it is a token of my high regard for your noble idealism and your work for the good of mankind, undaunted by the derision of the masses. I fully understand what you must have suffered becuse I have experienced a similar plight. Though my work had been ready for four years I endured ceaseless ridicule until the time of its publication.

When I first learnt of Volapük five years agoI did not discard my work because Volapük's construction is nor altogether practical in my opnion; it seems to me that a world language above all else must be understandable and that the mass of material wich has already become international must remain intact. In a language wich has to become global one is able to create only the samll part wichi is not recognisable in different languages, everything else has to remain unaltered because no person is so authoritative that he can create a language for the whole world at his own discretion, and because an entire lifetime is insufficient to create from nought the whole limitless entirely of words needed in a language including all cities and countries and the infinite technical terms, etc.

I admire your noble wih to be of service to mandkind; with the highest regard for the author of Volapük I have not worked against your language but for the its idea. The idea of a world language is cared to me, and whatever form mandkind accepts that idea I will be happy and content. Should someone demosntrate to me that my effort is hindering that idea I would destroy my work by my own hand even though I have sacrificed the best part of my life for it. If the judgment of the world is conclusive, the Esperanto and Volapük wil stand together like two friends who have one goal in life. Mankind wil have tow languages and even that would be much better for the world than to remain deprived of a golbal language or one of our languages will meet a natural death.

Excuse me writing to you in my tongue; I do so with no disrespect but rather to provide you with the evidence of my language.

With the highest regards,

Esperanto.