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The Principle Of An International Auxiliary Language
Compiled by the Research Dept at the direction of the House of Justice, 1 Nov 79(?)
Regarding the teaching of Esperanto: the Guardian thoroughly appreciates the efforts you are exerting for the spread of this language, and fully realizes that through them you can find many openings for teaching the Cause. He wishes me, however, to bring to your attention the fact that neither Bahá’u’lláh nor ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did specifically state that Esperanto would certainly become the international auxiliary language of the future. Neither did they enjoin its teaching upon the believers. What ‘Abdu’l-Bahá chiefly did was to highly praise it, and to reveal its possibilities. The teaching of Esperanto is, therefore, not a command or an obligation in the sense that praying is for instance. What is enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh is either the creation of a new language, or the adoption of one of the existing languages for use as an international medium of communication. Let us hope that Esperanto may some day develop into such a medium.
(26 December 1936 to an individual believer)
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