An 1888 Critic of Esperanto — The First American Esperantist

Henry M. Phillips, Jr.

Henry Phillips, Jr. was called “the pioneer of the language in America,” as he most likely was the first American to learn Esperanto. Unfortunately, he died in 1895, a full decade before the Esperanto movement started in the United States. He learned Esperanto because the American Philosophical Society was behind the idea of an international language, and was looking for the right one to support. Phillips was the secretary of the American Philosophical Society. (The Society has a Henry M. Phillips Prize for writing on jurisprudence, but that was created in memory of his uncle, for whom he was named).

An 1896 obituary in the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society make his intellectual achievements plain , yet leaves quiet the source of the funds that allowed Phillips to pursue a life of the mind. Suffice to say that his publications on numismatics was unlikely to bring him much coin (sorry, I had to say that). His publications range wider than those listed by Albert H. Smyth in the APS obituary, although Smyth does mention his work in Esperanto.

---

You can follow my blog on Twitter (@impofthediverse) or on Facebook. If you like this post, share it with your friends. If you have a comment just for me, e-mail me at impofthediverse@gmail.com.

---

This blog runs solely on ego! Follow this blog! Comment on this post! Let me know that you want to read more of it!