etc. Thus: Bal, 1; tel, 2; kil, 3; fol, 4; lul, 5; mäl, 6; vel, 7; jöl, 8; zül, 9; bals, 10; tels, 20; kils, 30; tum, 100; mil, 1,000, etc. The year 1887, written out in Volapük, is Balmil jöltum jölsevel. The Arabic numerals are used as in English.

S added to any word forms the plural, which is never formed in any other way. The first three vowels (a, e, i) added to any noun, form respectively its genitive, dative, and accusative; s added to these forms makes the plurals of the same cases. Man is therefore declined as follows:

Every noun in the language is declined in the same way, so that all declensions may be learned in one minute.

The verbs in Volapük are all regular, and there is only one conjunction. The tenses are denoted by the vowels a, ä, e, i, o, u, placed before the verbs. When these vowels are preceded by p, it shows that the verb is in the passive voice. The personal pronouns are: ob, I; ol, thou; om, he; of, she; os, it; ok, one’s self. S added makes the plurals. Löf, meaning love, löfób, means I love; löfól, thou lovest, etc.; älöfób, I loved; ilöfóm, he had loved; ulöfós, it will have loved, etc.; palöfóms, they are loved; pulöfófs, they will have been loved, etc. As it is only necessary to remember the few particulars named, all conjugation may be acquired in five minutes.

Enough has been given—and there is very little more of it—to show the extreme simplicity of the Volapük grammar. It can be learned in an hour, and, as the variations of the nouns and verbs are indicated by the vowels taken in their regular order, they are not easily forgotten. The principal labor necessary to acquire the language consists, therefore, in memorizing the vocabulary. Since more than one-half the roots are English, a person speaking that language can naturally acquire the new one in less than one-half the time required for any foreign language, and the better knowledge he has of Latin, French and Spanish, the faster will be his progress.

After Father Schleyer published his first book, in 1881, he was soon able to interest a few persons in Germany in Volapük. It next got a foothold in Switzerland, and then in Paris. English linguists are just beginning to give attention to it, the only publication in English until very recently having been a bad adaptation of an abridged grammar. But on the Continent it has gained in popularity very rapidly during the last two or three years, so that there are now at least ten thousand persons who are familiar with and use it. More than three hundred and fifty have received diplomas as adepts. There are eight monthly periodicals printed wholly in Volapük, or partly in Volapük and partly in other languages.

In the United States not more than twenty persons have studied Volapük, and only about half a dozen can read and write it. Mr. Charles E. Sprague, of New York, who holds the diploma of Volapükatidel, reads and writes it with ease, and to him I am under obligations for assistance in preparing this article. There are no Volapükese clubs or periodicals published in the language or in its interest either in this country or in England. A large number of books in Volapük, or about it, have appeared in Germany, including grammars in eighteen languages, a German-Volapük dictionary containing twelve thousand words, a biography of the inventor, Father Schleyer, pamphlets, etc.