He was a very gifted student and also an extremely hard worker. (I am reminded of the old saying that "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration"). And, as he was impressed by the qualities of classical Latin prose and remembered that Latin had once been a medium of international communication, he naturally wondered if it could be revived to do the job again. It wasn't long, however, before he realised that Latin just would not do. It was a dead language. It had ceased to evolve and, consequently, could not serve as a vehicle by means of which to communicate the needs of our modern world. Also, it was very difficult to learn, requiring an excellent memory and a real talent for languages. (Having studied Latin myself for five years, at a time when my memory was very good, I can confirm that Zamenhof was absolutely correct.)
At this point, Zamenhof began to have real doubts as to whether his aim was achievable. The grammar of all the languages he had learned so far was too difficult for the ordinary person. But it was precisely the "ordinary person" who needed a common language in order to achieve a better understanding of his fellow man.
Let us not blame Zamenhof, at the age of fourteen, for not having the sad understanding that racial hatred can survive even when a common language does exist. Black people in the USA and Irish people in Great Britain can attest to that. That understanding came to him later and he understood that possession of a common second language would not, in fact, be the complete solution to inter-racial animosity.
But, as a teenager, he thought that the need for mutual comprehension at the linguistic level was of primary importance, and as modern communication technology makes it easier and easier for us to make contact with people from any part of the world, we too are confronted with the evidence of the difficulties and expense which result from linguistic diversity. The idea of a second language which has the benefits of political neutrality and relative simplicity is still an attractive one today.
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