The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-14 00:00:00

The FUNERAL of BARON ROTHSCHILD.

The funeral of the late Baron Lionel Nathan de
Rothschild to de place on Friday morning in last week,
at the Willesden Cemetery of the United Synagogue.
There were no invitations issued to the funeral and it
was essenti-lly a family solemnity; but the respect in
which the deceased was held caused a very numerous
attendance at 148, Piccadilly. The feeling of the re-
ligious body to which the late Baron belonged was
shown by the fact that along the route from the house
to the consecrated ground, all the shops above which
Jewish names appeared had their shutters closed as
the procession passed by. At New-court business was
entirely suspended in the morning, and all the clerks at-
tended the funeral, as did also many of the tenants on
the Buckingham estates and from Gunnersbury. The
Duke of Wellington, the Earl of Beaconsfield, the
re:mien Ambassador, the Turkish Ambassador, the
Brazil Han Ambassador, the Netherlands Minister, the
Duke of Manchester, the Due of St. Albans, the
Duchess of Somerset, the Lord Mayor of London,
Mr. Sheriff Burt, Mr. Sheriff Bevan; the Marquis
of Tweeddale, the Earl of Faversham, Lady
Molesworth, Lord Howard of Glossop, Lord Norreys,
Earl Somers, Lord Dorchester, Lady DuCane, Lady
Emily Peel, and Baron de Stern were among those who
sent their carriages. At the house of mourning there
were collected among others Lord Barrington, Mr.
Fulke Greville' '
Captain the Hon. J. Yorke Sir Julian
Goldsmith, 111. P., Mr. Sergeant Simon. M.P., Sir
Barrow Ellis, Baron H. de Worms,Baron G. de Worms,
Mr. A. Cohen Q.C., Mr. I. Seligman, Mr. F. D.
Mocatta, Mr. 'Cyril Flower, Mr. J. 11. Levy, Mr.
M. Greger, Sir Albert Sassoon, Mr. R. D. Sassoon,
Mr. A. Sassoon, Mr. R. H. C. Pallett. The coffin,
placed in an ante-room, was covered with wreaths of
blush roses, pale noisettes, white stephanotis, and
gardenia. with leaves of lilies of the valley. Some of
these beautiful and fragrant flowers came from Gun-
nersbury, but the largest wreaths had been sent by
ladies of the family from Paris or Ferribres. There
were no ladies at the ceremony, lout the carriages of
the Baroness and Lady de Rothschild, of Miss Alice
de Rothschild, Mrs. Eliot Yorke, Miss Lucy Cohen,
Mrs. Wagg, and others followed.
Precisely at ten o'clock the procession started from
the house, and consisted of nearly one hundred
coaches conveying the relatives, and personal friends
of the deceased, and included a large number of pri-
vate carriages. The ground having been reached, by
the excellent arrangements of the police, soon after
eleven, the coffin was conveyed into the little mortuary
house at the entrance, which was ornamented with
wreaths of heart's-ease, camelias, azaleas, and the
broad leaves of the lily of the valley. The coffin was
placed on the bier, and then the Rev. B. H. Ascher,
Burial Rabbi of the United Synagogue, offered a
short prayer. The• Chief Rabbi was unable to at-
tend. He is at Brighton recovering from an illness,
and sent by telegram and letter, as well as by his son,
Dr. H. Adler, to express his regret at being pre-
vented from following the funefal of his oldest
friend. Among other telegrams was one received by
the Rev. A. Dewy, secretary of the Anglo-Jewish
Association, from the Baron de Castelnuove in Tunis,
chief of the Alliance Isra.3lite there, to express con-
dolence to the family.
After the entrance prayer the coffili was carried to
the place of interment—not by any paid bearers, but,
as the custom is by the voluntary service of members
of the congregation to which the deceased belonged.
The grave is situated some distance from the monu-
ment of the Baron and Baroness Meyer de Rothschild,
which was marked with fresh wreaths, and from the
tomb (already bordered with thick ivy) of the late Sir
Anthony de Rothschild. They are surrounded by
other graves, and this is placed in an open part of
the ground. It is not, however, a family vault. The
Jewish law does not permit more than one body to
be buried in a grave, and this 'prescription is strictly
adhered to in the cause of pauper burials as in that
of the richest Israelite Thus, the grave once closed
Is not re-opened, and the living are not exposed to
danger from the dead. The procession to the tomb
was headed by the boys of the Jews' Hospital, chosen
because they are orphans. There were also on the
ground children from the Jews' Free School, Infant
School, Westminster Free School, Borough Schools,
Jews' College, Stepney School, Bayswater School,
Gates of Hope School, and Portuguese Orphan
School, On their way the bearers paused, and the
officiating rabbi delivered a brief address, selecting
for his text the words, "Know you not that there
is a Prince and a great man fallen this day in
Israel? " He referred to the political work which
gave peculiar importance to the career of the late
Baron Lionel de Rothschild and held him up
to imitation in adding, "He was accessible to and
sympathized with every axle, the poor as well as the
rich. He also was the spokesman in the council of
merchant princes. He whose advice was sought by
statesmen did not disdain to listen' patiently to the
tales of woe and misery. Many a man who crossed
his threshold with a heavy heart, full of anxiety and
anguish, left his house with joy and gratitude; and
thus he gained for himself, not only the blessings and
prayers of the needy, but also the admiration and love
of the world at large, and, let us hope, the crown of
glory in Heaven," The ROT. B. H. Ascher concluded
with the followie. prayer:—
"Holy Father in Heaven, God of life and death,—With
a heart full of tears, but with eyes of hope, we look up to
Thee for Thy mercy and Thy kindness. Do Thou receive
the pious departed in Thy infinite kindness with his beati-
fied ancestors in the regions of bliss and eternity. Send
Thy truth, Thy light, to console his descendants with Thy
sacred word. Inspire them with filial feeling to follow
in the footsteps of their revered father. 0, Fountain of
Mercy, as the deceased was a messenger of peace and hap-
piness to man, grant from Thy celestial regions that he
may bring the message of peace and comfort to his spouse,
who to lovingly, so patiently stood at his side alike in weal
and woe, gladness and sadness. Send Thy comfort and Thy
consolation to that god-fearing mother in .Israel, who has
brought solace and pleasure to many. 0, pardon his errors,
cast his sins into oblivion, remember only his pious deeds,
and re•awaken him to everlasting life, happiness, and glory.
Amen,"
The body ens lowered into the grave with the
wreaths upon it to "smell sweet and bleesom in the
dust." The first three spadefuls of eerth were thrown
in by the eldest son of the deceased. so that he might
fulfil the duty of burying his *dead. The other
kinsmen followed in their order; then members of
the coneregation ; and before the last carriage had
driven away ttarouell the green lanes leading to London
the sextons had filled it to a level with the ground.
The coffin was perfectly plain, of wood covered
with black cloth, with iron handles, without any orna-
ment, inscription, or initials. Within it the deceased

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