The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-15 00:00:00

THE FUNERAL OF THE LATE SIR -

ANTHONY DE ROTBSCHILD.

(From Monday's -

Yesterday, Sir Anthony do Rothschild was. fol-
lowed to his grave at the Willesden Cemetery of
the United Synagogue by a larger Annarber of
persons than the funeral of any English Jew had
hitherto drawn together. At Grosvenor-place, Count
Beust, the Austrian Ambassador, Lord Hardwicice,
the Hon. Eliot Yorke, M.P., the Hon. Alexander
Yorke, were some among those collected. Baron
Lionel de Rothschild WAS unable, on account of
illness, to be present. Baron Alphonse de Roths-
child of Paris. Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, Baron
Albert de Rothschild of Vienna, Mr. Nathaniel M.
de Rothschild, M,P., Mr. Alfred de Rothschild, Mr.
Leopold de Rothschild were the members of the family
of the deceased who took part in the religious ser-
vice. Tinr Russian Ambassador, the Duke of
Wellington, the Lord Mayor, the Governor of the
Bank of England, Sir Moses Montefiore, were a
few of those who sent their carriages. The Council of
the United Synagogue, of which the late baronet was
President, attended in a body, and so did representa-
tive members of all the principal Jewish institutions,
and a fesi "pupils, with most of the teachers, from each
of the Jewish Schools, the Free School, the Gates of
Trope School, the Western School, Stepney School,
the Jews' College, the Jews' Hospital, and many
others. According to invariable custom, no ladies
were present at the ceremonial.
The funeral began to leave Grosvenor-place at half-
past ten. The number of mourning coaches (61) and
of private carriages was so great that a long time
elapsed before it was fully formed. Policemen stood
at the corners of all the streets, but the day chosen for
the funeral being Sunday, little or no interference with
traffic occurred. Willesden was reached by noon, and
the plain oak coffin, covered with cloth, but without
any plate or ornament, as the funeral horses were like-
wise without plumes was carried intolhe chapel of the
burial ground, and placed upon the bier. Violets and
camellias on the walls adorned the homely building
(too small for any but a selection from those pre-
sent on tiles ground). The Rev. B. H. Archer, the
Rabbi of tha Burial Society of the United Synagogue,
recited in Hebrew solemnly and slowly, but abstain-
ing, as in the service throughout, from the • use of the
chant or half-chant common in the ordinary liturgy of
the Synagogue, sprayer, the leseiing note of which was
perfect resignation to the Divine will. The bearers
raised the coffin and carried it forward towards the
place of burial. Midway they set it down again and
praised God, " 'the Supreme King,' who ordeas death
and restoreth life and causeth salvatien to spring forth;
who also, in His great mercy, reviveth the dead."
Then the Chief Rabbi, Dr. N. M. Adler, whose
great age adds to the veneration for him which his
utiles inspires, standing in the open air, pronounced a
short funeral discourse, such as is only delivered among
the Jews in.exceptional cases. Quoting at the com-
mencement of his brief address the words of King
David on the death of Abner—" Know you not that
a Prince and a great man bath fallen in Israel ?'—the
Chief Rabbi said that he whom they dephsred was
great in being truly good. He followed the traditions
(this noble family to shed lustre upon Israel. His
beneficence was unlimited, dispensed without distills!,
tion of creed or nationality, intelligently and judi-
ciously. Though one of the heads of the great firm
which had its agents in every city, he yet devoted him-
self heart and soul to the two great institutions over
which he presided. For 20 years he was the presiding
warder of the Great Synagogue, and when nearly all
the metropolitan congregations were united into one
body, he was unanimously chosen President of the
Unised Synagogue. He Imparted dignity to its
deliberations by the prestige of his name, and assisted
to weld together its elements by his genial presence.
They all knew the important part he took in the
adminiftration of his favourite institution—the Free
Schoel. By his unwearied zeal be aided it to attain
its present gigantic dimensions, and the school would
ever remain a perpetual memorial of the love for his race
which fired his soul. His survivors would be consoled
by their belief in the immortality of his soul end the
bled certainty of a reunion hereafter, even as the
earth,. which_ is now clad with its wictly galib, will be
renewed in the perennial beauty of spring. H% who was
in every sense the head of that august family would
(the speaker confidently expected) be blessed with
strength to labour, as before, with ardeat love for his
people, this Heaven-favoured country, and humanity,
and the heir of the title would inherit his zeal and love
in every good work. He quoted the words of the
Ethics of the Fathers—" g`hcse who work for the
peblic good-will be aided by the merits of their fore-
fathers; their righteousness will follow them to the
grave ;" yea,- it will enslure for ever "—and concluded
with a prayer that the Ruler over Life and Death
would grant their departed brother to enjoy the
heavenly abode. "Send," he continued, "Thy com-
fort, 0 Lord, into the hearts of the mourners, and
hasten the time foretold by Thy Holy Prophet when
Thou wilt destroy death for ever and wipe off the tears
from every face."

The coffin was slowly borne forward to a place close
beside the tomb of Baron Meye: de Rothschild, who
was laid there two years ago. The spot is only marked
by wreaths continually renewed till a fitting memorial
of the departed and the affection of the survivors shall
have been completed. The near relatives of the de-
ceased, standing close by, placed upqn the coffin
wreaths of white camellias, and it was lowered into
the grave, the officiating Rabbi standing beside in
silent prayer and at the end exclaiming, " klay he
come to his appointed end in peace." The near by-
standete then, as the affecting custom is, took each in
turn the spade; and the thud of the earth cut three
times by each into the grave was heard. Then the
mourners went back to the chapel; some of them re-
peating in Hebrew the pious sentence, They shall
blossom forth from the tomb as the grass of the earth."

Some of those present began to visit the tombs of
their own relations, but a larger number than were
1-ef ore admitted now gathered in the chapel again,
where the Rabbi read the beautiful 91st Psalm, in
which occurs the reference to him who dwells in the
shadow of the Almighty, and the verses, "He
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee
in all thy ways. . . . Because he bath set his
love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will
set him on high, hec4use he hath known my name."
The officiating It %bbi then said the ancient
prayer in the Chaldean language, called Sancti•
fication, or Kadish, which survives from the time
when this &sleet was the vernacular of the
Jews. When children are left behind, they say the
prayer every day during the year of mourning, as well
as on each anniversary of the death. Its words glorify
the Creator as the reviver of the dead, and implore the
speedy Coming of His Kingdom. When the minister
had recited this prayer, these present responded with
"Amen ;" and the dismissing words of the Rabbi ware,
"May he who establiaheth peace in His high Heavens
grant peace unto us and all Israel."
During the week after the funeral it is customary
among the Israelites for prayers to he said and a dis-
course to be preached at the house of the departed.

It is too. early to be able to speak of the dispositions
in favour of the poor made by the deceand ; bat
shortly before his death he informed those imme-
diately concerned with himself in the management of
the Jews' Free School that he had given £20,000 to the
trustees for the general purposes of that institution,
in which he always took so deep an interest.

A special funeral service to the memory of the late
Sir Anthony de Rothschild was held on Monday after-
noon in -the Jews' Free School, Bell-lane, Spital-
fields. About 2,000 pupils attending the school
were present, the large school-room in which they
were grouped presenting an imposing appearance.
The general audience included Baroness Lionel de
Rothschild, Baroness Alphons- de Rothschild (of Paris),
Mr. Leopold de Rothschild, Mr. B. Lucas, Mr. F. D.
Mocata, Mr. IL A Isaa, s, C.C., the Rey. Dr. Her-
mann Adler, Mr. Lionel Lucas, Miss Lucas, Mr.
Alfred L. Cohen. Mr. Louis Davidson, &c. The whole
of the teaching staff were attired in deep mourning,
while large numbers of the children displayed a similar
mark of respect to the memory of the lamented
baronet. -After the recital of the afternoon service
the Rev. A. S. Green, minister of the Great Portland-
street Synagogue, delivered an address, in the course
of which he highly eulogized Sir Anthony, and spoke
of the great claims which he had upon the affections
of every one. •