Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-02-18

ColossAL ForTUxEs We doubt If any
ordinary person can contemplate, without
serious misgirings, the announcement that
Baron Rothschild, who recently died in
Paris. was worth two thousand millions
of francs, or four hundred millions of dol
lars. 1t was observed at the time that
he was charitable man, and that the
poor of Paris deplorcd his loss deep
".
Yet during all the long weary years
that he was engaged in amasslng that
stupendous fortune men and women were
starving TO death, or committing suicide
from want and suffering IL that very city
of Paris. Who cau tell the multitude OF
unfortunates who, wrecked in fortune by
the changes on the Bourse wrought or
controlled by this nan, have plunged into
eternity to escape suffering and reproach:
Who can tofl how often the loaycs OF the
baker have been reduced and the poor
punished because some of the Rothschllds
had run up the -four market Who can
tell how many widows and orphans ha ve
had their little all engulfed in the maels
from of fiscal operations that brought
ruin to thousands and fortune TO him ?
Charity How many millions did he
give to the poor In order to be truly
charitable he ought to have devoted
about half his fortune to such purposes,
tor nothing else would have relieved him
of the responsibility for the evil he had
wrought in seeking to pile up such ire
ncndous hordes. Stephen Girard achie
we'd colossal fortune IN commerce, but
he left the bulk of it to educate the orphan
children of the poor, and John Melon
ourh, of New Orleans. followed his ex-
ample. George Peabody has not waited
for his death-bed to warn him of hls
duty. He has given his millions to the
needy.
But these arc Americas millionaires,
and inspired with the American ideas Of
the greatest good to the greatest number.
How could any one expect such things
of men like the Rothschilds 1t is rela-
ted of this one, who died worth four hum
dred millions of dollars. that when Aud
ubou the great naturalist, was about to
publish his famous work on orthodoxy,
he waited on the millionaire with letter
of introduction. was treated rudely, refu-
sed a subscription, ordered to send his
book when printed, and when it was so
sen. was refused his price. 1t perhaps
required such ! soul to amass such for
tune.
He could not take bis money with him
into the next world la fact all he car
ried with him to the grave was wooden
box. But he still contTived to let the
evil of bis system survive him. For the
wealth of the R0thschilds Is jealousy
guarded against division By preventing
the children from marrying out of the
family. Even to tie day Of his death he
managed to keep those nearest TO him ig-
norant of half his wealth b. opening
a great number of accounts IN false names.
How often have the schemes of this
dead Rothschilds produced embarrassment
In the markets of America : How often
has be not spread ruin over Thousands OF
our countrvmen BY means of influences
ccntering IN his houses in London and
Paris, over which 70 American could
have any control? There have been times
when such men were supposed to have
rendered great public services by the
command Of fiscal resources. But the
prese. .Emperor ofFIaoce has emaneiPat d
governments from dependence OF this class
BY means of his great popular loans, rals-
ed by appeal to the whole mass OF the
people. That invention has exploded the
bubble on which the regulations OF men
ike Rothschild had been resting. In
any age, IN any country, under any CIR
cumstances, SO far from benef;tlng the
people in any way. thy increase the
downward tendencies Of the poor class
ses and all the benz Violence the million
aires can achieve by their gifts or behests
will no, atone for the misery they isfict
" On millions Of the human racc.-fhti-
y Amer.