The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-01-16
THE RoTHscH1LDs.
A SKETCH OF THE CELEBRATED HOUSE.

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A SKETCH OF THE CELEBRATED HOUSE.
A short time after the battle Of Jena, in
which Napoleon broke down the armed op'
position of Prussia, William T., Elector Of
Hesse Cassel, flying through Frankfort, sum.
moned to an audience a prominent banker
of the city.
81 am one OF those he said, ''who trust
ed to the faith OF that faithless periurer and
enemy OF bis race, Napoleon Bonaparte.-
He promised to preserve my territory from
violation and to treat me as neutral prince.
he has forced me to fly from my own do
main, has already seized it, is to obliterate
it and make it a part OF the Kingdom OF
Westphalia. I have with me about five mil
lions. Take them. Keep them in security
until my rights are restored and recognized.
How much interest will you allow me?"
SIN the disturbances OF the time," replied
Mayer Won Rothsehild, ssIcan promise moth
ing. 1t must be very low rate il any. You
will have to .rust me to pay when I can,
when 1 am able to afford it,
ssVery WE'LL" replied the Elector, 'smy
chief purpose is to secure them. From what
I learn Of you cannot do better than to
trust you. / must bid you adieu.''
Rothschild departed, received the Elec.
tors treasure on deposit, was enabled to
loan itand reloan it to some advantage, but
paid no interest on it for eight years, after
which he paid two per cent. for nine years,
and returned it to the Electors son in 1928.
Such, at least, according to the legend, is
the origin Of that wonderful house Of Roths-
child, whose existence and operation arc
surrounded with something Of the mystic
ries and dazzling spectacular display found
chiefly in fairy romances and Arabian
Nights tales.
During all the troubles OF Europe in the
early part Of the century Rothschild remain
| ed undisturbed. He negotiated TIVE loans
| Of four million dollars each for Denmark,
which, contemplate now, were enormous
| then. A large wholesale yankee notions"
or dry goods house might surpass them to-
day. Mayer Rothschild had the faculty Of
turning all chances to good account.
Just before his death in 1872 he called to-
gether his six sons Nathan, Solomon, An
seine, Karl, Mayer, and James, and said to
| them:
81 want you to promise me on your SOL
emn oaths always to remain united in car
rying on the operations Of our house,
They swore as he asked, but after his
death separated or rather they divided Eu-
rope between them. They established their
| houses at Paris, Frankfort, London, Vienna
and Naples. Each one shared in the gen.
eral operations Of the house, but had indi-
vidlal supervision over his particular field.
It was not central bank with different
| branches there were five different houses,
| which, il occasion required, acted as one.
The Emperor Of Austria ,ennobled all Of
| them as il they were the eldest, which is an
Austrian custom. Their arms are five gold
en- arrows. By remarkable coincidence,
an ancient writer predicted that Charon,
who, according to the old myth, ferried
people over the Styx, or river Of death, and
who gets his pay from the passengers would
have large income in 1855, and In that
year, Nathan. the eldest, and Solomon and
Karl died. Everybody expected, as each
one dropped off, to learn the secrets of that
enormous banking house. But there was
not the smallest chance to look into their
big books. Another Rothschild stood ready
| to take them from the dead mems hands,
The firm is a dynasty. You can learn from
| it only that it has secret of money max
ing.
| One OF the great strokes Of the Roths-
child house Was made when Nathan, the
London banker, and an English citizen, fol-
| lowed close in the rear OF Napoleon, in
| 1915, as il he foresaw the fall of that giant.
| The sun had not set on the battle OF Water
loo before the banker was well on his way
to London. He bought English consols. at
that time very low in price. When London
heard the great news, consols rose and
Rothschild sold. This transaction was en- :
chance is eliminated as much, perhaps, as
it is possible in human affairs. The concep-
ton of these grand schemes are clear and
| simple, however vast. The accomplishment
alone is difficult because it requires a rapid
glance over the whole field, and large capt.
tai. But there is in them Indications OF ge-
MUS. In most Of these first great operations
there is the popularity Of Christopher Co
lumbus' great egg trick. Dollars, like SOL
diers, need to be hurled en- masse ard at
once against designated point. The Roths-
childs in this respect have been The greatest
captains OF the century.
Capital has displaced men in the world Of
industry. Formerly man wss producer or
a negotiator, borrower or a lender. Now,
by the substitution of capital, he may be all
OF these at the same time. In Belgium and
Spain the Rothschilds are producers OF coal
and quicksilver. BY virtue OF the railroads
they own they are also carriers; to-day they
will be the largest buyers, tomorrow the
largest sellers in Europe. Speculation is
the fairy OF the nineteenth century, and the
Rothschilds are its god-sons. Life at the
present day has been almost tripled in inten-
sity. A man who dies at forty years of age
has certainly lived more than centenarian;
OF the seventeenth century.
Money no longer has country. The
Rothschilds would lend it to Belgium anG
to Holland when they were mutual enemies
to Austria and to Italy /; to France and tt
Germany to Antonelli or Victor Emanuel