The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-04-18
UNPARALLELED PHILANTHROPY.
How Baron HIr.cb Has Given $40. .OOe, 600
In Charity.

In handsome hotel in the Rue
/ dElysee, SAYS a Paris letter to the
New York World, Baron Hirsch, the
celebrated tlnancier, signed away yes
terday for the benefit of God is people,
''the poor $4,000, ,OO0-a gift which
I lacks parallel in the history of phi
lauthropy and beside which the dOna-
! tiOns of Peabody. Vanderbilt, Hopkins,
Girard, and Pratt seem petty.
! Little pomp or circumstances sur
rounded the generous act. A COM
mittee of twenty Russian Hebrews.
with quaint garments and haircut sug-
gesting the Mosaic laws, arrived in
the morning from Warsaw. A score of
Austrians arrived on the Orient ex-
press from Vienna. They drove to-
geiher 10 the handsome hotel of the
baron in the narrow street behind the
presidents palace. Here the baron
and two sharp-ryed men of the law re-
ceivcd them. The great financiers
study-table was Uttered with papers,
contracts, and deeds of gift.
1--WE have the honor to be your SER
wants, baron" said the heayy-bearded,
travel-worn. wise men from the east as
they filed into the library. With a
few scratches of the pen the papers
and contracts were finished The
deeds were transferred from the barOn's
workable 10 the capacious leather
pouches which his visitors had brought
with them.
May Gods blessings be with you
and yours said the strange visitors as
they filed out of the hotel.
In this simple way $4,000. 900 had
found its way from the Golfers of the
great banking and railroad king into
the hands of Il committee who are to
build and supcrintend commercial
schools in the waste lands of Russia.
of Poland, Of Hungary. and Austria.
In few minutes the World CORES
Dondent was ushered into the baron's
studio.
mo, have not the slightest hesita-
tiOn in telling to the world She partic-
ulars of my gift" the baron said II
am an old man. | am childless. NV
industry and my enterprises have been
eminently successful. With the for
tune which have amassed | hope to
raise from the slough of ignorance and
despondency the most helpless, the
most miserable race in Europe-the
Jews of Russia, of Austria, in fact Of
southeastern Europe. To-day | have
consummated my share of the work
and POO, 900, 900 francs have been turn
ed over to the central committee charg-
ed with carrying out my plans.
81 wish to have all Jews baptized.
am the most unorthodox of Hebrews.
Were my coreligiOnists TO be baptized
there would be an end of Semitism and
anti-semitism l hate to speak of nv
deeds, but for fear you should think
that l only give to those of my race L
will mention that during the past two
years / have given $4,000, 900 to
Christian schools and hospitals in
Europe and England. But the Jews
of whom | speak are wallowing in. the
depths of ignorance and bigotry into
which the persecution of centuries has
reduced them. l purpose with my
money their education. With enlight-
ment will come more liberal views of
life and perhaps the next century will
see the disappearance from the face
of the earth of the Semitic race as q
narrow-minded religious guild.
Southeastern Europe is to be dis
tricted and schools are to be located in
proportion to the density of popula-
ton. l do not hope To see the con-
summation of the work myself, but you
perhaps will live to see the world in
habited and controlled by neither Jew
nor gentle, but by civilized men,"
Baron Hirsch is the third and last of
his name and family who from the be-
ginning of this century have played a
leading part in the European world of
finance He heired from his father,
the Vienna banker, 10000. 900 forms.
which in building Turkish railways
and with Ottoman loans he has de-
cupled. The baron is a strikingly
handsome man of ahnmt 30