The Portland daily press., 1889-02-04
REAL PHILANTHROPY.
How Baron hirsch Has Given s4o.'
900, 900 In Charity.

In handsome hotel in the Rue d'Elysee,
writes Paris correspondent of The New
York World, Baron Hirscb, the celebrated
financier, signed away yesterday for the ben
fit of Gods people, ''the poor" $40,000,0O0-a
gift which lacks parallel in the history OF
philanthropy, and besides which the dona-
tions of Peabody. Vanderbilt. Hopkins. Sir
ard and Pratt seem petty.
Little pomp or circumstance surrounded
the generous act. A committee of 20 Russian
Hebrew, with quaint garments and hair cut
suggesting the Mosaic laws, arrived in the
morning from Warsa. score Of Austrians
arrived on the Orient express from Vienna.
They drove together to the handsome hotel
of the baron in the narrow street behind the
presidents palace. Here the baron and two
sharp-eyed men of the law received them.
The great financier's study table was Uttered
with papers, contracts and deeds of gift
I'VE have the honor to be your servants,
baron" said the heavy 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
work table to the capacious leather pouches
which IBIS visitors had brought with them.
NAV Gods blessing be with you and
yours, said the stranger visitors as they filed
out of the hotel.
In this simple way S4O,Ooo.OOO had found
its way from the Golfers of the great banking
and railroad king into The hands of COM
mittee who are to build and superintend COM
mercial schools in the waste lands Of Russia,
of Poland, of Hungary and Austria. In a
few minutes The World correspondent was
ushered into the baron's study. ea1a =.
mo, have not the slightest hesitation in
telling to the world the particulars of my
gift, the baron said. 81 am an old man. /
am childless. Ny industry and my enter
prises have been eminently successful. With
the fortune which l have amassed | hope to
raise from the slough of ignorance ana de-
spOndency the most hopeless, the most mis-
of Austria-in fact, OF southeastern Europe.
Today have consummated my share of the
work, and e200, ,000, 900 has been turned over
to the central commite charged with the car
rying out of my plans. ef Ht
/ wish to have all the Jews baptized. /
am the most unorthodox of Hebrews. Were
my coreligionists to be baptized there would
be an, end OF Semitism and anti-Semitism.
nate 70 speak 81 my deeds, but for fear you
should think that l only give to those Of NV
race will mention that during the past two
years have given $4,000, 600 to Christian
schools and hospitals in Europe and England.
But the Jews OF whom speak are wallowing
In the depths OF ignorance and bgotry into
which the persecution of centuries has re-
duced them purpose with my money their
education. With enlightenment 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 a
nsrrow-minded religious guild. ra
Southeastern Europe Is to be districted,
and schools are to be located in proportion
to the density of population. / do not hope
to see the consummation of the work myself,
but you, perhaps, will live to see tine world
Inhabited and controlled by neither Jew nor
Gentle. but by civilized men. fa.frY
Baron Hirsch is the third ard last of his
name and family who, from the beginning of
the European world Of finance. lie inherited
from his father, the Vienna banker, 10000,
600 fiorins, which, in Turkish railways and
with Ottoman loans, he has Occupied. The
baron is strikingly handsome man, of about
90: Whether he Is a believer or an agnostic,
and pities his fellow men. w 'iiW Is ll