The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-05-01
BARON HIRSCH DEAD

1IAA1A1UG4 ~ 11A-A0COlxNDLAO
CUMBS TO DISEASE.
Vas . Noted Hebrew and Died Possessed
Of . Colossal Fortune After Having
Given Away S5O,OOO,OO0 TO Charities
Established Colonies for the Oppressed.
VIENNA, April 22.-Baron Hirsch
died OF heart disease at his estate near,
Komorn this morning.
Baron Maurice Hirsch Won Gerenth
was born in ls4O in Bavaria, where his
father, a rich merchant, who had ZEN
dered pecuniary assistance to the
state, had been ennobled by the pred
ecessor of the mad King Ohio. He
began his career as a banker, but it
was in connection with railroad en-
terprises that he accumulated most of
his vast fortune.
Meanwhile, Hirsch had improved
his condition by marrying his rich
partners daughter and was able to
embark on those phi%lanthropic vent
ures by which he is best known to
this country. He is said to have
given away more than SO million dol
lars and then to have died the pos
SCISSOR of a colossal fortune. In 1889
he gave away 40 million dollars in a
lump and said Of the gift: with
the fortune which l have amassed
| hope to raise from the slough of
ignorance and dependency the most
helpless, the most miserable race in
Europe, the Jews of Russia, of Aus
trla, 4 of Southeastern Europe. I
have contaminated my share of the
work, and 200, DOC, 900 francs have been
turned over to the Central committee
charged with the carrying out of my
plans. 1 wish to have all the Jews
baptized. am the most unorthodox
of Hebrews. Were my co-religionists
to be baptized. there would be an end
to Semitism and anti-Semitism, l hate
to speak of my deeds, but for fear you
should think that I only give to my
race l will mention that during the
past two years Ihave given $lo,o 900
to Christian schools and hospitals in
Europe and England. But the Jews
Of whom l speak are wallowing in the
depths of Ignorance and bigotry to
which the persecution of centuries has
reduced them. 1 purpose with my
money their education"
Baron Hirsch offered once to give
$50, 100000 to endow schools in Russia,
provided they should be open to all,
irrespective Of race or religion, but
the car rejected the proposition out
of a desire to exclude Jews from the
schools.
The late baron founded schools in
Egypt, European and Asiatic Turkey
and throughout the East. He gave
$40, 600, 900 for instruction in Galicia,
and in spite of the rejection of his
Russian school proposition, spent $1O.-
600, OOU more in relieving the condition
of the Russian Jews.
Twelve and half million dollars
was devoted to the assistance of the
poor immigrants from Russia and
Roumania upon their arrival in the
United States. Hirsch's charities to
American Hebrews amounted to $780,
600. Miscellaneous charities footed
up many millions more, but made lit
tie impression on a fortune that ran
into the hundred millions.
Seven colonies for Jews and the
oppressed of other races were estab-
Iished by Baron Hirsch IN Buenos
Ayres, Entire Kios, Santa Fe and Cor
dova in the Argentine Republic. In
1894 the colonists numbered 5000 and
had $4,000 acres under cultivation.
The prediction that Jews would never
go back to agriculture was falsifed;
they made good farmers.
Baron Hirsch was one of the most
intimate friends Of the Prince of
Wales. 1t was supposed that the tie
was of a mercenary character, at least
so far as it affected the princes atti-
tude, but this has been denied. Wales,
influence gained Hirsch a measure of
social recognition, but the anti
Semitic prejudice is not extinct in
England, and the baron was snubbed
more than once. He was elected to
membership in a number Of select
clubs, but in others he was black
balled.
The baron was a devoted lover of
horses and in 1891, 1892 and 1893 won
$4,000 on the turf. In those three
years he devoted double the sum men,
toned to charity.
The baron was a good shot and an
all around SPOKESMAN. He visited
the remote rne of the world in
quest of big and rare game and many
stories are told Of his hunting exploits.
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