The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-03
THE BARONESS DE HInsCH.
A London's Paper Special Memoir
by One Who Knew Her Life Init

by One Who Knew Her Life Inti-
mateIy.
From the London Chronicle.
The Jewish race has been tainted with
the lack of great women recorded in its
annals 1t is true that few of the daugh-
tiers of Israel have sought or obtained no
toriety, but this is no evidence that moral
and intellectual distinction Is rarer with
them than with their Gentle sisters-lt
only proves that women may live great
lives in secret and not be known to fame. In
Glare. Baroness de Eirsch and Gereuth,
who died on Saturday at the age OF %,
great personality has passed away Inc
world has lost one of its greatest oene-
factors; one who let not her right naho
know what her left hand wrought; a pure
and lofty SOU, who simply worked lot ner
fellow creatures without thought OF sell
Living for the greater part OF her lie IN
Paris, the daily life and example of Baron
ess de Hirsch's was silent reproach to anti
Sem;tism "Out of Zion, the perfection OF
! beauty, God hath shined" wrote the
| Psalmist. If Zion in this passage means
the Hebrew nation, the perfection OF
beautiful character has just passed away
from the earth: and the Jews nave 1851
their best friend.
| jewish race Is AldIlSO ~ 10
Juive." or La Derniere Bataille," by the
money lending fraternity, or by the mate
| REALISTIC German-JeWs. who, in their struS-
| gle for cash, renounce Germany without
becoming English, shirk all civic, patriotic
and communal duties, would TeadJust tneir
views of the possibilities of Jewish destiny
| and character had they known-eVen as
knew her-the late Baroness. One could
not be in her society for day without
/ cha MOS = bEpluFa1W free from
that desire to shine to be in evidence,
| which is a distinctive note of our time
and not least in average Jewish charac-
ter One recognized that her atmosphere
was outside the sphere of struggling AMI
competitive humanity. Her enormous
riches left no evil mark; she was I'M
| touched. While abhoring the display Of
wealth for it's own sake, the simplicity of
her life suggested neither ostentatious as
ceticism nor parsmony, and whether at
Bath House-whch was given up when
| the Baron died-or in the magnificent no.
tel in the Rue de TElysee, or at the pic
| turesoue old castle at Eichhorn, among
| the wooded hills of Moravia, or in a mod
| est villa with one hired carriage at Pau,
| the Baroness impressed all who knew her
with the fact thai her interests in life
were too deep 10 be satisfied with the
knowledge that she was the richest wo-
man in Europe. She had. in full, the
qualities of sincerity and simplicity, with
| heart as tender to human suffering and
| as true to those she loved as though her
| intellectual abilities and soundness of
| Judgment were those of the ordinary wo-
man. They were nothing of the kind.
| Bred up in the midst of great affairs, and
| practiced in the control and expenditure
of revenues exceeding the budgets of some
states the Baroness de Hrsch Joined sing
ular business capacities to devoted enthus-
iasm in relieving che sufferings of The sad
! dest peopae on Gb3s,.earth With ali the
weight ofcare and responsibility. and the
| requisite GOODNESS of temperament for wise
as well as generous administration of her
affairs, she had from her girlhood tba
power of INSPIRING affection and resnact
The Baron De H.rsch once told me the
! idYl Of his couutshp-the way in which he
won his wife. He loved her, and she loved
| him But the lady's father-the Be-gian
| banker and Senator Blsehoffshein,- :
not prepared to sanction the match. and
| refused his consent. On one occasion. how.
ever young Hirsch, who remained on
| friendly terms, happened to be in the room
| where the banker was discussing with bis
| business advisers an extremely knottv
point of high finance. The discussion was
| prolonged without finding a solution. At
| last the senator turned to the young man
who had silently followed the deIibAro
| tons, and invited him 10 express his 0Din-
| ion. Elirsch complied. Bischoffsheinn lis
| tened attentively, but uttered not a word
| When Hirsch had finished, he rose from
| his seat, led his would-be son-in-.aw TO an
| other room where his daughter Clare was
| sitting alone Still silent he placed the
| hand of Maurice de Hirsch in that of the
| lady and left the room without a word
! Thus the young people were netrothed
| rhe union was blessed with an only SON
| che idol of his parents-as handsome as
| his father, he survived until manhood. a
| good sportsman, and of brilliant abilities
| After his death neither the Baron nor his
wife We're ever the same again--ard to
that great and irreparabe loss may be at
| tributed the bent which Baron de Eirsch
! developed late in life-the task of raising
up the down trodden Jew, and giving light
and hope 10 millions of his prosecuted CO.
] celigionists To this end he devoted his
! vast wealth; some people say not wisely
| Those in his confidence on this matter be-
lieve that the colossal ideas of the Baron
| and his wife are destined to survive, and
that even more valuable than the gold
which was lavished on the dumb and in
! active Jewish COLOMBIA ton Association and
| the innumerable Jewish charities in all
| parts of the civilized world, and especially
| in Russia was the indestructble idea to
/ which he and his widow, when he was
| gone, devoted their later lives and for
| tunes.
| The Baroness was gifted with an intui-
| ton and good sense on tie outbreak of an
| u-Semitism IN Russia and France. which
left her under no illusions. Writing to me