The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-01
4 MODEL MILLIONAIRE.
The Last of the OId-Fnshioncd Roth
scbiIds-AB Honest, simple, Good,
and Bardworking Citizen.

| Won fNOAllEt4lilIs Adtiltl "a a AuA - AHAAi'tS
OF daughters. one of whom is Lady Roths-
child, and another, Baroness James de
Rothschild. a woman of the finest char
! acter. the strongest sense. the warmest
! heart. and in some respects IAN English
woman, born and brought up in Frank
fort" Baron William was nephew Of
Meyer Anselm, the best-informed man
| of his time in Europe on passing events
and trends of every kind. The deceased
| and Meyer Karl were partners in the
Frankfort Bank. But they had not the
adapta bility OF the other members OF their
! family. They both conSfnued 10 reside
/ in the old imperial and delectable city
where they were born and reared, though
Meyer Karl was member for several
years OF the Reichstag. and Berlin had
become the financial center of Germany.
| Nor did they take any share in the finan-
| cial boom or the German Empire, so
| marked within the last ten years. Baron
| William contented himself with partic-
| ipating In the discount operations OF the
| Disconto-Ge sellschaft. What is now so
rare among the wealthy, he was a man
/ ot. simple tastes, was in all respects I'M
| obstrusive, and avoided putting himself
| forward. He was the most pfous member
of his family. Every morning without
| fail, he attended morning prayers at
| O'Clock in summer and in winter at
the private synagogue in the BOcken-
heimer Road built by his Uncle AnseIm.
| On Saturdays and feasts he always went
| there on foot from his beautiful Grun-
| berg villa, according to the letter of the
| law.
1t may be interesting to know how this
millionaire lived. On returning home from
| prayers he took a plain coffee breakfast
| attended to his correspondence, gave di-
| rections to secretaries. and then went out
for an airing in his open carriage. 1t was
| drawn by beautiful mare. Mama"
| whom ne treated as "a good, friendly
| faithful servant" The Gar let me here
remark, prefers driving In a one-horse
carriage and greatly and almost pain
| fully surprised the late Felix Faure by
| this want of dignity" Baron William
was at his bank at 10 a. m, and worked
! there until / y. m. He had all that time
/ beside him legal man of erlinence NAM
| ed De Barry, justiZraht, or. as we should
| say, X. c. De Barry was there to give
| legal advice. Baron William detested legal
| contention or. indeed. any kind of strife,
| and was careful not to be embroiled with
| any one, In or out of business. At 1880
| he walked to his old house in the Zeil,
| where he and his wife had lived after
| their marriage. There he held a kind OF
| informal reception. Among those who
dropped in were the distinguished strang-
| ers at Frankfort. savants and artists. He
| was fond of poets, and lamented there
| are now so few great Songsters in Ger
| many. But he did not care for polemi
| cal writers The reception over, he made
! note of those to whom 1t might be well
| or agreeable to him to show hospitality.
| Mama" was then brought round, and
| the Baron drove back to Grunberg for
early dinner. He liked after dinner to
| saunter in the grounds, talk to the gard
| eners, and while away an hour or so in
! healthy manner. Toward he was again
| In his office, and worked until p. m.
| The business of the day over, he drove
| TO the Zeil There he had light sup
per with the Rabbi Fromm, with whom
he spent the rest of the evening. The
| rabbits death two years ago was a Sc
we're blow to Baron William. who found
In his conversation help 10 pious life.
| The Baron had a sweet, grave counte-
| nance Nobody ever saw him dressed
| otherwise than in a black and rather
clerical-l looking coat and silk hat. I
| hear that he took a deep interest, which
| he showed in practical ways, in the Jew
ish movement in Palestine But, as he
liked to get quietly through life. he avoid
ed coming forward conspicuuosly as a
| natron OF It, Though Judaism is as ra-
| tionalistic rs Unitarianism ii gives wide
| scope TO mystic natures. Baron William
| was a mystic He had that feeling for
| Jerusalem that Moslem had for Mecca,
| or a Catholic for the altar at which the
priest celebrates mass. II was not a
| thing to be reasoned out, but felt. The
| soul feelings made suggestions, like
music. that no words can convey. 1t is
Irrational to discard them utterly.
The late Baron William Won Rothschild
had a strong sense of the facts that life
| is a mere RAISING vapor, and that God
| alone Is great" He was by nature sober
In all his tastes. and understood the full
| elects Of overeating on soul and body.
| Tho Baron thought that the sin of over
| eating was too much shared by temper
ance people His table was well furn-
| ished, and he had a famous cellar: but
| he was an old -fashioued Jew in avoiding
| those retnements OF French cookery
which entice us TO eat far more nitI oSen-
Gus food than is good for us. The Baron
! was one of those who ascribe the ready
| adaptability OF the Jews TO the rabbini-
cal prescriptions for eating Meat pre-
| pared for the cook, according to these
| rules, does not tempt us to take more
! than our bodies abs o!utely need. It is
free from that juiciness that is so nice
TO the palate, but fruitful source of
! liver disorders and govt.
| Baron william was looked up to with
reverence by the whole Rothschild kind
red. lie had not only STATS of secreta-
ries, OF clerks. or gardeners, but OF al
moners. His charities were often hid
/ den There were secretaries for reading
applications for help, and others for
making Inquiries and sending on reports
TO the almoncrs, who often gave direct
| face-to-face relief. 1t might be said OF
| the deceased Baron that his word. or
| even a hope held out, was as good as
another mans oath. As the French say,
he became as he advanced In life tres de-
tache-that is to say. Indifferent 10 most
! of the satisfactions wealth procurcs, and
entirely gave up collecting works OF art.
lie had q good opinion OF the Prince Of
Wales--I beg pardon. OF Edward VII
and OF his sister, the Empress Frederick.
They were often his guests. They both
! had a care for the poor, and this they
4 thought the general tendency OF the law,
whether working by itself or through
the more indirect channel OF Christiani-
/ ~. The widow is baroness Mathilde, sis
! ter OF tho late Baron Ferdinand and
/ Baron Albert Won Rothschild Of Vienna.
She used 10 he an enthusiastic lover az
music AMI painting.
The namc OF Rothschild has greatly
Z lost ~ power 10 lnscinate mammon-
vorshppsrs. Cccil Rhodes & Co. Rookie
Teller, with IBIS billion OF dollars. aud
rapidly increasing fortune, the Wander