Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-18
MADE MANY HAPPIER
Great Benefactions of the
Baroness Burdett-Coutts.
FRIEND OF THE Eminent
Patron of Distinguished Men in Pro-
fessional Life.
GAVE AID TO THE DISTRESSED
Cleared Several Blocks Of London
Slums-Sent Families to Canada
and Australia.
GAVE AID TO THE DISTRESSED
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.

Herald.
A lady in Bloomington, H., asks Why the
late Baroness Burdett-Coutts was buried
among the kings, queens, statesmen, arch
bishops, soldiers, authors and other emf
nent men in Westminster Abbey.
No one of the many famous people whose
dust is deposited in that most noble of all
pantheons was more entitled to the honor
for Angela Burdett as she was born. was
undoubtedly the greatest philanthropist that
ever lived. No human being, no king. nor
emperor, nor plutoCrat, ever contributed
much money for charitable purposes, or
did more practical deeds of benevolence
than she. She often acted under the in
fuence of the great men of the last
tury-the Duke Of Wellington, who wanted
to marry her; Lord Shaftesbury, who was
her ideal of a Christian statesman; Mr..
Gladstone who for half century was one
of her most intimate friends; Charles
Dickens. who suggested many of i.er philan-
thropies; Chinese" Gordon. Rev. Mr..
Sturgeon and many others who might be
named; but. as a rule. she acted her
own initiative and accepted all the moral
responsibility of her benevoence. She was
original In her methods and had great tai
ent for organization and administration. If
she had been a man she would have been
prime minister of England. In politics she
exercised powerful influence for several
generations and named many a cabinet
minister. She was unique among the wom-
en- of her time. She declined the hand of an
emperor-Napoleon III-and refused offers
of marriage from the Duke OF A male, son
OF King Louis Philippe. and from long
list OF the noblest names in the British
empire She had many lovers, but gave
them no encouragement.
Her Marriage.
III 1881. when she was sixty-seven years
old. she married her private secretary,
young American named Bartlett a native
OF Philadelphia, originally clerk in the
banking house of Coutts & Co., afterward
her secretary and then her business man
ager. He was forty years her junior but
she loved him and trusted Kim, and their
lie was congenial and happy. She made
him an allowance of $4,000 a year from
which he had doubtless saved something,
Out her enormous fortune goes to her
nephew. Francis Burdett Money-Coutts Of
Weybridge. a little town in Surrey about
thirty miles from London. He Is the son of
her elder sister, Clara, who died at the age
9 ninety-toqr few years ago, and the
Rev. James ID. Money, vicar OF WeybriGge
The heir is a member of the bar, about
hfty-four years old, and has several chill
dren' He lives quietly and is practically
unknown except TO small circle of friends
and neighbors. But, by the death of lady
Burdett-Coutts, he becomes a peer of the
realm and one of the richest men in the
kinsdom He inherits two titles and NAV
call himself Lord Scales or Lord Latmer
Both these titles belonged to his late aunt
but she preferred TO be known as the Bar
oneS5 Burdett-Coutts, third title conferred
upon her by Queen Victoria because of
her generosity to the sick and wounded in
the various wars in which England was en-
gagged and which expired with her.
Lady Money-Coutts and Lady Burdett
Soutts. the sisters, were never friendly
The former was the elder and never for
save her angela for being the favorte
OF the Duchess of ST. Adams, their step
grandmother, from whom the L.orcy came
Old Tom Coutts
1t Is a curious story. odd Tom Coutts
was a famous banker, a man of great
wealth and influence In the financial world
but rough ropsterer, with a badly dam
aged reputation. He married a scullery
maid named Elizabeth Starkey, and. after
her death, took for a second wife Harriet
Mellon. notorious burlesque actress
EHzabeth Starkey had daughter named
SOPHIA, who married Sir Francis Burdett
person of considerable importance and
notoriety, professional politician a mem
Der OF parliament for the borough of West
minister and the last person to be imprison-
ed for political reasons in the Tower of
London. They had two children Clara and
Angela, born in 1912 and 1914, respectively
When old Tom" Coutts married the
actress. his family refused TO recognize
her socially and treated her with contempt
All except little Angela Burdett who
showed the trustful affection of a child for
her step-grandmother, and when she grew
panion. odd Tom" so indignant at the
treatment OF his actress wife that when he
oled he left her his entire fortune. He made
no provision for his children by his first
vile or for any other relative. Harriet Mel
Ion got 1t all. She had made him good
"lie; she had settled down and become a
modest, uuostentatious and popular woman
out her husbands family, excepting the
one child, never recognized her merits
After she had been widow for three wears
tho eN-actress married the Duke OF St
aft
she followed him to the grave she be-
questhed the banking house of Courts e.
-, an' an the money and property she
had Inherited from her husband to her
little faSortte, Angela Burdett then TWENTY
tnree years old, upon the condition that
sue assume the name of Coutts. Ii was
ALSO provided that If she left no children
the money should go TO the next of kin of
the Coutts family
Friend of Many Great Men.
For a generation she was the greatest
belle IN London, for she had beauty and
sraces as well as wealth. She was consider
Gu the richest woman in the world but
never cared for society and gave her time
10 charitable work, to politics. to promot-
Ing the arts and sciences and 10 the i'm,
HiosTneh' oil the condition OF her race
heI nome Tor sixty years was the most i'm
poftsnt political and social center in Eng
iand She had confidential relations with
nearly an The great statesmen and politi-
I'M 20
friend or more great men, probably than
any woman that ever lived but unlike
Madame de Stael and other famous women
no breath of scandal ever tarnishe her
name She was the closest friend that
queen Victoria had and exercised a power
iui influence over her. There was no emit
nent man of her generation In Eurona
wnom she dld not personally know and in
the truth were told many of them Doubtless
would have to confess that they owed their
advancement very largely to her advice
aid Influence. Her proteges have been
great authors like Dickens, great soldiers
IKE Chinese Gordon. The last Communal
cation he received at Khartoum from the
outside world before the massacre was
a letter of encouragement and sympathy
written by her hand carried to him by a
native Soudanese whom she EMPLOYED for
that purpose. Mendelssohn, List and sew
eral other famous musicians were ON her
list OF benehciaries. which included actors
and actresses, soldiers. clergymen poets.
novelists and other writers; painters and
scuiptors and large number OF successful
business men owe their start in life to her
generosity and patronage.
Practical in Her Philanthropy.
She had no theories; she was intensely
practical. She gave her aid and exercised
her influence where she thought they We're