The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-03
THE BIRTHDAY OF
LORD ROTHSCHiLD


year OF the famous London Office in New
Court. ST. Swithins Lane, where many a
decision has been come 10 upon which
tho fortunes of empires have depended.
1t is 100 years since Nathaniel Roth
sehlld. the first British representative Of
the great financial dynasty, movsd from
ST. Helens place to the fftle coLrt now
completely surrounded By the pile OF
stately buildings that bear the Rothschild
rame Nathaniel was the son OF the
founder of the Rothsehild fortunes. Meyer
Amsehel. who, as / have related in these
columns. held the treasures OF the land
grave OF Hesse-Cassel secure during the
Napoleonic invasion Of Germany.
II. was a very different place then.
Large though the business was then al
ready. for a treasury loan of 1200O 900
pounds sterling was undertaken by the
house as early as 1919 the first Offices
In New court merely we're a converted
dwelling house. and old Nathaniel HIM
self lived In the upper part There prac-
tically is no vestige Of the old building
now remaining. though privileged visitors
still are shown the paneied room which
was the council chamber Of the chief az
latter day, when Baron Lionel. son OF
Nathaniel and the father OF the present
Lord Rothsehild. had succeeded to the
throne
Something OF the contrast between the
old building and the palatial pile OF to-
day may be said TO exist between the
homely portraits of the original Nathan
lei. with his big-brimmed hat and some
what Johnsonian figure, and the exqui-
sitely neat. quiet. unaggressive person
aiity of the present head OF the family.
One might well speculate as to how many
reigning monarch WELD even a respect
able fraction o. the power OF this I'M
assuming business man. who is TO be
found at his Office as regularly as any
humdTum managing director.
Yet his seventy years OF life. 10 use
Lord Rothschild's own Enthusiastically
modest words. 'devoted entirely to busi-
ness have been fruitful OF world deeds,
any one OF which would have insured
an important place In the history Of Eu-
rope and OF the British empire. II is
said that during his reign at New court
he has brought cut loans amounting IN
all 20 something like ESQ 000, 900 sterling.
1t was he who sa. ed Egypt from financial
ruin In the early days. and the amazing
story OF that adventurous evening when
he helped Lord BeacCnsfield 20 buy up
the Suez Canal shares still Is one OF the
true fairy tales OF financial statesman
ship.
In the Barring crisis, q matter OF COM
mon recollection he came TO the rescue
OF the national credit. and 10 the present
generation there Is a special appeal IN
his ready help 20 Cecil Rhodes In his
first struggling days, while HIS invaluable
aid in the matter OF government loans
during the Boer war will be an ever
remembered national service. From his
Cambridge days a trusted friend of Kine
Edward. Lord Rothschild is the first pro-
Tossing Jew to take his seat in the House
of Lords.
II Is characteristics OF Lord RothschilC
that although he is spending his actua
birthday in his country home al Tring
he has been in attendance az his office IN
St SWithins lane every day. He Is II
excellent health and spirits. and In every
thing save years is still one OF th'
young men OF the empire. In whose indi
vidual responsibility for imperial eff
cheney he is firm and hopeful believer
This was the first time that the Kaiser
as sovereign, has been at Brussels. an,
| his reception rather was OF e mixed kind
| L Independence Beige even reporte'
that there was some Kissing as the I'm
periaI procession passed along. but evef
so. that was only Of a piece with IN
welcome accorded 10 his grandfather o.
| the occasion OF his visit TO Strassburg fl
| 1879. when the blinds or all OF the win
dows were lowered. as. this writer him
self can testify. and that after the cit
/ had been under German rule for min
/ years
/ But there are still other analogues
/ When Gear Alexander II Of Russia II
! lS67-the first exhibition year-came I
1 Paris and visited the Palais de Justice
he was greeted with a shout. 'vive i
| pologne, Monsieur" The voice was tina
OF young advocate. N. Floquet. he VIII
afteTwaTd was 10 rise 10 ministeria
rank and 10 wound Boulanger in a due
wound. in fact, that gave the death
blow 10 the vogue Of lie brave general.
Kings Lynn, which recently has beei
visited by King George and Queen Mary
at one time had an unenviable reputa
ton as the abode OF witches. IN III
earlier years Of the seventeenth centur,
several women we're executed in tn,
Tuesday Market Place on the charge o
witchcTaft Most notorious of these per
haps was Mother Galley" described il
Wells parish register as the "execrabI
witch of Kings Lynn"
This unfortunate woman. il wa
charged, had brought about the death 0
! fourteen persons. coming from Spain "b
the bOyling or rather labouring o
verteyne eggs in a payle OF cold water
| afterward approved sufficientlle at tn
arraignment of the said witche.'
| The barbarities OF an earlier penal cod
/ are recalled by the record OF two chill
| dren. aged respectively eleven and eight
| having been hanged for felony at King
| Lynn in 17OS. while in 1881 a maidservsn
was boiled TO death for poisoning he
mistress.
I A little incident that occurred recent,
at Karlsruhe. the famous German resort
viii give some idea OF the simplicity 81
tonic I'm its effect upon humber people
which still prevails in the highest quar-
tiers in Germany. Every institution II
that wonderful old place seems to hav
been founded by the Grand Duches
Louisa. Or If remarked how splendid,
| organized was this training school 70
| young servants. or that creche for child
rem, the reply invariably would be: IN
wonder you see, the grand duchess an
some of her ladies personally manag
it"
An english teacher, having a great de
sire Ito see the famous grand duches!
wrote her, mentioning recommendation
| to the Baden authorities and asking for
few minutes interview. Within an hou
the reply came that not only would tn
grand duchess be pleased to see hel
but would arrange for her a VISIT [
the school which she has founded in tn
grounds of her castle for young girls. an
| which of cniIrse also IS under her ner