The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1898-12-31 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

WEEKLY LONDO.I LEITER.  The •••!.:".-vriems passed on Baron Ferdinand de Rotimhild's memory have drawn attention to the good worts of the ILithschild family as • whole. They have done their best, as the most influential and wealthiest Jews in the world, to add dignity to their pad. tion, and both by public and private benefactions they set a notable example of generosity. The head of the English home is Lord Rothschild, who was created an English peer eighteen yeas ago, and previously held the Aylesbury lest, which has been vacated by Baron Ferdinand. Ho was born at the Rothschild Mansion in Piccadilly fifty-eight years ago. Be owns 15,000 acres of land with beautiful seats at Ealing and in Hertfordshire.  There are no fewer than thirty-four pantomime* going in London at the present time in the Metropolitan and suburban theatres—a large increase on any previous year. The hollows, of course, belong to Drury Lane, where the "Fcrty Thieves" are triumphant, but round and about the representa. Mons of "Cinderella" are in a large majority. This, Indeed, has been the case for three years, very few managers caring to risk the huge expense of an altogether novel enterprise. There are plenty of good fairy tales that would lend themselves easily  to pantomime, but in this matter great is the Influence of tradition. The fathers like to take the children to see versions of the old stories that delighted their own eyes in youth; and when these are brought up to date by topical allusions antiquity is made to have the charm of novelty. The aristocrats who lent their names to Mr. Hooley's cornpanics were the subjects of frequent satire, and the use of a title for promoting & doubtful financial undertaking was demonstrated by frequent efforts of facet's.  Lord Iveagh's princely gifts of two sums of a quarter of a million to the nation come opportunely at a time when attention is being drawn to the small amount of the charitable bequests of the year. The total, exclusive of this money, does not represent, I believe, more than a fraction of a penny of the Income tax. Lord Iveagh, who is better known by his former name of Sir E.lward Guinness, has done something to redeem the remissness of the wealthy, the first scheme is for the  expenditure of  £250,000 in the demolition of eome of  the worst rookeries  in Dublin, and the erection on part of  the area which they  now cover of a  number of wrrkmen's  dwellings and model lodging-houses. with  library, bath.. gym nasium, and recrea.  tion ground.  second proposal is to place a quarter of a million of money  at the disposal of  the Council of the Jenner Institute for Medical Research. Lord Iveagli, I may add, is believed to be the richest Christian in the Uliited Kingdom. Some years ago his wealth was estimated at £14,000,000 sterling. This is not his first sign of interest in the poor. Besides contributing largely to charity through the ordinary channels, be gave, some time ago, a quarter of a million for the erection of dwellings for the working classes of London and Dublin.  The old Lock Bridge at Wapping familiarly known in the di-trict as the Briege of Sighs—will soon be superseded by a modem Aructure: that, at least, is the intention of the London County Council If Parliament approves. The bridge forms the con— nection between Wapping and St. George's-in-theEast, and has been notorious for suicides. Indeed, for many years it has been found necessary to have a constable on this bridge night and day to deal with this kind of emergency. Despite his attendance, however, many life tragedies have been enacted there, and the police tell of exciting struggles in ,the water with :nen and women who, after the plunge, have regretted the act, and called piteously for help. In the old days the press gangs, which used to take men by force to serve at sea, made themselves active here, and robberies from the person were very frequent,  -,•,, milli' •;... - ' -'- ,', : .1.444.'...• , ii5.:::,,,,,ii.-, •':— ..,, .1.—.....' . ' . s', 6