A BANKING FAMILY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

A BANKING FAMILY

Story Of The House Of

Rothschild

“The Magnificent Rothschilds,” by Cecil Roth (London: Hale; Sydney: •Angus and Robertson).

“The Magnificent Rothschilds” makes no claim to being a history of this illustrious family, but is rather the human document relating the personal histories of the three brothers under whom the House of Rothschild reached its greatest prestige and with whose death' it virtually passed away.

In reaching the three brothers who wielded such financial power last century, and indeed till the Great War, Mr. Roth has sketched the history of the family briefly, but as no family surely could have been more ? intermarried (the policy was for a Rothschild to marry a Rothschild so that the dowry would stay in the fifmily) the less a casual reader worries about the various relationship the lesg muddled he will be. There is, moreover, a thoroughly adequate geneological table which can be studied if the reader is interested. The three brothers, Nathaniel, Alfred and Leopold de Rothschild, were the sons of Baron Lionel de Rothschild, whose financial genius was responsible for building up the resources of the banking house so that it became one of the financial centres of the world. To his home, Gunnersbury Park, went almost all the famous people of the time, and in this atmosphere of culture and politics the three brothers grew up with fingers naturally on the pulse of their time. On Baron Lionel’s death they jointly succeeded him and continued his business with, efficiency, but extreme caution, till the outbreak of the World War. The Wqr saw the end of the private banking houses, and as the three brothers died during the' war it was the end of the House of Rothschild as a great banking family. Times have changed so, completely. , . ( Mr. Roth gives'admirable portraits of the three men—Nathaniel, the business man, Alfred, the collector, and Leopold, the sportsman. They were expansive days when there was no opprobium attached to being rich. The masses of those days adored the very rich and showed their enthusiasm much as they.salute Royalty at the present time. Many brave figures pass intimately through these pages, which provide very pleasant, slightly idealized reading. •

A LIFE OF DUNDEE

“John Graham of Claverhouse,” by Alistair and Henrietta Tayler (London: Duckworth),

The authors of this biography must have enjoyed writing this most interesting 'book. They confess they loved the man, and that ts not difficult to believe. They wrote of a great man who, at last, as a gallant, soldier; died for his King and country at the battle of Kiilieerltnkie in 1089.

The history of the fall and flight of James 11, and the loyal adherence to him and the can sb by Lord Dundee, for that was the title of Graham of Cluverliousd/ is. most sympathetically told here. : lie is revealed as a man of strong character, rather intolerant of delays and humbug. Because of his dominating" character he fell out with men in high places, oftdn al times to his own disadvantage. These included the influential QueeusbeiTy, who, jealous of the energy and ability of Dundee, tried to influence .lames against, him. For a time he succeeded, but James, whatever his Weakness might have been, was a judge of character and soon restored Dundee to his favour. His judgment proved right, for all his enemies went over to William when he landed in England to take the British Crown.

Dundee remained true and loyal to the King who left England, perhaps for his country’s good, but who was never, in fact, deposed.

The fine Scots proverb, “Loyalty is lang and dreich,” expresses the whole of Dundee’s life according to the authors, -and reading the story they tell there is no reason to differ from them. Loyalty was never better personified in any being than it was in Dundee. He cared little for personal advancement. Loyalty to the Crown was his passion—all else was secondary. It is good to read of this great man. He stands as a shining example of manly virtue. His life encompassed that most, interesting portion of tile history of Scotland when the Jacobites asserted I heir fine independence and spirit. As is well known, when Dundee refused to truckle to .William he went from one end of Scotland* to the Other raising loyalists to defeat the foreign invader. Against far superior numbers he prevailed, and in the last battle he fought ho routed the English army, vastly superior in numbers. The story of the charge of the wild Highlanders is a tale often Well told, but not better told than in fills delightful biography. Dundee died as he would have chosen to die, leading his troops into battle in' a cause which he regarded much as Richard Coeur de Lion regarded his holy wars. This book confounds all those Covenanters who have to some extent perpetuated their propaganda against the man who revealed their treachery to the Crown. As a book this is line rending. By their sympathy and understanding the authors have brought Dundee to life again between Hie pages, and one can always open the book to remind oneself of a good and gallant gentleman.