THE STORY OF A FAMOUS BANKER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 60

THE STORY OF A FAMOUS BANKER.

Baron Maurice de Hirsch, the great financier and philanthropist, who died in April, 1899, was one of the wealthiest men in the world, and from his philanthropy was regarded by the Hebrews as a profcector and guide. He was born at Munich about 63 years ago, and came of a respectable old Hebrew stock. He was sent to Brussels at 13, and learned to read and Avrite fluently French, English, and German. By the time he was 17 he was put by his father into a great Belgian banking house, and while there soon became known to his chiefs as a young man possessing extraordinary financial acumen and rare intelligence. Then came what the Baron always gallantly declared to have been his greatest stroke of good fortune — his marriage J o Mile. Bischoffsheim, a gentle and high-minded woman of his own faith, who has always been his good angel and most trusted adviser. Since that happy day everything he touched turned to gold. While he was still on the right side of 30, he had the good fortune to purchase the depreciated assets of a big bank which had failed under peculiarly disastrous circumstances. These assets became each a mine of gold to the man who had the power to hold on steadily till the tide turned. He next became one of the three contractors for the BulgarianConstantinople railroad. All three went to work, but two out of the three lost money, the third made a million. He was Maurice Hirsch. Thus, with -one thing and another, he had built up, during the last 30 years, a fortune which rivals that of the Rothschilds. The Baron wa,s a tremendous worker. Bismarck once said of him: "Hirsch is the only man I know who can create much out of nothing, and who can do good without pauperising' those whom he benefits." Whether ho was in London entertaining the Prince of Wales at Bath House, Piccadilly, cr in his beautiful Parisian home, or, again, in his mediaeval castle of Eichorn '"in Moravin, the Baron spent the first eight hours of the clay in getting through allotted tasks As many as 400 begging letters a day sometimes reached him, and every letter, excepting those from the obviously insane, which perpetually pestered him with extravagant demands for money, was laid before him and received his close attention. In all the capitals of Europe were established Hirsch committees that relieved suffering in an unostentatious, but thoroughly efficient and businesslike, manner. His most important scheme was that of transplanting his unfortunate Russian co-religionists to North and South America. Borne few years ago the only child of the Baron and Baroness, a young man of 30, died. Their favourite home was .situated at Lichoi'n. The rooms of the castle are handsomely, bufc simply, furnished. It is here that the Baron entertained most of his English friends during August, for Moravia is famous for its stag hunts. Many curious stories arc told of him, which savour more of the Arabian Nights than of our everyday world. On one occasion, when lie- and another Hebrew,

who was his greatest enemy's son, were blackballed by a certain Parisian club, he bought the building for an enormous sum. The club committee, loth to leave their old quartern, offered to elect him if he would relinquish his bargain. His answer was characteristic :— " Keep your club, but elect a Hebrew. I name the gentleman who was blackballed in my company." His only really enthusiastic sport was racing. People have often sneered at the .great regard professed by the Princes of Wales for the Bnron. Tho truth is that his Ro3"al Highness knew well the Baron's only son, and they both met over his grave. It is said that it was through this powerful friendship that Baron Hirsch was first enabled to approach the Czar about his emigration scheme. This had for its object the transpoit of as many Hebrew families as possible from Russia to a beautiful tract of country which the Baron bought in tho Argentine Republic. His tile he got from his father, w"uo received it from the predecessor of the mad King Otho of Bavaria for some service rendered to the State or to its ruler. The first Baron made a fortune, as he told the Bavarian monarch, '" dealing in cattle with cattle, 1 ' and was able to give his son a good start as a banker, which the latter quickly improved by marrying his rich partner's daughter. — From the New Penny jiagazinc.