childs had floated a
rather large and risky loan for his Kingship. This is irrelevant,
inconsequential, and outside the issue. That the House of Rothschild
with its branches had an open sesame upon the purse-strings of Europe
for half a century is a fact. Nations in need of cash had to apply to
the Rothschilds. The Rothschilds didn't loan them the money--they merely
looked after the details of the loan, and guaranteed the lender that the
interest would not be defaulted. Their agencies everywhere were in touch
with investors. The nobility are a timid sort--they like to invest their
hard-earned savings outside of their bailiwick--nobody knows what will
happen!

The Rothschilds would not float a loan until they were assured that the
premises were not mortgaged. More than this, there was a superstition
all 'round that they were backed up by J. Bull, and J. Bull is a close
collector.

The Rothschilds made government loans popular--before this, kings got
their cash mostly by coercion.

For their services the Rothschilds asked only the most modest fee--a
fee so small it was absurd--a sixteenth of one per cent, or something
like that.

It is safe to say that only one Government in the world, at some time or
other from Eighteen Hundred Fifteen to Eighteen Hundred Seventy, never
courted the Rothschilds with "intentions."

America never quite forgot, nor forgave, that Hessian incident, and the
Rothschilds were never asked for favors by your Uncle Samuel.

There were four generations of Rothschilds, among whom there have been
very able men. This beats the rule by three generations, and the record
by one.

The Frankfort House of Rothschild was dissolved in Nineteen Hundred One.
The London firm still continues, but I am advised that the Rothschilds,
while interesting in a historic way, are no longer looked upon as a
world power.

Letizia, the mother of ten, is worthy of more space than I am able here
to give her. There are those who say she was the real founder of the
House of Rothschild. She died aged exactly one hundred, in the Red
Shield, where she was married and where all of her children were born.

She outlived the fall of Napoleon just forty years. She had a fine and
pardonable pride in her kingly sons.

Politics and world problems interested her. She was sane and sensible
and happy to the last.

PHILIP D. ARMOUR

Anybody can cut prices, but it takes brains to make a better
article.