Review of ReviewB. 1110106. Character Sketch. 363 



Johannesburg in the early days of the Rand, and turn to England. It is well that at sunset his mind 



under the name of Eckstein and Co. established the was stayed on thoughts of peace. 



Corner House, which has ever since dominated the jjjg l\st will and testament. 



Transvaal. The story of the rise of Johannesburg ^^ ^^.^,^ ^;..jl ^^jj^^^^ ^f^^ ^jf the will of Mr. 



IS inseparable from the biographv of Mr. Beit,_ al- ^,,,^^^5 ^^s j^Ir. Rhodes bequeathed Groote Schuur 



though he jssa.d only to have paid five or six visits ^^ ^ ^ ^^ ^j^ B^^t bequeaths his Hamburg 



to the Gold Reef City between 1889 and 1903. Of ^^^ ^g^^^^,^^ j^ t^ the city of Hamburg. As 



the share which he had in the Raid I have already l^j^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ted a special bodv of trustees to 



spoken._ From the death of Mr. Eckstein in 1892 ^^,„^i„i,ter the i;i, 200,000 which he left for the 



\Ir. Beit was the uncrowned king of the Randlords ^^jension of railway and telegraph communications 



in the midst of whom, m 1903 he was smitten with ^^^ Rhodesia, he limited the number of his trustees 



the first paralytic stroke which warned him of his ^^ three-his brother, Otto Beit ; his partner, Sir 



approaching end. j^jj^^ Wernher and his lawyer, Mr. Hawksley. 



HIS SUCCESSOR? Like Mr. Rhodes, he leaves no money for religious 



_, . ,-. ■ c .u ^r■ . purposes. The nearest approach which he makes to 



There is now no personality m South Afnca_ to ;^,. .^^ j^ to stipulate that the Bishop of Mashona- 



take his place. Mr. Lionel Phillips, Sir Percy Fitz- ,,^^^ ^^^jj he one of the trustees for administering 



Patnck, Dr. Jameson, Sir Charles Metcalfe— there ^he /--oo 000 left for "educational, public, and 



IS not one of them who would even claim to be re- charitable purposes - ; the phrase is wide enough to 



garded as his successor. Mr. Abe Bailey has his ^^^^^ everything, including religious endowments, if 



ambitions, and he is not mthout traces of Rhode- the trustees thought fit. The following table sets 



sian courage and Rhodesian liberality. But he has ^^^ jhe chief bequests: — 

 not won his spurs, save in the opinion of the lew 



who know. By the many he is still unknown. g^ersit" ?f^"X„Surg- .:.• ;:; ::. Z^'mZ 



Educational Purposes in Rhodesia 200.000 



THE ANGLO-GERMAN ENTENTE. London University, College of Technology ... 135.000 



London UniversitT Medical Science Fund ... 25.000 



One of the subjects upon which I often talked to l!JS'e'a?ion°'i™'■TfIns^^a'atT'*.°'^''. -.V. ::: .;: wm 



Mr. Beit was the necessitv of doing something to Education at Kimberley 15,000 



stem the anti-German propaganda so zealously pro- li'ode"°Semor?arFumi°"'' .:; ;:." ::: Z w°m 



moted by some of his Jingo friends. At first he did Union Ja_''k Ciub,^^^.^ ... lo.ooo 



not seem to realise the mischief they were doing. Guy's Hospital 20.000 



But afterwards, as his custom was, he acted. He Hamburg''ch'"iriti€9\..';.."^.':./:^ :. mooo 



never sijoke another word to me upon the subject, 77^:77;;;;; 



, ,' ,, «,^ V'.r^L Total £l,9i5,000 



but he started the Anglo-German Courier tor the 



purpose of promoting better relations betw-een the Add to these " globular millions " the value of his 

 two countries. Although I have written in that Hamburg estate — of which no estimate has yet been 

 weekly from the first, Mr. Beit never mentioned to published — and that of the two Reynolds's which 

 me that he had anything to do with it. Still more he has given, one to our National Gallery and the 

 characteristic of his reluctance to let his right hand other to the Kaiserliche Museum in Berlin, _ which 

 know what his left hand did was his action with re- probably represent ;^2o,ooo each. Mr. Beit paid 

 gard to the visit of the German editors to England. ^22,000 for that which he has given to the National 

 When I first made the suggestion that some twelve Gallery, His majolica plate is given to the Ham- 

 or twent\' editors should be asked to London, the burg Museum, and a small bronze statuette of Her- 

 idea woiild have produced no result but for Mr. cules to that at Berlin. Altogether it is probable 

 Beit. When he read my article he thought it was a the bequests in the will represent ^2,500,000 

 very good idea. He said nothing to me about it, ilevoted to public purposes, of one sort or another, 

 but he communicated with Mr. Weinthal, offering to of w-hich _;^i,75o.ooo goes to Africa. They are 

 take the initiative in raising the money that might be large sums no doubt. Invested at 4 per cent, the 

 needed to carry it into effect. He only made one ^2,500,000 represents _;£ioo,ooo per annum, a 

 condition, which was to the effect that no one had to princely sum. But it is well to remember that if 

 know he had anything whatever to do with it. Now 50,000 persons under the impulse of any religious, 

 that he is gone, it is due to his memon,- to say that social or philanthropic impulse were to be moved to 

 but for him the visit would never have taken place, subscribe 2id. a day — the cost of a cheap cigar — 

 It is some slight satisfaction to those of us who to any public purpose,- they could without an effort 

 helped to carry it out that the very last days of Mr. or a sacrifice raise nearly double that sum ever% 

 Beit's life were cheered by the knowledge that the vear. Take, for instance, the subscribers to the 

 editors' visit had been successful beyond our most Daily Chronicle, of whom there are now at least 

 sanguine expectations. The report of the visit in 300,000. They pay halfpenny a day for a paper 

 the Anglo-German Courier was almost the last which a short time ago was sold at a penny. Sup- 

 printed matter which was read to him after his re- posing that under the pressure of a great enthusiasm. 



