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Page 14 The Southern Israelite (Continued from Page 13) device, so that the poorest family could manufacture it. He refused to patent it. In the distribution of pasteurized milk the milk was disposed of at a very nomi nal price, but was given away only in exceptional cases. The motto, "No loss of self-respect,” prevailed. During the coal strike of 1802-93 Na than Straus conceived the idea of provid ing the poor of New York with coal at cost price. He immediately established and maintained coal distributing stations throughout the city, where twenty pounds of coal were sold for five cents and given Tour Old Kentucky H ome in LOUISVILLE The World Famous ijntel j^rriharit On the Leading Corner of Louisville • where everybody meets everybody - DEFLECTING an old fashioned Southern Hos pitality that is as refreshing as the Dixie Dev?. Come and enjoy ^ourself. Large hospi table rooms and lobbies, bos pitable employes to serOe you, and most important, hospitable rates— 500 Comfortable Rooms from *2 Enjoy, too, the MANUFACTURED WEATHER in the beautiful gwlbarlj drill Only Louisville restaurant offering you ip ring-time comfort the year around. Att free to the poorest families. Here his business genius and knowledge of human nature were factors in realizing this gi gantic relief project. He secured the co operation of J. Pierpont Morgan and ob tained ten thousand tons from him at a reduced rate, securing from the Dock De partment the free use of piers for coal depots. The cost and overhead having thus been brought down to a minimum, Nathan Straus was able to distribute over a million and a half buckets of coal at the price of five cents for twenty pounds. During the same crisis, in January, 1894, with the help of a generous gift of $5(),00() from Mr. Morgan (which is con spicuous as the only instance in which Nathan Straus ever accepted financial aid for his work),'Mr. Straus opened a store in Grand Street, where for five cents, or upon presentation of a Nathan Straus depot ticket, issued free through the charity societies, he supplied twenty pounds of coal or foodstuff. At the same time Mr. Straus opened four lodging houses, at which he supplied bed and breakfast for five cents or on presenta tion of one of the tickets. Those who did not have the five cents were given some work to do around the lodging house, and thus earned their bed and breakfast. This chapter of Nathan Straus’ work is characteristic. It brought to the fore all the human qualities which made him the outstanding philanthropist of his time. First, his vision: lie was among the first to see the true dimensions of the acute ness of the panic which left 39,000 fam ilies without means of sustenance. Sec ond, his amazing organizing abilities, which immediately set into motion a tre mendous relief machine. Third, his keen ness, which had recognized that assistance must he of a fundamental character, and reach the largest possible number in the shortest possible time. And while his mind worked out the scheme to the smallest detail he visualized the individual trage dies and refused to pauperize the vic tims, creating the illusion that the needy were helping themselves and buying the relief, not receiving it. All by himself he had successfully combated and coped with a mass emergency and given to New York a unique example of true and wise philanthropy. It is not surprising that in 1894 the Democratic party of the city of New York nominated him for mayor. The news created great satisfaction among the gen eral public; but two days after the nomi nation Mr. Straus withdrew his candi dacy. In a city of less than a million Jews a Jew had been selected for the highest office—the greatest tribute a Jew ish citizen of the metropolis had ever received. It is impossible, within the confines of a magazine article, to review or even merely tabulate the many philanthropic activities of so tireless a helper of hu manity as was Nathan Straus. He hur ried from one constructive task to an other. In 1895 he, the Jew, gave a strik ing example of good-will by cooperating with Mrs. Grover Cleveland and Lady # McDonald, wife of the Governor-General of Canada, in building a Roman Catholic church at Lakewood, N. J. In the mean time he was constantly extending his pas teurization work to other cities in the United States and abroad, personally vis iting many of the laboratories he estab lished. His milk depots increased from one in 1892 to 297, distributed through thirty-six cities, in 1920. The last political post he held was that of president of the Board of Health of New York City, where he established a splendid record. In the same year—it was during our war with Spain—he sent an ice plant and a watcr-distelling plant to Santiago, Cuba, for the use of United States troops. The year 1899 was one of'relaxation. He kept up his various activities, but gave more time to his hobby of horse racing—or, rather, trotting. He himself drove in most of the races, and soon established a reputation as "King of the Speedway”, his most famous horse being the champion racer “Cobwebs”. Of far-reaching significance for his later life was the winter of 1904, when Nathan Straus and his wife visited Pal estine. This marked the beginning of an activity uninterrupted until his death for the establishment of hospitals and sani tary stations with his own funds in Pal estine. At the time of the earthquake disaster in Italy in 1909 he sent food, clothing, and medical supplies for thou sands of stricken families in Naples and Messina. That same year he established a "Tuberculosis Preventorium for Chil dren” on a farm donated by Arthur Bris bane at Farmingdale, N. J. In 1912 his innumerable philanthropies grew to such proportions that he contem plated retiring from all business activities to devote himeslf to his life work. He carried out this intention soon after the tragic death of Isidor Straus and his wife in the sinking of the “Titanic". During the business depression of 1914-15, fol lowing the outbreak of the World War, he furnished over eleven hundred thou sand penny-apiece meals to the poor in New York. Gradually he divested him self of all superfluous luxuries and de voted the proceeds to various charities. His home in the Thousand Islands, his private yacht, “Sisilina”, his famous New York residence in Seventy-second Street —everything was sold. He had given up his expensive stables long before. He concentrated on enlarging his philan thropic institutions here and in Palestine, frequently originating new ways to help, living on an extremely modest scale. He spent more than a million and a half for Palestine health and relief work. He donated over half a million dollars to war sufferers. These short, incom plete references to his philanthropic ac tivities, taken out of a "Who’s Who”, scarcely scratch the surface of his monu mental work. At the age of 27 Nathan Straus mar ried Lina Gutherz, of Mannheim, Ger many. During fifty-five years of con- STEAMSHIP TICKETS TO EVERYWHERE ▼ AIRPLANE ▼ HOTEL AND STEAMSHIP RESERVATIONS Healey Bldg. FOR A I- L LINES ATLANTA, GA. Ground Floor JOHN M. BORN WAL. 4884 tinuous humanitarian labor she was oik with him, inspiring and sharing his life work. When, eight months ago, she \ ed away it was merely a question o{ > w long he would be able to survive her. His death closes a glorious and rich chapter in American Jewish history. (Copyright, 1931, by S.F.S.) On The Ocean Front The Breakers ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. EXTRAORDINARY REDUCTION IN RATES AS LOW AS Without Meals—$2.50 Daily per Person and $6.00 Daily per Person. With Meals—$35.00 Weekly for 2 and $70.00 Weekly for 2. American or European Plan Hot and Cold Sea Water in All Baths Complete Garage Facilities The World’s Tallest Hotel — 46 Stories High Chicago’s MORRISON HOTEL Corner Madison and Clark Sts. Every room in the Morrison Hotel is outside, with bath, circulat ing ice water, bed-head reading lamp, telephone and Servidor. A new 500 room section, soon to be opened, was made necessary by the demand for Morrison service. 2500 ROOMS 1930-1931 Rosh Hashonah Tues., Fast of Gedaliah Yom Kippur — - Thurs., Thurs. Tues. Shemini Azereth Weds. Tues. JEWISH CALENDAR 5691 Sept. 23 Sept. 25 , Oct. 2 , Oct. 7 , Oct. 8 , Oct. 14 , Oct. 15 , Oct. 23 Nov. 21 Dec. 15 , Dec. 21 Dec. 30 , J an - 19 Feb. 2 , Feb. 2 Mar. 2 Mar. 3 Mar. 19 Apr. 2 Apr. 9 Apr. 18 May 5 May 17 , May 2 Simchas Torah •Rosh Chodesh Chesvan Rosh Chodesh Kislev . 1st Day Chanukkah *Rosh Chodesh Tebeth Fast of Tebeth 1931 Rosh Chodesh Shevat Thurs. Fri., Mon. ... Sun. Tues. Chaniisha O’ser B’Shevat •Rosh Chodesh Adar Fast of Esther Purini Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1st Day of Pessach 8th Day of Pessach •Rosh Chodesh Iyar Lag B’Omer Rosh Chodesh Sivan Shavuoth Mon. Mon., Weds. Mon., _ Tues., .Thurs., „Thurs. _Thurs. Sat. Tues., Sun. Fri. Sat., NOTE: Holidays begin in the evenm? preceding the dates designated. •Rosh Chodesh also observed the previov— day.