Whenever I hear people praising Rothschild, who gives thousands from his enormous income to support the education of children, the treatment of the sick and the care of the elderly, I cannot help admiring him and feeling moved.

Yet, while I praise this wealthy man and rejoice in his generosity, I remember a poor peasant woman.

Her child had died, and she gave the little money she had to help an orphan girl in the neighbourhood. It was all she possessed: two kopecks.

Rothschild gives thousands from his immense fortune; the poor widow gives her last two kopecks.

Let us not try to weigh the worth of these two gifts. The generosity of the heart cannot be measured by the sum placed in another person’s hand.