(British Commonwealth of Nations)
A short time ago, an advertisement appeared in The Times and other newspapers stating that Sir Thomas Beecham would not be responsible for his wife's debts. Last week, Lady Beecham, who was former Utica Welles of Newark, N. J., applied unsuccessfully to restrain her husband from so advertising. She admitted that she had taken a lease of No. 15 Grosvenor Square, but was surprised to find that Sir Thomas had also rented a nearby house "for a lady,'' reputed to be Lady Cunard,* former Maude Alice Burke of Manhattan.
Her reason for moving to the Square was that her son is coming into $2,500,000 left to him by his grandfather and that it was necessary that he should maintain himself in a style befitting his coming station in life. . But she thought that, if Sir Thomas could afford to rent a house for another woman, he could certainly afford to support his wife in comfort.
Sir Thomas, son of old Sir Joseph, pill maker, who died in 1916, unfolded anew the extravagances of his wife and informed the court that his income was only $75,000 a year after taxes had been deducted. On that amount, he said, he could not afford to permit his wife to pledge indiscriminately his credit. The Court agreed.
Sir Thomas is conceded to be one of the most erratic men alive, but of a friendly, pleasing disposition. In the position of pioneer and patron, he founded in 1907 the New Symphony Orchestra of which he was the conductor. He delved into the literature of music from which he "unfolded treasures that only learned students of art knew to be in existence." In 1908 he formed the Beecham Symphony Orchestra; turned soon after to opera, for which, from 1909 to 1919, he did more than any man in London. In 1915, he became conductor of the London Philharmonic Society. Spruce, brisk, genial, he is a good conductor, cultured impresario. He gave enormous amounts to Music, but, despite the immense wealth that his father left him, he was forced to retire temporarily in 1919 to untangle his finances, which were in a precarious condition.
The money which enabled Sir Thomas heroically to champion Music was realized from the sale of the world-famed Beecham's Pills. Sir Joseph, the first baronet, began life as a farm boy, ended it the "third richest man in England," leaving a fortune of $140,000,000.
As a lad, he had taken a great interest in the ailments of animals, which eventually led to interest in human ailments. At the age of 20 he left the farm, began to travel, peddling pills of his own manufacture as he went. Sales grew fast as his fame spread to the four corners of the earth.
He was one of the first Englishmen to recognize the value of advertising and the praise of Beecham's Pills was sung in thousands of newspapers, thousands of magazines, on thousands of car-cards and posters throughout the world in numerous languages. His methods were often called vulgar and probably his most famed advertisement was:
Hark! the Herald angels sing Beecham's Pills are just the thing. Peace on earth and mercy mild, Two for a man and one for a child.