Centenarian Talks.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13596, 16 May 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

Centenarian Talks.

CHEERY -SUSSEX YEOMAN'S 100 TH BIRTHDAY.

' EAT AND DRINK AS I LIKE.'

A unique family party was held at Brighton on March 22nd, -when Mr. Jeremiah Martin Simmons celebrated the anniversary of his hundredth birthday. To the midday meal, over -which the ceneteniarian presided, there sat" down his, who is 84, three daughters, four grandsons, and two (granddaugMera. Before this he had been photographed in his sitting-room, as; it- was too cold for him to go into the garden, where the anniversary photograph has hitherto been taken. A large number of letters and telegrams of congratulation were received, all of which Mr. Simmons read with great interest. Several visitors were received during the afternoon, for the old man is no recluse, and he ended the day, as usual, Avith a pipe and a "night-cap" of whisky and water.

"Is life worth living when you have lived a hundred veans?"

I put- the question to Mr. Simmons (writes a representative of the "Daily Chronicle"), and he had no hesitation in answering the question, as they say in Parliament, "in the affirmative." His reasans will appear later.. The "Prophet," a nickname w-hich he has borne for ninety years or so, has an undoubted right to speak on the subject. There are so many aged people at the present time who have a clouded idea that they were born a hundred years ago, in round numbers, that it is quite refreshing to come across one who can be taken for granted. Registration was not an exact •science in the early part of last century, but Mr. Simmons happens to have been baptised when less than two months of age at Fletching Church, -near Lewes, where he was born, and a photograph of the entry appears on this page.

Mr. Simmons lives- in Roundhill-ere-seent. a precipitous thoroughfare branching from the Upper Lewts-road. Let me try and give you -some impression of this optimist, of five score yeans. A warm dressing-gown.(a. premature birthday present) gives glimpses of thick Tinderclothing. Round his r-houldem is a rug, and on his head, rather jauntily poised, a smoking cap, such as- our grandfathers u.'-ed to embroider with loving hands for our grandfathers. Underneath it peeps some well-cropped grey hair—grey, not white—and just a trace of side whiskers. I mentioned the battle of Waterloo—in speaking to centenarians one's sheet anchor is the Battle of Waterloo. Immediately Mr. Simmons' face relaxed. He is probably tired of talking about the great event whicli is so remote from us. But to him it meant a day's holiday ninety-three years ago. " I mind when the news came to Lewes. I was at the barrack school • then—there weren't na other. We boys were called out of school, and, tl)ere_.were, bands. :uiri_.

guns firing and flags - flying—we had two regiments of young 'nris in. the-barracks, and everybody went well nigh mad." There is actuality in the old man's talk, he does not repeat this as something remembered because he has told it 60 often. Why his memory; is so keen tha'b he" can still, with a chuckle, recall when his grand'dad held him shoulder high to see a Punch and Judy show at Lewes when George lll.'s Jubilee was celebrated. And he was scarcely two years of age then. And then came a surprising instance of perfect recollection.. I mentioned that I came from London.

, "London," he said. "I mind when I went to. London and saw the waxworks at Too- yes Tussauds., And I went down stairs where the miseries were' ('The Chamber of Horrors,' I suggested), and they showed me Napoleon's' carriage. 'Oh,' said I, 'I have seen that before.' Yes, I saw it when it was driven through Lewes after the war. There were four horses,; and a postilion on the rear wheeler, arid he had his reigns crossed to the leaders —I mind that.- And behind came the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Russia." "And who was in Napoleon's"carriage V I asked.

"It was empty," he- replied, rather impatient at my ignorance. .." It was to show that we_had beaten hiirii" Mr. Bimriions : is rather hard of hearing, though even that seems, as far as a .casual visitor may judge rathei- a cherised tradition in the family'than an actuality. Otherwise he has;all'his. wits' about him.

The; most r delightful thing about .Mr. Simmons is his geniality. He has lived in the world for a hundred years without at any time being burdened with much of this world's goods. •As a gardener, a calling, he has followed all his life in some*, part of Sussex, he has.never earned more than a pburid a week, though when he was. in sei-vice he had a :cottage as well. It was while he was gardener •to the father of Mr. Justice Grantham that he , was married to his present": wife>. his second riiatrimonial venture. But'.'he has.always been cbriiiortably off, 'arid worked . until he was 90. Now that the. shades of night are falling he arid, his wife have found; a. haven in the home of their daughter, Mrs, Jeater. They are allowed a, few 'shillings a week by the parish, "but, considering they have lived in Brighton for sixty years and are unique testimonials to the healthgiving properties of; v that popular resort, the Corporation might reasonably grant a small pension to Brighton's oldest inhabitant. "-."' ■ '-'.':'-

If one -would live to be, a hundred by what rules should one govern ones life? That, perhaps* is the most interesting question which one could put to a man who has achieved;it.-:; '.-''. "Take everything as it comes and. make the best of it;" is- Mi*.. Siminoris's recipe,

but it is not.everybody-who/can dothat. "The best tempered man in the world" is the description which 1 -his -youngest daughter gives of-her -father, and ■ though she has only known him for half a century -she has had abundant opportunity of forming an opinion. Diet specialists and "anti" people- will not be able to gather much; comfort from Mr. Simmons's life. He has always ate and drank what he liked; he has smoked for eighty years, and lie -still takes: his nighjtcap of a; teaspoonful of whisky. But he has, of course, always spent much time in the open air, and in his younger days he was a keen follower of the harriers. On his ninetieth birthday he walked eight miles to a meet at Newmarket Hill. Mrs Simmons, shaking a minatory

finger at him, reminds him that he didn't get home till 2 o'clock in the morning on that occasion, and the old man laughs at the recollection. One can easily believe that he has the keenest eye in the country for a hare.' It is a little dimmed now, but Mr. Simmons never uses glasses and holding a copy of " Lloyd's News," of which' he has long been a reader, eighteen inches in front of him read out without faltering a passage which I indicated. He is a keen politician. "I'll tell you what," he said, as I'.rose to go, "they ought to bring in a Bill in Parliament to make jobbing gardener© wear net aprons." He laughed so "heartily thati we all felt compelled to laugh' with, hinij Avithout understanding in the leait- Avhy. Then Mr. Simmons explained. Jobbing gardeners, it appears, (suffer from the suspicion of carrying away valuable cuttings in their aprons from their customers' gardens, and the-new Bill Would prevent this amiable practice. "And did you wear a net apron?" I asked him, in order to sustain the. joke. "I always had big pockets,"' said the centenarian, with ■ huge enjoyment, and he was still chuckling as I bid him goodbye.