The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-01-10 00:00:00

ANTI-CENTENARIANISM.

"A very old woman, named iluesnnah Bteavenson, died on
Friday at her residence, nt. Benedict's, Churctnalley, Nor-
wich. her Si. is supposed to have i een 105 years at any
Tete, she was baptize 4 December 24, 17,0. All her children
died before hue. Her youngest daughter died last year, at
the ripe ace of 70." ?le ltme,, Jun 5,1074.

is connection °lila the above, The Titne6, on wedneeday,
published the following letter :
It is now twenty years since 7e Times announced
the death of Amelia Ople, who then seemed to be one
of • former generation, at the Tire age of O She was
baptized in the Octagon Chapel, Norwich, on the oth
of December, 1.70. The next entry in the register is
that of Susannah Sapperton, baptized on the 24th of
the same month, believed to be the Susannah Stectinion
whose death on the 2nd inst., in her 107,th year, is re-
corded in The Times of this morning.
Few cases of cevtonarimism have interested me more,
or involved me in more correspondence than this, first
brought under my notice two years since, when she
was stated by herself and believed by her fellow-
townspeople to be in her 103rd year, and I was di-
posed to share that belief, for the evidence was strong,
though counterbalanced by her appearance and physi-
cal condition ; and but for the fact that there were
some discrepancies in the various accounts of her age
which have reached me and some missing links in the
chain of evidence connecting Mrs. Stevenson with the
Susannah Sapperton of the baptismal remoter, I should
like to have given a notice of her in my Longevity of
Man, devoted to canes of centenarianism wnicra
have been estal,lielied. T. have done so, however,
under the circumstances I have stated would have
been inn amiatent with one of the chief rebjecli of the
book, which was to ineiet upon the rule which Lord
Westbury told um had always acted upon—namely,
that when circumstances are probable and consistent
with ordinary experience, a very email amount of
evident,, will sullitsa to e.tabliah them ; but if they
are except...mai and improbable, Just in such propoi.
tint must the evidence he clear, distinct and irrefrag.
able. Ido not include her among the doubtful cases,
because I hope to pursue the inquiry and determine
what her age really was. Unfortunately, many calls
upon my attention have prevented this. I was not
without suspicion that the child baptized in 1769 had
died, and that she w is a second Susannah, but there is
no burial register at the Octagon Chapel, and when I
sold that there arc some 20 or 30 registers to bee, arched
in Norwich, all of which would have to be looked at,
IL will he seen how iu passible it would be for me to
attempt tench a search.
I cannot tax your space with further details, but
pray permit me to add icy hope that some Norwich
correspondent will inform us when Mrs. Stevenson
first receive) relief from the Guardian,.' and what was
her reputed age at that time, and will also give fleas
malt copy of the sampler which she is odd to have
worked when she weevil years of ego. _

At ciy suggestion, when supposed to be in her 10.3 rd
year, the Od lady WM photographed. and very sue-
cesefully. I emit a copy to my friend. Professor Owen,
who, in acknowiodging its receipt, observes, "It iP a
grand massive face for a female, and one that might
well fight a hart fight with old Time, but she does not
look the centenarian."—l am, &_,c.
WILLIAM J. THOM-,
-t Unorge'asquare, London, Jan b.

roar, in one place or another, for the success of the
Church, vet the Church had not succeeded, and the
year 1573 could not be said to be a satisfactory
year so far aa the interests of Christianity were
concerned. Tabs was because prayer bad not been
accompanied by a sufficient amount of earnestnes.
and faith and action. He was afraid that muda
of their prayer had been eomething like that at
tributed to a child at school, who prayed to GA
that she might know her lessons bltter than she was in
the habit of knowing them, and never studied them
afterwards. But God did not answer her, because
she lacked the proper disposition to amidst herself and
to do His will. It was much the gam, with no. We
prayed for sinners, but what did we iff the shape of
action to convert and to save them? Skeleton
prayer would not do. What was required was
living, active earned prayer. How different wl/8
the conduct of modern Christians when compared
with the conduct of the Christians of the early ages.
Christianity at the present day was not a first cons
slderation as it used to be. The first consideration
with the people of the present day was their business.
After that came their Christianity. For instance, in
the City of London, the firet, all-abaorbing thought
was to be a successful banker or a well.to•do merchant
and afterwards to be a Christian. The fact was,
our religicu was treated in the same manner as a rich
man treated his farm—it was handed over to the
cars and management of some hired person.
This was not • creditable state of things in a Chris-
tian community. Peter the Hermit proclaimed
throughout the world God's will, and the world
listened to him. Some there were who might say all
this conduct on the part of Philip the Hermit and
other early Christians was fanaticism. lie prayed that
God might bring no to such a state of fanaticism. In
the Lowish Church, even at the present day, there
were hundreds and thousands of men and women who
hai readily devoted themselves and their property to
what they called religious life. With all their mistakes,
such limn= Catholics lived for Jesus Christ. Was it
right, was It proper, was it good that we who were in
posseseion of the truth and of God's approbation
ebould be leas earnest and less real in the cause of
Christianity? The great thing needful WWI practical
earnestness and faith. It was only by the general
exercise of both that we could ever make the world
what it ought to be.