The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-05-12
A CENTURY OF LIFE.
Captain Saul c. Higgins Celebrates
His Birthday.
A Gathering of Friends and Neighbors-
Incidents of Long and Quiet Life-In-
terest of the People of Gorham.

An interesting anniversary was observed
yesterday afternoon at the pleasant home
| of Mr.. and Mrs. John l.. Higgins, of West
| Gorham. Mr.. Higgins is the nephew and
| adopted son of Captain Saul G. Higgins
| who yesterday celebrated the hundredth
| anniversary of his birth. surrounded by
| neighbors and friends. A representative of
| the PRESS called upon Captain Higgins yes
| terday forenoon. The centenarian had
| pleasant greeting for his caller, and made
| some humorous comment upon his own DEM
| ocracy, which is OF no ordinary kinu. The
| expression, "a lifelong Democrat means
| something to- Capt. saul Higgins. He be-
| came voter in season to vote for James
| Munroe, the fifth President of the United
| States. Andrew jackson had fought the Bat
| tie of New Orleans hardly more than year
before and was not yet figure in the Pres
| idential arena. He was in the hey-day of
| youth during those gloriously tumultuous
day when Maine turned over to jackson.
| Through all the stirring times in which he
| has lived Capt. Higgins has pursued the
| even tenor of his way. During the war
| of 1912 he was militiaman and when his
regiment was called into Portland to repel
| the British, he was quartered with the rest
| in the ole rope walk which stood near where
| the Jail now is. But it was his good fortune
| to see no worse service than the first nights
| sleep on the bare floor of the rope walk
| When the tocsin sounded for the war of the
| Rebellion Capt. Higgins was an old man of
| almost seventy years.
| Gorham has always been his home, and
the house in which he received HE friends
| yesterday is within few rods of the spot
where his father, Captain Joseph Higgins a
| sturdy old seaman of Cape Cod, built his
og house when he cleared up the farm
| in l.:S. sLater Captain Joseph Higgins built
a substantial frame house near the site of
the log house; but did not live to enjoy it,
In 1870 4he sailed away on voyage and was
never heard of again.
Captain Joseph Higgins wife was Mary
Cook, of Cape Cod, and to one of his
younger boys he gave the name of Sau
Cook Higgins. That son is the sole survivor
of the large family. He was educated at
the old Gorham Academy, and became a
school teacher, keeping twenty-seven terms
of school, twenty three of which were in
his district. When he became of age he
bought out the other sheirs to the home
farm, and combined the care of this with
his teaching. Hard work has given me
health he said yesterday. For fifty-four
years he has been member of the Metho-
dist church.
In 1916 he married Fannie Blake, daughter
of neighbor, and they lived together until
she died fifteen years ago. They had no
children.
| Captain Higgins mind is as clear as any
ones. He has not been able to read for
eight years, and he is too deaf to take part
in ordinary conversation; yet he rarely if
even loses account of the day of the week
and month. He has not been sick enough
to miss Lis regular meals in eighteen years.
He has smoothly shaven, vigorous face,
is six feet tall, and although spare weighs
about two hundred pounds He would
even now appear fine specimen of physi-
cal manhood were he not bowed beneath
the almost intolerable burden of hundred
years. In pleasant days he walks about
considerably, but does not venture far from
| the house.
| DR.. W, S. Thompson, of Standish, was one
| of his callers yesterday forenoon. He has
a wonderful pulse" said the Doctor, ssbeat
in at good 81 on So. There are few peo-
| pie of IS or 20 years whose heart beat is SO
regular. Captain Higgins has a strong
voice, apparently little weakened by age.
The exercises of yesterdays reception,
which were presided over by Elk Governor
Robbie, consisted of music, speeches and
poem, written by Miss Alice Goodwin, of
Gorham, and read by Miss Fannie Lowell
Higgins, of Gorham. The following are por-
lions of the poem:
| Though form grow bent, and hair grow
| gray
Not years alone can make one old:
| Something of VOuth must a err amaiu
| 70 him whose heart has not grown cold.
And, though to-day, our honored sire,
| A Hundred years are told for thee,
| The heart is warm, for still it beats
| With tender love and sympathy.
| A hundred years-so long to live
Mid busy scenes, with hardships rife;
| 10 face the stern realities,
1 And battle with the storms of life,
So long to find at times the path
Made smooth in which the feet must tread
| So long to feel the SUMS soft rays
Fall kindly, gently on the head.
IT'S then alone the heart grows strong,
| When sun and shadow, storm and calm
Alike hay left their 1mpress there.
We may not. know how oft today
| Thy thoughts go back along the years,
Nor know the memory that brings
The smile, OF fills the eye with tears.
Whate'er it be, we may not know
1t is of thine own life apart.
Not those who know and love thee best
May share the secrets of thy heart.
Long be the summons yet delayed
| That calls thee to thy final rest;
And may the years that still remain
Of all thy years be but the best.
Among those present were Mrs. Marshall
Moses, of Great Falls. Gorham, daughter of
the centenarian's brother Isaac Higgins:
Mrs. Silby Higgins and Mrs. r. G.. Harding,
grand nieces, daughters of Gen. william,
Higgins of Maiden, Mass, who is son of
the centenarian's brother Joseph long a
Baptist clergyman of Thorndike, Me-:
Judge A. K P. Knowlton of Lewiston, and
| Mrs Knnrrl4nn who is q nra,,d niaoa. DE-