Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-15
HUGE JOKE ON OSLER
Did Not Advance ChIoroform-
at-Sixty Theory, He Says.
RECORD OF WHAT HE SAID
Famous Physician Discusses His
Mother, Who is 100.
FATHER LIVED TO NINETY.FIVE
Thirteen Representatives of the osler
First Generation at the Ami
versary Celebration.
FATHER LIVED TO NINETY-FIvE

TORONTO, December 15.-"That's an old
chestnut
That was DR.. Will'am Oslers reply last
night to a correspondent when he sought a
talk on the "chloroform at sixty question.
THE papers turned that iato a huge joke
and they're keeping it up pretty WE'LL" he
added good naturedly
Does not your mothers attainment of the
century mark in the full possession of her
faculties contradict your sixty limit the
ory?'
Nonsense, certainly net he replied seri-
ously. L never took any such ground as
the papers say. 1t Was nothing but gross
misrepresentation
"Will you tell us what ycu did saw"
1T is all on record and can be obtained
put you VIII not find any such statements
as have been represented in the press
Refusing to be drawn further into this
topic. Dr. Oslers attention was turned to
his mothers great age and what had made
such longevity possible.
You know she came of fine stock" he
said. and that counts for much. She is in
splendid health today, in fact. 1 see very
little change in her during the past two
years, save that her eyesight and hearing
are failing slightly Mentally she is as
bright as possible. No faculty appears to
be failing. She is of an even. passive dis
position, always cheerful. In fact, that
always her temperament. 1t is very rarely
that she converses even for minute with
out cracking joke! She is always Joking"
added the doctor by way of emphasis
Her Chief Pleasures
respondent.
In her young days she took most pleas
ure in preparing clothes and other articles
for missionaries. She was a great mission
airy worker, and thus a great help to
father. who, by the way, lived to ninety
five years of age and was in active minis
terial work to within a few years of his
death"
What is her chief pleasure now" he
was asked
Her grandchildren and great-grandchil-
dren, the doctor promptly replied. She
knows every one of them and all about
them. Each one to her is as a tender lamb
When they suffer she suffers and when
they laugh she laughs. She was a great
mother to her boys" said DR.. Osler,
1ectvely.
He concluded by expressing the belief and
hope that she would yet live for several
years. Though she does not go out of
the house, he said, "she moves about her
rooms quite freely, and has a fine time of
it every day with some of her grandchil-
dren or REORGANIZATION. This has
been great day for her, and no person
entered more heartily or enjoyably into the
festivities
Celebrating Her Centennial.
Mrs. FeatherStOne OSler yesterday ceie-
brateL the 1O0th anniversary of her birth.
Presents and flowers in profuson filed the
house in Wellesley street. where the grand
old woman is living. There assembled thir-
teen representatives of the first generation
of Oslers, accompanied by their twenty
eight grandchildren and twentysix great
grandchildren. The sanity old lady was,
of course, the center of attraction. She was
given the place of honor at table and re-
ceived many affectionate embraces from
fond descendants. She was one who had
returned from the other world.
Hundreds of kilograms of congratulations
We're received, but possibly most the ac-
ceptable words of all We're those in let
ter from the archbishop of Canterbury,
Earl Gray, the governor general of Canada,
conservative members of the house of COM
mons, the staff of Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity, the state medical faculty of Maryland
and numerous branches of the women's
Anglican auxiliary to missions also sent
letters.
To each of her descendants Mrs. Osler
gave a spoon to mark the OCCASION. and
souvenir plate also goes to each and
to, several intimate friends. The spoons
are of heavy silver and in three sizes
large size for the first generation, in
termediate size for the second generation
and a wee spoon for the little fellows Of
the third generation. The handle is Cor
nsh cross, with the Cornish motto: "One
and all Lower on the handle are the
dates, December a. 1S0G-1906.'
Above is the name ELLEN Tree Osler.''
Ninety-six of these were distributed
The Cornishmen of the city marked the
occasion by calling at the Wellesley street
residence this evening to carol few Cor
nsh songs beneath the windows of their
felloW-shire woman.