Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25
THE OLDEST MAN ALIVE
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

The announcement that FARO Agha,
the Constantinople Turk who claims 20
be 1855 years old, Is planning q tour
of the United States brings up in some
what spectacular form this question Of
! longevity about which almost every hu-
| man being LIS deeply concerned. 1t seems
not improbable that the publicity at
tendant upon the tour Of any conspic-
uous figure Of the United States will
bring to light other aged people with
claim to an even greater age. A
great difnculty In such matters Is that
people born more than q century ago
rarely are equipped with birth certifi-
Gates. Persons of noble birth, or the
offspring OF wealthy or prominent fam
lilies, are able to establish their birth
dates, but most famous centenarians
usually have sprung from humble
origins, no special bells having been
rung at the time of their births TO mark
the dates.
What is Of special interest in con-
nection with FARO Agha, the aged
Turk, Is that the age he states to be
his is precisely the record-the real
endurance record of modern times, II
be endured. It might almost seem that
the old man had looked around for
the record, then claimed that he al
ready had reached it end now was pre-
pared to let the world watch him
beat 1t.
80 far as records concerning longev-
ity 60. the old age record has been
held by Old Parr for some centuries
Old Parr was in his l5sth year when
he died. That Is the age which Old
Agha c!"ims to have reached.
Old Farr was born at Wilmington,
in Shropshire, very healthful section
of rural England, in 1888, the son Of
q farmer. That was just nine years be-
fore Columbus discovered America.
Young Thomas-that was Old PARIS
given name-hired out as servant
around about the country, but, on the
death OF his father. took up the old
farmStead and began preparations for
settling down. He considered himself
pretty we'll established by 1863 and so
married. He then was 80 years OF age.
BY this marriage he had son and a
daughter.
Life went quietly on in the English
countryside and Farmer Parr did well
with his farm. He lived contented
life. However, sorrow was in store for
him. After a generation OF companion
ship, his wife died. Loneliness came in
a few years, so, at the age OF 1872, Parr
married again. He kept working on his
farm. just as his fathers had before him:
for a very long time. At 100 years OF
age he was active in farm work, thresh-
ing his own grain. Then people began
talking about him. He got what now
might be called a swelled head about
his old age. H began basking in local
fame and telling stories about what ne
did on such and such day century
before BY that time English colonists
had settled both Virginia and New
England in a world which was utterly
unknown when he was born.
City Life His Undoing.
In 1885 Thomas Howard, Earl Of
Ar,fhdel heard about the old man and
thought that he ought to go to town.
1t seemed a pity for man to live
century and a half in the country and
never get a glimpse of the capital city.
So he took him up to London. The
Earl Of Arundel introduced him around
to the clubs and even presented him to
King Charles I.
what followed should be studied by
FARO Agha in connection with his trip
to the United States. Old Parr found
that, after pitching hay for a century
and half in the country, he couldn't
stand the big city pace SO well as he
might have a century earlier when ne
was STRIPPING He overate and also
mixed his drinks. trying fancy London
mix ures instead of sticking to good old
English ale. He died while still on his
visit. II il was not a lesson to him it
should be to FARO Agha.
The Earl OF Arundel had proved so
competent a press agent that Old Parr
was famous by the time death over
took him. He was buried in West
minister Abbey and on his tomb 1t is
stated that he had lived in the reisns