Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tt00011)

ON THE LIGHT SIDE:

Yesterday (8/3/97), Jeanne Calmet, the world's oldest person died
at age 122. Her birth date is authenticated by reliable records.
She was born February 21, 1875. She recalled meeting Vincent Van
Gogh in 1888 when he came into her uncle's shop to buy some
paint. She described him as being "dirty, badly dressed and
disagreeable".

I find it amusing to chronicle her life by events in the
Theosophical Movement even though she herself, as far as I know,
wasn't a theosophist.

She was 3 months old when Eliphas Levi (Alphonse-Louis Constant)
died. She 7 months old when the Theosophical Society was formed
in New York City. She was 2 years old when ISIS UNVEILED was
published and 13 years old when THE SECRET DOCTRINE hit the book
stalls for the first time. She was 16 years old when HPB passed
on. She was 21 when W. Q. Judge died and 32 when Olcott
shuffled off the mortal coil. When she was 34, Krishnamurti was
discovered by CWL near the Adyar River. She was 41 when her
countryman, Papus (Dr. Gerard Encausse) expired. At age 54, she
was middle-aged when Katherine Tingley left the body.. She was
becoming a senior citizen at 59 when C. W. Leadbeater passed
on, just a year after Anne Besant died. She was definitely up
there at age 67 when de Purucker departed this earth plane.

Madame Calmet was mentally alert ‘till her last day. Added Note:
She smoked cigarettes all her life, drank port and loved
chocolates. Shades of HPB, methinks!