Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-07-28


partlv in the saving Of health If fe
verish state is induced by late sitting up
in the evening, and if this febriie state is
avoided by early rising and early retiring,
then the gain in this point of view is in
great.
1t may be asked, however, if this fe-
brile state does not come on when we
have been up and active certain num-
Der of hours, whether we begin with the
rising Of the sun or two hours later. In
other words, why should not the person
who rises at four In the morning become
as feverish ateight in the afternoon, when
he has been active sixteen hours, as he
becomes at ten 10 the evening, who did
not get up till six!
urreply is, that though we may not
be able to state clearly every reason why
vet the fact is obvious. The Creator
seems to have kindly adapted the day to
action and the night to repose and he
who conforms, with the most exactness to
his established laws, whether natural or
revealed, mus,-other things being equal
inevitably be the most healthy and happy.
Hence we might infer necessity ofsleep-
ing about an equal number of hours be-
fore and after midnight And what we
infer, in this case, is confirmed by almost
universal experience.
The same view is also strengthened by
analogy. There are few instances among
the lower animal tribes Of late retiring or
late rising. They retire with the sun,
and either use with it, or long before it,
The most striking exceptions to this rule
are to be found among the more indolent
and sluggish; as the marmot, the bear,
the woodchuck, and the swine. Should
these pages arrest the eye Of ony Of those
who sleep late in the morning, it may be
worth passing thought whether they
will continue to assiInilate themselves to
the most ugly and loathsome animals .
or whether it will not be advisable to con.
form more nearly to the habits, in this re.
spect, ofthose species which are the most
beautiful and sprightly and intelligent
Another reason why person becomes
less feverlsh, or in other respects injured
or diseased, in a given number Of hours,
when he has risen early, is, that he is
more likely to get before and drire his Ju
siness, instead Of letting that drive him =
and thus he is not likely to be in hurry
or be fretted with his employment. Every
thing proceeds, thro' the whole day, with
comparative quiet, ease, and facility; anc
night comes without finding his mind dis
tracted or his body over-fatigued. Al
this difference, however, will be mystery
to him who has never tasted the pleasure
or benefits which we have mentioned a.
connected with and flowing from early
rising.
This consideration presents two reason
why it is economical to rise early. FRS
it is for our health; and good health i
good economy. Secondly, it is a saving
directly, Of both money and time.
Again: he who uses the artificial ligh
oflamps, candles, &c. IN the evening, an
then lies in bed the next morning after tn
suns light is sufficiently strong to enabl
him to work by it, is, in two points Q
view, wanting in sound economy D
Franklin illustrated one OF these points
in his usual good-natured manner, by al
tempting to prove to the dissi patcd inhat
itants of Paris, who lay in bed long ate
sunrise, that the sun gave light as soon a
it appeared above the horizon. He wen
so far as to make a calculation-it wa
rather an amusing one-to show hoy
much the whole city of Paris would saw
in single year by using sunshine instea
of candles; viz: Sl7,774,OO0,
Now DR. FrankIn's estimates notwrh
standing the playful manner in whic]
they were presented, contain much truth
of lust such sober truth, too, as would b
applicable, at the present time, to a Iarg
proportion Of the citizens of the Unite
States, We have very little doubt tina
four out Of five Of our whole population
sleep more or less, or at least doze, afte
the suns light in the morning has becom
strong enough to enable them to labor
And just 80 far as this is the fact, and in s
far as these same persons use artificial
= light in the evening in exactly the sam
: proportion would the estimates Of D
, Franklin be applicable to their own cir
cumstances.
| 1t is not the mere loss Of oil, however
5 though this was probably the only tier
t which entered INTO the foregoing calcula
t ton by DR. Franklin; there is a create
e loss still by using artificial lights, espe
1 cially in the evening, in the injury done
the eye, and through this medium to tn
= stomach.
J., The position of much of our artifcia
e light is such that the rays strike the ey
2 directly; whereas during the greater pa
of the hours in which the sun is above tn
n horizon, the eyelids are between the su
), and the more delicate apparatus of vision
5 Hence it is, in part, that the light of lamp
n and candles and fires Injuries the eyes NOR
: than the light of the sun does. The art
n fetal heat ofour rooms, however. added
s the artificial light, is very injurious to tn