The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-03-10
SLEEP AND Study

We "c hdppy W IcaiH IhaL Tile ITlnCl-
pal Of the well known Female Seminary
at Soutl, IIadlcy, Mass, after due delibera-
ton as to the propriety Of such "depart.
urc from an old time CUSTOM" has decided
to give young ladies' under lis tuition one
half hour more sleep in the morning.
Within a very recent tino we have OBJ
served with pleasure disposition to reform,
in the education Of the young, many old
fashioned absurdites, and 10 resolutely
bring up pupils according to the laws of
health and plain common sense. Promi.
ncnt among these absurd errors is the idea
that sleep is quite n trivial matter-that
persons Of great virtue, industry, and who
arc economical of time sleep very little, and
that i'll fact the ,ghcr VIC rise in tho scale
of excellence and intelligence the less we
sleep. Let the reader reflect calmly on the
anecdotes which he has heard of great men,
and OF the masses Of advice on the subject,
which, lie may have read in books for the
young, and ask himself whether all the
world have not united in droning out one
song on the subject. ''Seep is the twin
brother of Death. Every moment devo-
ted to sleep is a golden spark of life stolen
from thought. Sleep little and you will
sleep much" TO this they add dire anec-
dotes Of Lord Brougham who only sleeps
four hours per diem, and quote the un.
wholesome example Of students who waste
the midnight oil over "lomes"-as il apy
man who ever lived could not find sunlight
enough, taking tho year through, to study
himself blind without ever burning oil or
gas. Really VIC pity Milton's blindness
much less when wo recall his very silly, sen
timental, and vain romantic wish that his
lamp might DC seen at tho midnight hour
from some high, lonely tower, where hc
might long outwatch the bear. If the poet
had gone to bed at 10, and got up at 7 or
8, he might have saved his eyes and done
much more work in the end.
Twist ard turn it as we may, we cannot
get over tile fact, that just so far as you
bend spring forward, just so far it must
fly back. The energies of mind and
body differ in no respect from a spring
Whether people weary the mind by study
or the body by exercise makes no differ.
c"ce whatever. And to deprive growing
animal, be it girl, boy or other organism, Of
certain quantum Of food, exercise, sleep
and relaxation, is 10 injurc her, his o, its
health. There is no getting over this
And health is absolutely and perfectly in.
dispcnsablc. No acquisition of knowledge,
no cultivation Of intellect, no promotion of
morals, even which involves in tile slightest
degree the injuring Of physical health, is
justifiable-that is to say. wo believe in tho
long run all intellect and all sound moral
'ty suffer in irritated or morbidly unbalan
ced frames.
What should we think of teacher who
punished pupils by Swing them large and
positively injurious doses of nauseous drugs
such as castor oil and emetics? Yet we.
many years ago, knew OF such case.-
What an idiot should we judge the man
to DC who would lock pupil up in clos
ct, tight as coffin, so tight as to stiffen the
limbs and almost suffocate2 Common
sense teaches us that all these discip,ines
are wrong; because unhealthy. Why
should we look with more toeration on
sub'racting from waking energies by
abrldgng tile period of sleepa Closely
allied to the subject, as regards education,
we have the Infamous system of over
working pupils during working hours, and
cuItivating the intellectual system, without
regard to the physical. We have been
pleased to see that Of late this cnesided
exiaustins system has received attention
in our city, and is in a way for reform.
We often hear the question: put in prose
as we have seen it in poetry, "Why are
tho beautiful SO rare?" Why is it that
among so many men we see so few hand
some ones, when experience shows that
Temperance, exercise, and absence of cares,
with as life advances, due cultivation of the
higher faculties and feelings, are sure TO result
in and preserve good looks! The fact is
that people arc too ignorant of all the main
truths Of the laws Of health. A vast ma
jority still believe that very little sleep is
positively beneficial to healtll-Bulwcr sets
forth the absufdity in his last novelAand
declares that so long as we rise early it
makes no difference when we 90 to bed.
A few years will probably see great, dis
semination Of truth az regards the laws Of
health, aud their application 10 educa.ion.
Irerct, a Frenchman, WAS carried away
from his home by the police of Pasis, at two
in the morning, andimprisooed in the Ban
the.. After confinement Of seyeral weeks.
ne inquired of an officer YOU have
Tie goodness 10 talfme for What crime I
am slut up in this place n The officer
esolly replied. II think youhsve ghaasdeal
g-sHs