The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-07-08
The Need of More Sleep.

We heard speaker aver lately that if all the peo-
pie of this country to sleep two hours more than
they do out Of every twentyfour hours, the gain in
health and morals would be immense. He was not far
out of the way in judgment as respects thousands
upon thousands Doubtless there are hosts of slug
CARDS who sumber away what little wit they have.
Doubtless there are multitudes who visit the Use Of
Nod much otener and stay much longer than is good
for them, because they 60 at the wrong time and oV
erdo the thing. There may be gluttony OF somno-
ence well as gluttony of edbles; too excessive
love of soporferousness well as too great an appe-
tte for strong drink With these exceptional classes
of the lazy and selfindugent who have neither meth
cd nor principle in their living, we have no concern
here We address the active, the industrious, those
who on the whole desire to do about right. These,
generally speaking want hours of rest than they
are accustomed to take. We boast that we are wide
awake people So far that relates to the quantity
of wide awakefuness it is serious question. whether
we do not pride ourselves upon serious blunder.
Our late hours and our early hours; night work
and our night pleasures; travelling or revellng
when we had far better be " downy couch or hair
mattresses reeumbent far from salutary to bodies
brains character. We do not require the phys
biologists the doctors to point out to us the large
provision made for sleep and the laws that impose and
govern sleep all animated nature and to tell US we
cannot refuse to accept this provision neglect these
laws with mpunity. The prevalence OF certain dis
cases. the exciteabeness, ousness the early break
downs the fevershness the rritabity, in word
hundreds of signs and symptoms indicate the fact to
the most superficial observer that We are living too
fast putting system too constantly the stretch
failing to recuperate and renovate them they by
their very nature require. =.a~
This is especially to be seen in cities and in the con-
duct of business and its mutform enterprises Every
thing must be done on the high pressure principle,
otherwise, the prevalent notion to be- nothing
will ever be accomplished There are crowds of folks
who, to get gain, indulge their ruling passion carr y
out their projects, necessarily Z" on the 60" with
all their faculties at the top of their speed, oiling
thinking, planning, schemng all day and far into
night and stunning repose IS if it the unpar-
donabe sin. + ==-.-
They pride themselves too, on this ceaseess and
wonderful activity, this practical contempt for rest or
relaxation, as something very vrtuous and commend
able. We hear talking of staying in their count
ing until midnigbt of doing nothing but stick
day in and day out TO their business of reading
nothing but newspapers aud only the commercial OF
those; of rushing from Dan to Beersheba without |
stopping, fast as steam cars carry them OF |
doing any amount of work and doing it on the jump, |
as though they eternally running against time.
When we hear men talk thus, implying that all this
haste and restessness is matter of their own will
and not stern memorable and inevitable necessity
but necessity which their eagerness for accumu
laton has made, fail to what there is so very
commendabe in their conduct, or why they should |
speak of such indeatgable wearing and tearing smart
ness, something praseworthy Our belief is that
Is evidence rather in any OF us who addicted
it, of want of good and selfcontrol Or of neg
ect ignorance Of the panest conditions that must
be observed to secure health and anything approach
ing to length Of days.
It is in sleep, in regular rest in quiet and compos-
ure Of body and mind, that compensation for the ex-
haustion of toll the renewals for the mental and
physical forces to be found. For this reason as
we have before intimated, provision is made for need
full reposeprofound, dream,ess repose-to repair the
waste OF the waking and active hours and for this
reason human beings should be careful to allow Them
selves the full maZimum of slumber leisure stiffness
and nvigoratng recreation they require. What are
the consequences of their failure to do this? Alas
they visible all around u.s. if we are fortunate
enough not to know of them by bitter experience
They in the increase of INSANITY in the com
onness OF softenngs of the BRAIN in the prevalence
dyspepsia, in shattered nerves. in broken frames pre-
mature old age and untmey graves they are evident
in the demand for stmuants and narcotics and in the
various devices resored to to patch up and keep run
ming the physical system; nay, they are only too
marked III still worse forms; in morbid feelings in
vitiaed appettes in fiery passions, in uncontrolled
tcmpers, in all those mental and moral alterations SO
haggard and unnatural, telling of rash violence done
to the human constitution violence that is suicidal
almost would be the deliberate drinking of prussic
acid. We speak strongy-but We speak from the
that the tendency Of the evil we are dis
soursng Of if not checked is towards disaster or loss
% individuals and society generally. If we could have
more of repose, both for the flesh and the spirit by
parting with fifty per cent. of prosperity or d
finishing by fifty per cent. the rate of our speed in
onquering and subduing its resources, that repose
would be cheaply purchased