The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-07
THE MORNING MP
A plea for Those who Sleep In 'he
Morning.

Tho fart is that as life becomes more con-
centrated. and it's pursuits more eager, short
sIeeu and early rising become impossible. we
take more sleep than our ancestors, and we
take moro because we want more. Six hours
sleep will do very we'll for ploughman or
bricklayer, or any man who has no other e2-
haustion than that produced by manual laoor,
and the sooner he takes it alter his labor is
over the better but for man whose labor is
mental, the stress of whose 'ra is on his
brain and nervous system, and who is tired In
the evening with a day OF mental application,
neither early to bed nor early to rise IS whole
some. He needs letting down to the level OF
repcse. The longer the interval between the
active use Of the brain and his retirement to
he'd. the better his chance of sleep and recruit
mert. To him On hour after midnight ls pro.
baby as GOOD as two hours before 1t, and even
then his sleep will no5 so completely anu
quickly restore him as it will his nelghbor VINO
is only physically tired. He must not only go
t0obed later but lie longer. HIS best sleep
probably lies in the early morning hours when
all the neryous excitement has passed away,
ard he is in absolute rest.
There is, therefore, good deal to be said IN
favor of the late habits Of modern life. IL was
all very we'll for Englishmen to go to "a early
and get up early In the times OF the Tudors,
PlAntagenets and stuarts. Ineir ngnts were were
bad, and it was expensive work to make room
light enough to be pleasant. They did not turn
night into day as we do; but it was probably
because they did not, know how to do 1t as We
know. Gas is responsible for good deal OF our
love Of The long evening hours. LONDON
house at this time OF the year is never 80 bright
as it is after dark When the blinds are down
and the shutters are closed, and the snug
curtains are drawn, and the room is
flooded with brilliant gas light, and the
bright fire is stirred up in the shining crate,
nobody regrets the sickly daylight, which
allday long had beenfeebly struggling through
the fog and smoke. Why should man Wish
to shorten the brightest hours OF the twenty
four for tho sake Of an extra hour or two OF
foggy, Intellectual morning 1t ls not mere
retaliation on our ancestors; it is simply the
adaptation of their maxims to our MODERN
needs to say that, for m my OF us, one waxing
hour after ten O'Clock at night is worth two
hours before nine in the morning. We live
double OF that social evening time, and to
waste such hours in sleep when there is spare
hour the morning which may just as well
be spent in bed, is IN unwise substitution OF
the old ma1ims for new experience. NO DOUBT
the old maxima were wise, and would still pc
wise il our conditions were OF our greatgrand-
fathers; but while the maxims stand, the tunes
have changed, and We have changed with
them. We must have society, and We can only
have it at night; We must have ample rest, and
we can only take it in the morning. The stress
of life with us is on the brain and nerves, and
they can only bear.the pressure by being al
lowed to. sleep out. For a man whoss work
is intellectual to have sleep violently cut
short every morning would be half equiva-
lent to suicide. True wisdom teaches US to
adapt ourselves to, our circumstances. Ma,
ture does not cEenge, and what was good
for onr fathers s douStiess good loa u.s. Pro- Ryt
when this is not the case, We mgst not "a a.
low their example 70 become q tyranny. NV.
ern habits are not more readily indulgent than
the habits OF earlier times, and they best suit
modern neods.