The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-02-18
M1isfellaueuus.
On Sleeping.
Dr HENRY WARD BEEcnER.

who die every year for want of sleep. 1t
may be that too much sleep Injuries some;
but in an excitable people, and In our in
tense business habits, there Is far more
mischief for want of sleep than from too
much of 1t. Sleepless becomes q disease.
It Is tho precursor Of insanity. When 1t
does not reach that sad result, 1t Is still
full os peril. as well rs of suffering.
Thousands Of men have been indebted for
bad bargains, for lack Of courage, for in
effectiveness, to loss of sleep.
1t is curious that all popular poetical
representations Of sleeping and waking
are tho reverse of the truth. We speak
of sleep as tho image Of death, and Of our
wnking hours rs the image Of life. But
all activity is the result Of some form Of
decomposition in the body. Every thought
still more, every motion-any volition
wastes some part of the nervous substance,
precisely rs the flame Is produced by
wasting the fuel. 1t is the death of some
part OF the physical substance that pro-
duces the phenomena Of intelligent and
voluntary life.
7 On the other hand, sleep Is not like
death; for it is the period in which the
waste of the system ceases, or is reduced
to its minimum. Sleep repairs the wastes
which waking hours have made 1t re-
ibuilds the system. The night is the re-
pair shop of the body. Every part of the
system is silently overhauled, and all the
organs, tissues, and substances are rcplen-
lished. Waking consumes, sleep replaces; /;
waking cxhausts, sleep repairs; waking
Is death, sleep is life. The man who
sleeps little, repairs little; II he sleeps
poorly, he repairs poorly. If he uses up
In q day less than he accumulates ut night
hc will gain in health and vigor. II he
uses up nll that he gains at night, he will
just hold his own. Ii he uses more by
day than he gathers at night, he will lose.
And IL this last process he long continued.
he must succumb. A man who would bc
good worker must SEQ to 1t that ho is u
good sleeper. Human life is like a mill;
sometimes the stream is so copious that
one needs care but little about the supply.
Now. often, the stream that turns the mill
needs to be economizcd. A dam is built
to hold large supply. Tho mill runs
the pond pretty low through the day, but
by shutting down the gate, tho night re-
Ills tho pond, and Tho wheels go merriiy
around again the next day. Once IN q
WHILE when spring rains arc copious ana
ircshots overflow tho mill may run nlght
and day. but this Is rare ordinarily inc Inc
mili shouiu run ny "'y' "''" '"c pom" HI
up by night.
a man has rs muoh force IN nm rs nc
has provided ior by sleep. Inc qua'ty Oh
action, cspeciniiy mentai "ct.v'ty' "cpc"o'
upon inc q""iity Oh Sleep IL "'!.''"'e 'S
the loom IN wnich men weave 'n',, P",-
poses, mght is inc .''hc "hch 'nc ''''e''''
are l'a" anu INC ming Prcp"e".
Men hcen' Oh IN a'eraSe' o'Sn' no"is
Oh steep "'y' OF ohc',h'ro Vi '''''f "'o'o
t'me. a man oil lymPh"''c 'c'"pcr"''c"'
"''y ''q""' "'"'. ~ "o'''"' "p
,hch' may rel""o "'' So''"' VI s'N' ~ "
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ovcr hv ,vort n,e,.uro sorrow or NV anv
other c,usc !, rcyularlv diminishing his
.lccp !. ,,c.trovinc hi, life. A man NAV
ho,d 80, for , t;re hrt r,,ure rcens close
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