The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-20
a worn ARovr EARLY RISING.

VI
A medical gentleman who gave years to in
vestiRatinp the subject-to interviewing old
folks, and rummaging among family histories
states that be never came across case of
remarkable longevity unaccompanied by the
habit of early rising, from which testimony il
might be inferred that they die early who lie
abed late; but we hold this to be a fallacy.
The medical gentleman started with a theory
already formed, and after the manner of
partisans looked at but one side of the ques-
tion.
That most elderly people are early risers is
due to the damaging fact that they cannot
sleep omorniDgs They necessarily rise be-
times, and unjustifably make monstrous
virtue of it. After man passes his fiftieth
birthday he usually awakens at sunrise,
though perhaps he used to let the breakfast
bell ring in vain when he was younger. AS
our theorist confined his observations to aged
people who could not slum5er after the gray
dawn had tapped at the window-pane, he
came easily to the conclusion that men live
to be old because they do not sleep late, in
stead of seeing that they do not sleep late
because they are old. Having with a great
deal of trouble secured this lop-sided datum,
our friend started off with his theory in favor
of rising with the lark. Not being lark
ourselves, we decline to regulate our move
ments Oh any ornithological principle. We
u
We believe that too little sleep is more
injurious than too much. Unless mans
business or professional engagements oblige
him to turn out very early, he does his
physical nature injustice by defrauding him
self of those delicious morning maps which
SO refresh and strengthen one. For men who
do brain work there is no medicine like plenty
of Sleep
"Sleep, that knits up the ravelld sleeve of care,
The death of each dAV's life. sore laOOr'g bath.
Balm of hurt minds, great natures second course,
Chief nourtsher in life's feastF'
Cervantes' humble hero did not misplace
his benison in showering it on the man that
invented sleep; but the man that invented
waking up much before seven o'clock in the
morning was no friend to the human race. "a
There is an immense amount of nonsense
on record in defense of early rising; this has
been written chiefly by poets who breakfasted
when they did breakfast-at twelve o'clock.
Thomson, who gave birth TO the atrocious
sentiment embodied in the line
"Falsely luxurious, will not man awake"
was one of the LATEST men of his century.
He generally lay in bed until noon (medi-
tating verses on sunrise) and did not often
get fully awake until later in the day, for he
was frequently observed strolling in his gar
den at Richmond, after breakfast, eating
peaches off a tree, with both hands in his
waistcoat pockets!
We would like to know what inducement
there is for early rising in the city. What
is more shabby and dispiriting than city
street before the shop window-shutters are
taken down, when nobody is astir but the
milk -and-water man, and Mary washing off
the front steps? In the country there is
kind of bloom in the morning that wears off
in an hour or two; this is worth enjoying.
Daybreak on the sea-coast or up among the
IL
arity with it breeds contempt. 1t is your
habitual late riser who takes in the full
richness of nature on those rare occasions
when he gets up early. 1t is well enough to
rise with the sun 1--WE won't say with the lark,
because we know nothing about its eceen-
tricities) two or three times in the course of
the summer, if for no other purpose than to
be prepared to combat the intolerance of the
professional early riser, who, if he we're in a
state of perfect health, would lie abed until
nine o'clock. There are few small things
more apt to be exasperating than this early
bird with the worm of his conceit in his bill.
How he scorns you for your indolent habits!
Here he has been up 'these three
hours" he has read the morning paper,
been to the Post Office, seen Smith
in the distance, conversed with Jones,
came near meeting Brown, while you-you
were snoozing away the best hours of life.
Let the old fellow prattle on, for some day
you will grow restless yourself after the clock
has struck five, and will want the privilege
of jeering at your son-in-law, or your grand
son, or any of the younger drowsy heads of
your household, who may chance to come
down late to breakfast. The old fellow
would sleep later if he could, but he can't, and
if he wants to make virtue of it, what's the
harm? Maybe he hasn't as many virtues as
you have. He certainly has not had your re-
freshing sleep.