The Shasta courier., 1872-04-13
SLEEP.

Doctors Of medicine are either growing
complacent or sensible One of them, DR..
Hail. has had the good sense to tell the
world that children until the age of eight
cen, and old and feeble people (and he
might n we'll have said every body), need
ten hours sleep, and that bouncing sudden
ly oat OF Sed in the morning is as hurtful
as it is disasreeable that fifteen or twenty
minutes spent in gradually waking up.
stretching the limbs, and letting the blood
slowly resume its won;ed circulation. is
tiure well spent Fertile sudden seHdibe
OF blood to The heart, is severe shock, and
the person who gets up in this hasty and
reckless manner is sure to be drowsy by
midday, unless he or she is an editor or a
belle, and does not get up till afternoon,
concur in tbis-in fact, always knew that
it was true; and think. further, that pull
ing anybody out of bed ought to be State
prison offense. and doubtnot that conviction
for it could be had before any of our sleepy
jures-if they we're awake enough to here
the evidence.
|. The world is all astray about this matter
of sleep, led away by nursery couplets about
early to rise, and the examples of Napoleon,
Peter the Great, and other military heroes,
who are reported to have been satisfied with
an hour or tive of sleep snatched from the
twenty four, taken on plank, while their
balf:a- dozen scribbling secretaries were not
allowed to sleep at all. We all know what
became of Napoleon Even Mr. Abbot
cannot make it appear that he had much
more than respect for the Ruler of the
Universe. These sleepless people have
made most Of the mischief in the world
Catherine de Medicis was, we believe, a
light sleeper. George Washington, on the
contrary, took his time, walked up the Fa-
ther of his Couotry by degrees, got out of
bed with deliberatIon. and dressed himself
with thoughtful slowness. What ridicu
lous idea it would be to think of that great
man as bouncing out of b. d at the first bell,
and dressing himself as if there was fire
next door! The instinct of children against
early and especially sudden risingls well
founded aud it is pleasant to have the
learned faculty confirm long and growing
conviction that it is not sin to lie in bed
till the second bell rings
1t is the experience of the majority of
people that the most delicious moments OF
the whole day are those when they ought
to get up, and do not. Hereafter let them
lioger in this delightful border land with a
quiet conscience. Nature is about to be
vindicated by the scientists. Ifthe whole
of life could be like that brief interval be.
tween half awaking and getting out into
the cold world-that rare space of time
when duty calls SO family that there is a
sweet delight in letting it call before con
science is aroused at all-one might like
to revise the hymn, book, and live always
We have been now for several thous md
years going TO the ant and getting away
from the sluggard to that degree that we
have developed very nervous condition
TO say nothing of being defrauded of our
rights, and of the legitimate and healthy
luxury. of sleeping long aud waking up slow
ly, as plants do, no doubt many of the ner-
vous diseases that are attributed to stock
gambling, tobacco, and unrequited love,
are due to want of sufficient sleep, from
childhood up.