The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-10-17
ssIeep the Best stimulant. :.

The pulpit, the bench, the bar, the
forum, have contributed their legions
of victims TO drunken habits. The
beautiful woman, the sweet, singer
the conversationalist, the periodical
writer, have filled, but too often the
drunkard's grave. Now that the press
has become such great power in the
land, when the magazine must come
out on certain day, and the daily
newspapers at fixed hour, nothing
waits, everything must give way to
the inexorable call for copy, aud, sick
or we'll, disposed or indisposed, asleep
or awake, the copy must come. Tho
writer must compose his article,
whether he feels like it or not; and ii
he is not III the vein of writing, he
must whip himself up to it by the
stimulus of drink. Some of the great
estwriters of the country have con-
fessed to the practice on urgent occa-
sions, of taking a sip of brandy at the
end of every page, or even ofteuer. 1T
may have escaped the general reader'sr
notice that more men have died young
who have been connected with the
New York press within ten years,
and that, too, from intemperance9 than,
in all other educational 'callings put,
together; young men whose talents
have been of the first order, and gave
promise of life of usefulness, honor
and eminence, The best possible
thing for a man to do, when he feels
too tired to perform q task or too
weak to carry it through is to go to
bed and sleep q week, if he can. This
is the only true recuperation of brain
power, the only actual renewal of
brain force. Because, during sleep
the brain is i'm state of ease, in con-
dition to- receive and appropriate par
ticles of nutriment from the bloode
which takes the place of those which
have been consumed in previous la
Dor, since the very act of thinking
consumes, burns mp solid particles, ss
every turn of the wheel or screw OF
the splendid steamer is the result of
the consumption by fire of the fuel in
the furnace. That supply of consum-
ed braint substance Scail aonly be 4iad
from, the nutriment. particles in the
blood which were obtained from the
food eaten preHiously, and the -hfeiR
is SO constituted that It can best re-
ceive aud appropriate to itself those
particles during the state
of rest, of quiet and of stiffness in
sleep. Mere stimulants supply moth
ing in themseIves-they only goad the
brain, force it to q greater consump-i
ton of its substance has been so fully
exhausted that there is not power
enough left to receive a supply, just
as men are so near death by thirst or
that there is not power
left to swallow anything, and
all is over The incapacity of the
brain for receiving recuperatiye- par /;
ticles sometimes comes on with the
rapidity of % stroke of lightning, and
the man becomes mad I'm an instant,i
loses sense, and is an idiot. Itnwas
under circumstances of this very sort,
in the very middle of sentence Of
great oratoricaI power, one Of the
most eminent minds of. the age forgot
his ideas, pressed hisi hand upon bis
forehead, and after moment's esi-
lence said tGod, as with q sponge,
has blotted out my mind. p Be assured,
my readers, ifThere is rest for the
weary only, in early and abundant
sleep, and wise and happy are they
who have firmness enough to resolve
that "By Gods help viii seek it in
no other way.n-HGLps JouS7adl; IF
HeuLth.rs5 vd DYlGgIsG aJ , sa u v