Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-03-14
Sleep.

Doctors of medicine are either grow
ing complacent or sensible. One of
them, DR.. Hall, has had the good sense
to tell the world that children until the
age of eighteen, and old and feeble peo-
pie land he might as well have said
everybody, need ten hours sleep, and
that bouncing suddenly out of bed in
the morning is as hurtful as it is dis
agreeable; that fifteen or twenty min
utes spent in gradually waking up,
stretching the limbs, and letting the
blood slowly resume its wonted circula-
ton, is time well spent. For the sud-
den sending 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 before midday, unless
he or she is an editor or a belle, and
does not get up till afternoon. l concur
in this-In fact, / always knew that it
was true; and think, further, that pull
ing anybody out of bed ought to be
State prison ofense, and doubt not that
conviction for it could be had before
any of our sleepy juries-if they were
awake enough to hear the evidence.
The world is all astray about this mat
ter of sleep, led away by nursery coup
lets about early to rise and the exam
pies of Napoleon, Peter the Great, and
other military heroes, who are reported
to have been satisfied with an hour or
two of sleep snatched from the twenty
four, taken on plank, while their half
a dozen scribbling secretaries were not
allowed to sleep at all. We all know
what became OF Napoleon. Even Mr..
Abbott can not 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, light sleeper. George
Washington, on the contrary, took his
time, walked up the Father of his Coun-
try by degrees, got out of bed with de-
liberation, and dressed himself with
thoughtful slowness. What ridiculous
idea 1t would be to think of that great
| man as bouncing out of bed at the first
bell, and dressing himself as if there
was fire next door! The instinct of
children against early and especially
sudden rising is well founded; and it is
pleasant to have the learned faculty
confirm long and growing conviction
that it is not sin to lie in bed until
the second bell rings. 1t is the expert
ence 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
linger in this delightful border land
with quiet conscience. Nature is
about to be indicated by the scientists.
If the whole of life could be like that
brief interval between 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 conscience is
aroused at alone might like to revise
the hymn-book, and live always. We
have been now for several thousand
years going to the ant and getting away
from the sluggard to that degree that
we have developed a very nervous con-
dition. To say nothing of being de-
frauded out of our rights, and Of the
legitimate and healthy luxury of sleep
ing long and waking up slowly, as plants
do, no doubt many of the nervous dis
eases that are attributed to stock gam
bling, tobacco, and unrequited love are
due to want of sufficient sleep from
childhood up.-CharEes Dudley Warner