Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-10-04
Lying in Bed.


kingdom Of Sleepy Hollow. Rosslnl
furnishes a case III point. Just sixty
wears ago. IN 1913, he lodged IN a worst
iuus worst room. in Venice. Tie was
then one nd twenty, unknown and AM
hitlous, $50 poor. He was COMPOSING
an opera. to he called " IL Figiio per
Azzardo, in winter weather; and, 10
save the cost of fire, Rossinl lay IN bed
He hal inst finished noting a duet,
when the leaves slid off the sheets, and.
gently waving to the floor, were waited
under the couch Rossini looked after
them. stretched ont his arm to reach
them. and. finding them beyond his
reach. he flung himself back, with an
" A dinrOlO col dueHO! | will note 1t
over arain!" The vein, however, was
exhausted his memory failed hlm, ana
again he looked beneath the bed at the
paper beyond his reach. 1t would be
unluckv to pick it up." he said, "slnce
if has fallen. l will compose another.
Ii / ever grow rich, l will write my
music AS other composers do in such
weather as this" In brief, ROSslnl
noted another duet, and had Just I'm
shed it when friend entered the room.
".iiaico. - cried Rossini, cast yonr
eye on tins tly it at the piano, and tell
me what you think of it y
The anlic0 did as he was told, and
expressed himself delighted.
Now" said the composer, put
your arm under my bed, pull out the
paper that lies there. another duet is
noted on II, and try that also.
The friend obeyed, and he protested
that the second duet was much to be
preferred 10 the first. Rossinl reloined
that what his friend called the "second"
was in reality the first; and he told the
story of hov it had slipped off the bed
out of his reach. The two friends-One
in, the other seated at the edge OF the
bed-sang the two duets; and they
were of one opinion, that the deut from
below the bed was the better OF the two.
After a little while, the friend inquired
what Rossini meant to do with the
other.
1T is done" replied the young COM
poser: Il have, by help of few
alterations, turned it into ter5etto.'
Thus, Nv being too lazy to slip out of
bed, he took the industrious pains TO
write two duets instead of one, and to
change one of the two into ferzetto.
The philosophy which urges the ex-
celience of early rising has been very
rudely and successfully shaken. Charles
Lamb has shown that there is as much
excess in rising with the lark and lying
down with the lamb as III the practice
referred 10 in Moore's song, which re-
commends lengthening of our days by
taking "a few hours from the night, my
dear ~ That philosophy was shaken IN
the early days of the world by two
sleepy children, who came under the re-
buke of vigilant fathers.
NV son." remarke one sire, 81
once found piece OF gold by rising
early"
"Ay." reioined young hopeful, :" but
the man who lost it was up before You.
INV son." said the oher worthy
parent, "observe that it's the early bird
that catches the worm"
81 do, o my father !" replied the ex-
cellent bov also that the worm was
caught by getting up earlier than the
bird"
|. has been considered not beneath
the dignity of tield-marshal the duke
of Wellington to hold rank among the
! philosophers of the bed and, rs no.
! BODY knew that he had ever delivered
! himself of an axiom or MAXIM Illus
/ tr,tinp ed-doctrine, one has been stolen
/ for him, and his grace has been made to
wear it as if il were his OWL. 80 When
a man turns in bed, it is time for him to
turn out as the duke of Wellington
used to saw ~ So we are told, as if the
field.marsLal were always saying it.
Now, the phrase was favOrite one with
our early archbishops, and 1t was pro-
badly not original even on the lips OF
the very earliest of the prelates to
whom it has been assigned by the dean
of Chichester.
The earliest illustration of the evils
of living late in bed, which some OF our
older people used to receive when they
were children, come to them from DR..
Watts. Who has not heard of the IA
nous lines, with their hating philoso-
phy?-
'You have walked me too soon! I must slumber
| again!
As the d. = On its hinges, SO he on his bed,
Turns L. sldes, and his shoulders, and his heavy
! head
The door that turns on its hinges is do.
ing its duty as door, let Solomon and
DIR. Watts say what they will and the
wild-brier, the thorn, aud the thistle,
which grew broader and higher In his
garden. were at least acting buslly &C
cordlng to the nature implanted in
them. And, after all, the so-called
sluggard seems to have been more
harmless in bed than his censurer, who
left him, after an impertinent mission
ary visit, with such an Outburst OF
pharisaical pride as this:
=" Said l then to my heart, Here's lesson for
That mans but picture Of what might be-;
=. But thanks to my friends for their care in m.
breeding,
Who have taught me by times. to love working
and reading."
Perhaps, if the sluggard had had sucl
friends. and they had found him worl
to do" he would have risen to do it.
There was some reason in the younl
fellow who, on being asked why he die
not get mp, replied that he had nothing
to get up for? We are not even sure
that Ouin is to be severely censuret
in the part he took in the morning dia
logue with bis valet:
"John, what's o'clock
mime o'clock, sir.
,, "Is there any mullet in the marke
to-day, John p
"No, sir"
= "Then call me at nine tomorrow