Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-09-24

open at the bottom, when the fresh air
will enter at the latter opening and pass
out through the former. The bed should
not be stuck up in one corner close to
the wall, but placed so that the air may
circulate freely around it, and the sleep
er should lie with his face turned to the
outside of the bed and not toward its
center. Of the practice of covering the
head with the bedclOthes OF cold win
terS night we need not speak, Tor none
out foolish children and haf-witted men
would think Of doing such thing
Inc use of feather beds Is still too
common among farmers. Feathers are
sou ana are good non-cOnductOrS OF heat
ana hence manyTheumatic farmers think
they can sleep on nothing else, especial
~ IN the winter. But some of these old
oeds, having imbibed the perspiratiOn of
numoeriesS bodies possibly for genera
ilonS' are only lit for the dunghill, not
because they have lost their SAVIOR, but
because they are too savory. \ fresh
Ieather-oed IS enervating-an old one Is
a hot-bed of disease.
AS 10 now long farmers should sleep,
no general rule can be laid down. There
IS 10 0ouot but that some constitutions
/ require more sleep than others, and Gus
TOM mas much to do in the regulation of
tniS matter. Franklin is said to have
/ Idlu uoWn THIS rule: Six hours for a
man, seven for woman, and eight for 4
/ LooIi Out we do not believe Franklin
was ever so foolish as to have prOmul
| gated such dOgmatic law Another
| equaIly ABSURD maxim which was sounded
| frequently IN our youthful ears was:
I've hours Tor some, six for the many,
/ ana seven for any The some are very
| rev who can be satisfied with five hours
! sleep. The most distinguished preacher
/ OF TINS country, and one who accom-
| pushes pTodigies of work, says he sleeps
! all he can, and the more he sleeps the
| more work he can accomplish. We have
| no doubt that farmers, as a class, do not
sleep enough, though it is true that tired
muscles recuperate sooner than ex-
| hausted brains.
! Many farmers make a mistake in Civ
ing their children no more sleep than
| they allow to themselves. Childhood re-
/ qulres more sleep than maturity. The
! little infant does we'll when it sleeps
| pretty much all the time As years in
| crease less sleep is demanded, till we ar
rive at second childhood, when sleep, as
an old Greek philosopher expressed it,
hands us over to his twin brother, death.
| housing up boys at four or five o'clock of
winters morning and sending them out
to 90 chores, or on the mountain for
load OF wood, is sin against humanity
1t brings on disease and premature old
age. We see many laboring men at forty
and fifty years Of age bent over and
walking as though it was tax on their
energies to drag one foot after the other
One great reason is that they have dis
counted the hours that should have been
allotted to sleep. If farmer makes it
ru to get up in season to hear the
matin song OF the birds he should also
make it 4 principle to go to bed at the
same time with the feathered bipeds.
Every man should study his own consti
tuition, and eat, sleep, and work in such
! proportion as to make the most of life.