Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-12-19
From the n. Y. Observer,
SLEEP AND NO SLEEP.


singular experience to study the
phenomena of sleep, or rather of no
sleep.
1t was Sunday night; after a day
not marked by any special excite
ment, l went to bed expecting to
sleep as soundly as usual. Mindight
came, and the small hours grew larg-
er, and l was still wide awake. The
associations of the room and the
house thronged me. MIS-. Jamson had
written some of her delightful poems
on the very table near my bed. Mrs.
Browning had made the house claSa
sic and memorable by giving its
name to her most favorable poem,
for in this palace she wrote and died |;
and, over the door, the Florentines
have placed Il tablet to her memory.
Just across the way is the gate of
the Pitt Palace, and there are
shrined the loveliest works of art.
And so, with the thoughts that
had been going on here, and
with other thoughts that crossed
the sea the night wore away and
morning came, but not a wink of
sleep. Monday was spent as usual,
visiting the galleries and churches,
and when night came, / retired
again and arose the next morning
without moment of sleep. And
now | had me to DIR. Wilson and
told him my simple story, thatI was
quite well, but had forgotten how to
get asleep ! Under his care the
third time brought a little sleep,
but it was six months before normal
sleep became my habitual enjoy
ment. Since, and by that Florence
experience, have learned that food
and exercise and phvsic are not more
important for life and health than
sleep. 1t is a religious duty to
sleep, and to sleep enough; and he
who does not, may be sure that he
is breaking the sixth Commandment,
which requireth the lawful endeav-
Ors to preserve our own life, as well
as lives of others.
There is scarcely a better health
meter for men who think much, than
this. Hard mental work is begin
ming when it interferes with sleep,
and he who plies his brain with ever
so much energy eight or ten hours
a day, and prays aud plays five or
six, and sleeps seven OF eight, will
never die of Overwork. But he
must make a business of it. Brain
work, good exercise in the open air,
culture of the soul, social relaxation
and sleep-these are the constitu-
ents Of good living, and they will
be attended by health, wealth, use
fulness and happiness. If anything
else is wanting, it Will be added
thereunto.
The old theory was that sleep is
induced by pressure of blood on the
brain. Because the stuPOr of apo
plexy follows congestion of the
brain, it was held that sleep was
somewhat like an incipient disease;
a very stupid theory, for so far
from being like disease, is "the
sweet restorer" of the waste that
brainwork makes. Congestion is
imminent when the brain is pressed
hard with blood, and it is doing
more than its duty. But when the
brain has been laid bare by remov-
ing a portion of the skull Of a living
animal, it is obvious to the eye that
as sleep comes, the brain occupies
less sleep than before, and as the an
imal awakes, the brain expands and
fills the cavity again. Sometimes,
on rising suddenly in bed from a
sound sleep, one is dizzy or light
headed, and that is because the blood
has not had time to gain its normal
circulation in the upper story. And
it is not well to spring up quickly on
take things moderately,
then, as at all times.
Thus we see the necessity of sleep,
that the waste of the whole nevous
system, occasioned by the wear and
tear of mental and physical labor
through the day, may be repaired.
You cannot make machinery out of
the hardest steel and of the most
polished surface that will not wear
out or break down. Add all the
machinery on earth combined would
not show workmanship so delicate,
and finished, and fitted to such ex-
quisite service as the body and mind |
of man. Even the muscular sys-
TEN of a horse gives out when lest
is denied. We are told the Lord
taketh not pleasure in the legs OF
man, but when a man does not pride
himself on his powers of walking,
and attempts needless and foolish
experiments, she result uniformly
proves that the laws of nature are
the laws Or God. Their violation by
a professional walker is wrong, and
thew vfo abet him, or bet on him, are
nartakers of his SIN,
And if the calves of the legs need
rest, and the hamal or porter who
carries a thousand pounds on his
back must sleep, and sleep enough,
1r die, much more must the brain
yorker sleep, soundly and long, or
be will fly off the handle. 1t has
been publicly stated that ten bank
presidents in this city were killed
BY the commercial crash of 1851
Not one of them would have died
If that disaster had he given ten
lonrs a day to business and eight
% sleep. l do not know what
Shakespeare meant when he wrote
hat ''sleep knits up the reveled
'Ieevs of care;" but / well know, by
ong experiment, that when care has
wasted and unravelled the web of
ife, so that the man is falling into
likes and sevens, like an old stock
ng or knitted sleeve, then kind sleep
comes to his aid, knits it allup again,
md makes him as good as new
The victims of no sleep from our
banks and stores, 60 wandering over
Europe like the spirits of the gos-
,els, seeking rest and finding none,
because they hasted to be rich, and
vould not, and then could not, sleep.
p,;rca Albert. that model prince