The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-08-23
The Iferesy Of Early Rising.

1t is very well to ''take time Ey the
forclock;" but what if, in the effort TO
do so, one exhausts himself too much
to hold him! George Eliot, in one of
her novels, pOrtrays thrifty farmers
wife who rose so early In the morning
to do her work that by 10 O'Clock it
vas ali over, and sne was at her wits
end TO know what to do with her day.
No doubt it is ''the early bird that
catches the worm" but, as the pillow
loving boy SAID 20 his father, sit is
the early worm that gets caught" In
temperance in early rising, like every
other excess, is sure to bring its pen
atty along with it. Nature will not be
cheated out of her dues. and if they
are not paid in season, she will exact
them, with compound interest, out of
season. 1t is well known that the
early rlser often cOmpensates himself
for his greeting to the dawn by FREE
quent maps in the afternoon or evening
Josiah Quincy tells us in the "life" OF
his father, that the latter rose every
morning in winter and summer at
4 o'clock. The effect of this out
rage upon nature was that he was
sure to drop to sleep, wherever he
was, when his mind was not actively
occupied, sometimes even in COM
papy, when the conversation tagged,
and always as soon as he took his seat
in his gig or sulky, in which he drove
to town. John Quincy Adams, who
was addicted to the same vice of in
temperance, early rising, with similar
consequences, once accompanied him
to the Harvard law school to hear
Judge Story lecture. Now, Judge
Story" continues the biographer, "did
not accept the philosophy of lis two
friends in this particular, and would
insist that it was more excellent way
to take ones allowance of sleep in bed
and be wide awake out of it--which
he himself most sssuredly always was.
The Judge received the two presidents
gladly, and placed them in the seat of
honor on the dais by his side, fronting
the class, and proceeded with his lee
ture. 1t was not long before, glancing
his eyes aside to see how HIS guests
were impressed by his doctrines, he
saw that they were, both Of them,
sound asleep, and he noticed that the
class saw it, too. Pausing a moment
in his swift career of speech, he pointed
to the two sleeping figures and ut
tered these words of warning: Sen
tlemen, you see before you
melancholy example of the evil
effects of early risiDgn TIE shout OF
Laughter with which this judicial Glitter
dlctuBs was received enectually aroused
the sleepers, and it IS To be hoped that
they heard and profited by the remain
der of the discourse.
There is class of journalists at the
present day with whom it is a faYorite |
dogma that 70 one can ever reach q
high degree OF goodness except by |
passing through certain number of |
self-imposed trials. II has been justly |
said of such persons that their whole |
mind seems wrapt up in the office OF !
polishing up little moral pins and |
needles and running them into the most |
tender parts of their skins. It is chiefly |
men of this stamp who advocate the !
heresy of early rising. Were they con-
tent to stick pins IN themselves we |
would leave them to get all the moral |
discipline that is possible from the |
practice. But they insist on other per
sons initiating them; and what is more |
offensive, they are continually putting |
on airs on account of their eccentTicity. |
Not content with shaking hands with |
himself mentally, and thinking he has !
done great thing, the early r1ser must |
vaunt himself OF his achievements here |
in. Indeed, there are few things in |
the way Of Dragging that will compare
with what the English essGyist calls
"the insulting triumph, the outrageous
animation of the man who has dressed /
by candle-light in the month of Deem
ber-" 1t is not merely that he speaks
OF the exploit with chuckle, or the
"-sort OF satisfaction
Men feel when they've done noble acfion-r
But he looks down upon you, who hug
Jour pillow, with an air OF superiority.
IS il you lacked moral backbone, or
were pigmy in virtue.
There Is caustic proyerb, ssWe are
81 good Tisers at night, which ttTik-
ingly shows how unnatural is this prsc-
tice of getting mp early. We have
been long puzzled TO account for the
origin Of so disagreeab7e a prsctIce,
but q recent English writer suggests
m explanation which Is as satisfactory
IS il Is original and ingenious. For
those who have to labor IN the
fields. or to get their living
By h1nting. there are Obvious advsn-