Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-01-23
Beds.

Ii j. curious 10 notice the habits of
different nations in regard to beds.
However dress, food, manners, cooking,
political conditions, may vary in other
countries, the beds differ "a notably "a
anything does. In Eastern nations the
bed is often nothing but a carpet, and
is carried about and spread in any con-
venient spot, and the tired native lies
down in his clothes. | remember Il
child who used to be puzzled with those
miracles of our Saviour, who, in restor-
ing an impOtent man. directed him to
take up his bed and walk-the child'>
idea of a bed consisting in fOur-poSt
bedstead, with its palliasse, mattrasS,
and feather-bed, besides blankets, sheets
and pillows. But even in very cold
countries the beds are very closely al
lied to the Eastern carpet. In taking 4
furnished house i'm Russia, on inquiring
for the servants bedrooms and beds, it
comes out that the Russian servants are
in the habit of lying anywhere-in the
passage, on the floors, on tine mats at
the room-doors, or even on the carpets
in the sitting rOoms-generally as near
as possible TO the stoves in the winter
season. But in Russia the houses are
kept so warm, by the system of stoves
through the walls, that much bed-cOv-
ering Is no more required in winter
than during the heats of summer. In
Germany the construction of the beds
gives one the impression that the Ger
mans donOt know what il i to lie down.
The bedstead i a short wooden case:
there is mattrass extending from head
to foot, but so formed that at the half
way, the upper end is made to slope 1t
an angle of considerable elevation, and
upon this are two enormous down pill
lows, which reach from the head of the
bed to half way down TO the feet;
consequently the occupant of the bed
lies at an angle of at least forty-five de-
grees, and is nearly in a sitting position
all night. In some parts of Germany
there are no blankets; there is sheet
TO lie on. and another over it, which is
tackled to a quilt wadded with down;
and this is the entire covering. with the
exception of sort of bed, a thick elder
down quilt, but not quilted, which Is
placed on the top, aud which, unless the
sleeper is very quiet in his sleep, is usu-
ally found on the floor in the morning.
In hot weather there is no medium:
either a sheet is the only covering, or
one of those oveT-warm eider-dOwnS.
As the traveller proceeds more and more
northerly. the size of the beds seems To
decrease, and the covering provided to
be less adapted to the changes of the
seasons. Curtains to beds are rarely or
never met with in Germany or in Rus
sia. While the bedsteads dwindle down
to the smallest possible size in the north
ern parts of Europe, in the parts of
North Italy near Como and Milan are
found enormously large ones.
Beds have been stuffed with feathers,
wool, horSehair, what is called flock,
which is an Omnium gatherum of all
sorts of production, shavings, hay,
straw, and in the south of Europe with
the soft and elastic dried leaves of maize;
dried seaweed has also been used, but,
pleasant as it was when perfectly dry,
the sea-Salt abiding among it attracted
the moisture in every direction, from
the atmosphere, from the perspiratiOn,
&C., and it became damp and unpleas-
ant. In one of the seasons when hops
were abundant in England it is related
of a farmer that he sold the feathers
from all the beds in his house, and re-
placed them with the hops. In another
year or two, when the hops failed, and
the price became very high. these same
hons were disinterred from their beds.
and fetched a considerable sum, far
more than sufficient to replace the orig
inaI feathers. History does not say
whether the farmers family slept more
soundly for the hop beds, or wheth, r
the hops thus preserved were found to
have any peculiarly fine flavor when
made into beer. There is no doubt that
a vast number of people in health-we
say nothing of invaliis-lie too long in
bed. 1t may also be said that they sleep
too hot, as well as too long, to be likely
to preserve health and live to a good old
age. IL has been long known that those
who have far exceeded the ordinary
length of human life, whatever their
other habits may have been, have been
early risers; also, that very old people
who keep their health usually have
slept with very little bed covering.
Young children and people with feeble
circulations require more clothing than
others, but only at first; andwhen once
warmed, they would become too hot,
their sleep would be broken or unre-
freshed, unless some of the extra cloth
ing was removed,