The sun., 1878-07-21
Sleep in the city.

Sleep in the City.
In weather like this thousands Of people
in the city find it hard to get the refresh
mcnt Of sleep at night. They toss about in
their beds. half suilocatcd by the hot and
close air and rise In the morning i'll fitted to
bear the strain Of another days labor under
the rays of the burning sun. Other thou
sands fly from their confined bedrooms aud
make their couchcs on the roofs OF their
tcnements. like some OF the Oriental peoples:
and II they are sober and do not roll off
they enjoy comparatively satisfactory slum-
ber-. Sidewalks and Railways, aban-
doncd buildings and the benches in the
parks afford sleeping places for many others.
who In such hard times as these cannot
afford to pay for bedrooms, while they offer
superior inducements to such as dread the
sitting heat Of the crowded hunks which
wayfarers may hire for few cents night.
The people who are really the worst of
are those who cannot WOO sleep at all even
though they court it on beds with patent
springs and mattresses OF hair. They lose
their nervous pose. grow irritable, fail In
their appetite for food, and their state
speedily becomes n morbid one, leading
them sometimes to resort to 7timuant7 to
fire up the bodily machine, and SO to act a.
to wear it out 10y running it at too great
pressure. 1t is far better to sleep on the
roof or even ON the sidewalk than to do
that.
The Metropolitan Elevated Railway Il
now persistent enemy Of sleep allalong It's
line. Perhaps eventually, however, the in
habitants Of the street ndayenues through
which the laundering, rattling, and soreoch-
ing ears pass will grow 50 accustomed To- the
noise that it will soothc them t. -lumber, as
ababy is hu7hcd To- sleep by the lullaby of itS
mother; and thereafter they will be able TO
get NO repo-e away from the racket which
now seems so intolorahlc. The very still
ness Of the country is oftcntimcs oppressive
TO the city bred man. accustomed 10 the con-
tinued roar OF great towns enormous
traffic, and instead Of rocking him to sleep.
it keeps him wide awake until he has got used
to it, The cnaselo-s rumbling of heavy We
hicles and the cries of the carly milkmen do
not jar his repose at home; but the Growing
Of the cock in the banyard and the barking
Of the dog in his kennel, and even the sing
ing and chirping Of the birds, when he seeks
Arcadian quiet, will set his nerves aquiyer
and keep his cycids open. But the once
oppressive quiet at length becomes a sooth-
ing balm, and the man revcls in it.
mocking bird is one Of the most intclli-
gent and interesting of the whole family Of
fcathcred songstcrs. Its plumage may not
be so rich or varogatcd In color as that OF
some other birds, but its form Is shapely
and its carriage erect and diguiicd, while its
bright eye Is quick to see what j. going on,
and 10 recognize friends and enemies. Its re-
pertoirc Of songs is very extensive, for it
easily catches tunes and notes, and at once
adds them to what it already has. frequently
to the discontinue Of the birds which origl-
nally trllrd them forth. 4 clever mocklng
| bird, placed in the same room with Il canary
has been known to utterly silence Tn,
smaller song-tcr by catching hi note and
! pouring it out in a style really unattaIuahlc
| 10y its yellow neighhor 1t will also whistle
| bark, chatter, scrocch, and initiate very
many others of the sounds it hears. Tn,
| po--ossor of n mOcking bird of real talent
therefore, is very apt TO take great pride il
his fcathcrcd pet, and to guard ii will
jealous care, being especially soictous ro
garding lis health, for the bird is a dclicat,
one in our climate, and very particularabou
it's food Yet Il mocking bird can MAKE
itself a nuisance in n ucghbolhood, for
getting sufficient rest during the day IN th'
way OF little maps, it is apt to keep wid'
awake at night and to amusc itself witt
going over the whole range Of its songs in
tcrspersmg them with tuuccss shricks an'
scrcechcs The owner Of the bird has grow
accustomed To the noi~r, and his affection