Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-11-17
How Does He Sleep.

One of the most important things to
know about any man upon whom you
are going to place any dependence, is
how he sleeps. Sleeplessness may
sometimes be involuntary. There may
have been some shock to the mans
nerves which has made him insomno-
lent; but sleeplessness is more fire.
voluntary. Men choose to
push their studies or their work into
those hours when they should be asleep.
1t does not matter for what cause any
man may do this. the mere fact of not
sleeping spoils his case. He may spend
his nights in the theatre, in the study,
or IN the "protracted meeting" 1t
will make no difference; the result to
the body will be the same. The sleep
was not had, and for that the man
must pay. One man may do with a
little less sleep than another; but, as a
general rule, if you want clerk, a
lieutenant, a lawyer, a physician, a
legislator, a judge, president, or a
pastor, do not trust your interests to
any man that does not take on an av-
erage, eight good, solid hours of sleep
out of every twenty-four. Whatever
may be his reason for it, if he does not
give himself that, he will snap some
time just when you want him to be
strong.
The intellectual and moral connec-
tions of sleeping have, 1 think, not
been sufficiently appreciated. Men
and boys have been praised for 'burn-
ing the midnight OIL" Now this ''mid-
night oil'' is a delusion and snare.
The student who is fast asleep at elev-
en- o'clock every night and wide awake
at seven o'clock every morning is 60
ing to surpass another student of the
same intellectual ability, who goes to
red after twelve and rises before five.
In sleep, the plate ON which the picture
is to be taken is receiving its chemical
and it is plain that that
which is the best prepared will take
the best picture.
Men who are the fastest asleep when
they are asleep, are the widest awake
when they are awake.
Great workers must be great rest
ers.
Every man who has clerks in his
employ ought to know what their
sleeping habits are. The young man
who is up till two, three and four
o'clock in the morning. and must put
in his appearance at the bank or store
at nine or ten o'clock and work all day,
can not repeat this process many days
without certain shakiness coming in
to his system, which he will endeavor
to steady by some delusive stimulus
1t is in this way that many a young
man begins his course to ruin. He
need not necessarily have been in bad
company. He has lost his sleep; and
losing sleep is losing strength and
grace.
Here is the outline of the history of
a suicide within my own knowledge
A young man, stranger in New York,
in good situation, in large board
ing-house, has pleasant young compan-
ions, spends his evenings out; goes to
midnight parties, fIom eleven &c sev-
en-; his nerves become disturbed, then
little drink-a little mistake in busi-
ness-another drink-reproof from
emplOyer-mOre drink-more mistakes
loss of situation-no help from friv-
olOus companions all gone
then credit all gone-then turned out
of the bcarding-house-wandering in
the street-mortification- desperation
shoots himself.
Now; it does not always come to
this; but all people who are loosing
sleep are somewhere along this line,
they are somewhere in the rapids.
We must begin reform in this de.
partment. People who ''call and pro-
fess themselves Christians" must re-
fuse to go out in the evening to any
amusement. to any entertainment, to
any religious exercise, from which
they cannot return at ten o'clock, to be
in their beds by eleven. The absurd
and ruinOus custom of guests arriving
at nine or ten o'clock, and supper be.
ing served at eleven or twelve, must
be opposed. Well-todO officers and
members of the several churches must
be made by their pastors to feel that
if they give such entertainments, they
are responsible in a measure for the
deleteriouS results that are to come to
the bodies, to the intellects, and to the
souls of their guests, young and old
Employees in every department must be
made to understand that intelligent
men are not going to intrust important
matters to the hands of other men who
do not sleep. How dare any merchant
consider himself a Christian who
works his clerks all night, and ther
holds them responsible for the bodily
mental, and moral injury they have sus
tanned, and which reacts upon his in
tereStS?
Our religious services. our business
our amusements, our police regula
tions, must all be adjusted to thi:
great necessity of our nature. Wher
the city is governed as it should be
no man will be allowed to make night
hideOus with loud noises. Not ever
policemen will be permitted in the
dead of the night, for an hour at {
stretch, at the top of their voices, t.
bawl for the carriages of people wht
set the laws of health at defianc,
themselves, and will not permit othe,
people to obey them-a custom which
is rendering property in the neighbor
hood of places of amusement unfit TO
residence. In this age of rapid transi
and accumulated work, we must NOR
and more provide for the necessity o
sleep.
Instead of asking our acquaintance
when we meet, the usual question O
"How do you doP" we might teach
good lesson by that other question
How do you sleep?'