Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-02-09

At the time Cesar invaded British
the inhabitants of that island made their
beds on the ground, using the skins
Of animals worn during the day to wrap
themselves in at night Their Roman
eonquerors taught them the use of straw
for beds, and brought other methods OF
making sleep refreshing and sweet into
general use. The luxurious touches of
the Romans were initiated in part by the
wea!thier Britons, but straw beds con-
tinued to be in use. even in the royal
chambers. as late as the close of the
thirteenth century. The use of feathers
as a stutfing of Pillows was frequent
among the Egyptians, and was copied
from them by the Romans, and brought
into England from Rome by the Crusad-
ers. Feathers were after that used for
beds by those who could afford them.
but they have always been deemed an
article of luxury.
During the feudal period, the castles
being i'll furnished with bedrooms.
straw was brought into the great hall at
night for the accommodation of RETAIN
ers. and was removedin the morning. A
sack of chaff for pillow was counted
luxury, the usual headirest being a
billet of wood. AS ventilation. was 1T
tie understood at that period and fire.
quent additions and changes Of clothing
were far less insisted on than now; this
primitive method of lodging was not
withoutits sanitary advantages.
The Eastern nations seem never to
have made much use of bedsteads, a.
mattress laid on the floor; or the divan
used during the day, serving as a bed at
night. But the Egyptians. as we SO, by
representations in the iombs, along the.
River Nile; ornamentedl their bedsteads
deliberately, and were initiated in this.
by the Greeks, and later blythe Romans.
The bedsbeads of the Greeks. though of
the simplest forms, were beautifully
carved and often overlaid with tortoise.
shell and ivory while the. feet were of
liver. The mattress was, of linen or.
wooden, stuffed with straw or wool
Both square and round pillows, were
used. Blankets of SOFT. fieecy texture.
were in. use, and night.gowns were
worn, Each Greek. as he laid himself
to sleep, swathed himself in his blankets,
and lay like mummy taking his rest.
There was no partnership OF bed clothes.
In the times of the Roman Emperors,
beds and edsteads were of surprising
magnihcence. The'latter we e often of
ivory, adorned with. plates of silver and
gold,. covered by the most luxurious
mattresses and spr ad'with elaborately
embroidered counterpanes They were
SO high that they oouldl not be rea he'd
without step-ladders.
The first bedstead mentioned in the
Bible is that of Og, King of Bashan: it
was nine cibits long and four broad,
and would accommodate man twelve
feet in height The bedstead Shake
speare mentions mustbe of near like
proportions. 1t is q structure twelve
feet square, and still, tu,be SO n in one
of the inns of the English village of
Ware.
The air bed was known several cent
uries ago. 1t was made Of fabric ren.
dered a r-proof by paint or varnish, and
was inflated by bellows The wat n
bed was invented by DR.. Arnott for the
use of invalids. Att first the case was
leather. but of India-rubber cloth.
The most wholesome. filling for beds,
adj things considered, is fresh straw; but
as this is liable 10 ba scattered when
daily stirred. neat people prefer mat
tresses stuffed with hair. These retain
their elasticity for long time, and alb.
sorb e>halations from the body less
readily than wool and much less readi-
ly than feathers. which are rarely used
now for teds, save in country farm
houses. Cotton is often used Drilling
mattresses. but it easily absorbs exhala.
tons and soon mats down hard. How.
ever fashion may change with regard
to bed-clothes, the INTEL gent will al
wa prefer cotton OF wooden for spreads,
TO any fabric or covering that cannot be.
washed. A wooden blanket may be.
cleansed SOFAS to be as good as new in, %
few hours, but to rejuvenate cotton
comfort requires days, and them Id is
less agreeable. than blanket of equal
weight. We breathe not only through
our lungs but through our pores. and
wooden blankets being much more. per-
meable by air than cotton comforts,
permit this pOre-breathing to go on
without change of temperature. Wool
en- comforts are luxuries ind ilge6 in by
some families, and rank next to those
filled with eider-down for comfort. This
last maternal is both light and warm
but its high price and its scarcitx restrict
its use to- the few.
Snowy whiteness is sine que non in
bed linen. and however economical of
work colored spreads and blankets and
patchwork quilts may be, tho prefer
ences of those instructed in hygiene will
always be for pure white. OF at least
undyed coverings, unless ii be an azure
or rose-tinted lining for lace spread or
plilow-shams.-N 7. Tribune.