The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-02-17
The Sleep OF Children.


A child should be in bed es the fowls
are, at sundown at least. And he should
be allowed to rise in the morning as soon
as he wakes. 1t is not only torture but
an unhea,t mischief to compel chill
dren to lie in bed awake two hours to
prevent disturbing older people. The
morning sun is the most essential to
plant life. a conservatory should al
ways, If possible, be on the east side of
a house. 1t is equally true that the
morning sun is most valuable for animal
Vigor, and that includes human beings.
We, all of US, are breaking both ends OF
the law. Our sleep should be taken
earlier, and we should never fail Of get
ting the morning sun.
abominate night parties Cor children.
1 believe every physician does. 1t Is not
so much the exposure and the eating in
the night, and the bad associations form
ed (of high toned sort, possibly but
the breaking into the sleep habit Equal
ly bad is it for children to study in the
evenings. 1t gorges their brains with
| blood, and if they sleep they dream. L
had a little patient of II years, who was
wasted and nervous, and whose dreams
were filed with problems. 1t was
marvel and pride to his parents that the
youngster worked out hard problems in
his sleep, such as he failed to master
when awake. But he came near his f.
nal problem. / locked up his books at
O'Clock, He must not touch one after
his supper. He must play and romp,
and then go TO bed. He is now robust.
You cannot emphasize too strongly the
mischief of children's night study.
Whatever stolId lot of animal ma
ture can DO, our Americ4 N children are
sensitive and cannot do-that is sleep
safely two in a bed. No matter in
what else you economize, there is a
criminal folly in ecoDomiZing in beds
Every person needs his own bed more
than he needs his own chair or his own
plate at the table. And the best bed in
the world is a good bed of fresh straw,
covered with plenty of quits. No child
| should be allowed to sleep on feathers
or animal refuse on any sort. But to
| sleep two in bed is a vital damage.
| One is sure TO absorb the electric energy
OF the other. What we must look for
is to accumulate constitution for the
child, and establish stout conservative
! tendency. Our American life will be
sue to make heavy drafts on him. If
"a has al Ha
This habit OF sleeping alone should be
retained through life under all circum-
stances. MoIe mischief, as well as i'm
mortality, comes from the opposite
course than from any other common
habit.
Good deal of nonsense is sometimes
published about sending children TO bed
with full stomachs. This is well
enough as long as babe is an animal
and has not awakened 10 much use OF
the brain but as soon as a child has
come TO an age of active thought he
should have a chance for light exercise
and sport after his meals never, how.
ever, allowing him to go TO bed excited
Above all things to be deprecated is
the stormy season so frequently in
dulged in just at retiring. The child
prefers to sit up, and invariably retires
in storm OF passion, added to by the
storm of nurse or parent, should be
calmly but firmly restrained from all
such outbreaks. There is a great differ
ence in children about retireipg some
very active brains grow sleepy and de-
sire toretire early others equally active
grow wakeiul and excited.