Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-12-05

WHEN WE SLEEP.
OUR DISPOSITION TO ASSUME TENSE
AND weARYlNo ATTITUDES.
Nervous and Muscular Tension seldom I'm
tireIy Relaxed During the NIght--super-
fiaons Energy--Nervoas ExaggermtIon.
keiene. Of Disqualification"

naons Energy--Nervous Exaggeration.
Science Of Disqualification"
The most noisesss, quiet Sleeper rarely lies
in perfectly relaxed state, body and limbs
at ease. With All egotism that SEEMS to be
instructive, most issople enleavor 10 look out
for themselves ia steep They do not trust to
the soft and willing support of the bed; they
cling to il ns II some sudden and malicious
spring might toss them out upon the fioor
They hold their heads down ON the pillows
rs II the feathers might rss, up and bounce I
them Off. Or, and this i more common,
they stiifen the muscles OF the meek and hold /
their own heads if the pillow could not be /
trusted for support
They clutch the bedclothes, and cling with /
tightened grip. They brace their feet against
the bed rail OF, by dexterous twisting, use
themselves as point dapput They draw
up as for leap. They crouch as for a spring.
They tie themselves into knots, clasp their /
knees in desperation. clench their hands, and
writhe, wrigge and swim over the area OF |
the hesi. They set their jaws, grit their
teeth bury their heads. In brief, nerves and
muscles are kept in such a state Of unreason-
able tension that waking becomes relaxation
to overcome the fatigues Of the night
No one perhaps has a clear idea of abso-
| luteiy what antics one performs in sleep. al
1 though drearily conscious OF the effect ON
waking. But almost every one has some at
ttude essential To going 70 sleep. One would
think that these, one may call them elective
positions, would be Of the easiest, il not the
most graceful, for every one has not been
trained n considerably as the children OF a
woman whom the writer once knew, who
were taught to go to sleep in graceful posi-
tons, as the mother naiyely remarked, s.in
case OF fire" On the contrary, the attitudes
necessary TO sleep, after long and minute in
| quiry among large number Of people, are
found to be uneasy, unnatural, ungainly,
distorted, painful.
II any number of readers undertake to dis
cover their own peculiar habits II sleep they
will doubtless be- found uncomfortable. Itis
safc 10 say that this state Of intense nervous
ami muscular tension is never relaxed dur
ing the night, even though the position be
changed. The only exception IN after exces.
sivr b@iily fatigue. The body then suspends
all effort. and lies such dead heavy weight
that u seems the bed must ache TO sustain 1t.
Sleep at last performs its gracious mission:
and morning brings that repair and refresh
ment, that sense OF rest and energy to begin
the day again which makes life once more
worth living Chronic sufferers from in
sounia know well the value Of fatigue.
How much superliuous energy we expend
IN tho performance OF the most trifiing act
writing, for example, requires very little
muscular exertlon, hut the pen IL pinched
until the fingers ache, and the muscles OF the
back Of the head are as tired as the fingers
The seaInstrcss scws with her back us surely
as with her fingers. The school teacher rubs
of the blackboard with one hand and mimics
the movement with the other Nine people
out of ten cut with their mouths when hold
ins the scissors A woman with her hands
IN her mutt clasps them with grip that
fatigues her and make them ache Even In
idle conversation people wiggle their fingers
and wing their feet as an accompaniment To
their tongues A prominent divine once
could not preach without jingling the keys In
his trousers pocket Few people can sit In
an easy chair without clinging 10 the arms
Observe the passengers in stree5 ear. They
stitaen the muscles OF the neck and hold on
to their heads with grim earnestness, as If u
sudden jolt might loss them and In the con.
fusion they would be difficult to readiust
This care soon imprints itself ON our weary
faces
IL Is this habit of nervous exaggeration, SO
tyrannical and merciless 10 the muscles, that
We taks to bel with us, and that plays such
mischief with divine sieep. How To conquer
must Degln. In Boston, where the supreme
ego gets "A eompleter development than
within sound Of the echo of the roar OF
Broadway, there has arisen the science of
devit llizatton that is directed to this very
emil LIBERALIZATION IN its highest sense, TO
speak IN the language of its disciples, Ii the
spiritual side OF physical culture It's great
principal is embodied completely and briefly
III these words, Mind active, body passive
Its methods are based on the union of the
Imagination with certain exercises of the
body. The immediate physical result is the
setting upof perfect independence among the
various movements Of the different members
of the body-in detaching them, so 10 speak,
from one another.
The results Of these exercises are, first, the
calling into activity all thu muscles of the
body many cf which ara comparatively un-
used; second, rendering them perfectly indie.
pendent Of one another; third, making them
Immediately responsive To the call from the
nerves. and, lastly and chiefly, rendering
them indifferent 70 anything but their own
business Ia this lies the great saving TO the
vitality, and that Is wat We are after.
Now, how does ali this tend TO better and
more rsSffnl sleepi In the first place by hav-
, ing trained tins nerves and muscles 10 keep
still when they arr not wanted Surrender
of yourself Lay Your burden down God
will take care OF YOU, the bed viii hold yon,
say the disciples of LIBERALIZATION. But IL
the mind and body are not brought TO this
perfect state Of Obedience. the various exer-
eiSes in desitalixlng are gone through, be-
ginning with the head The different mem
hers are unlimbered. detached. Tke~e exer.
} ciSps should be dome seriously. They ara, in
fact, awfnliy funny
Then get into bal, and, sitting upright,
conceive If thu backbone asa strand OF beads
held upright Then let yourself down slowly
without tension. hsad by bead, until the un-
limhsred head falls hack inert ON the pillow
Lie in that position. on the back the arms
helplesssiy lying ON the bed at the sides, each
member diyested OF all responsibility, which
has been assumed by the bed II necessary,
do this several times, and lie ON the back II
possible. II this is not possible, at least be-
gin In this way and afterward turn over ON
20 the side preferred
Such is the Boston recipe for wholesome,
restful sluinber-it Is worth trying. New
York Sun.
arA..