Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-10
FIVE A. NJ. IDEAS.
Some OF the Best Thoughts Of Authors
Come to Them When They Are Walk
ing Up.

lilo ~ r.
Most people. If asked the question,
would say that bed was the place to
rest in, not to work. And though this
is true of the great majority of people.
there is still decent modicum left who
would find bed" very congenial
place in which to do their work, or
great part of it, and who. in fact, 10
not disguise the truth that they can
work there very effectively.
This plan was followed by the great
poet Campbell. who tells us that h.
lay awake thinking of his projected
poem .Lochiel," when there came into
his mind. with other poetic thoughts.
the idea of the shadows in the room
| showing up as the day began to
| break, and he at once jumped out o.
| bed and wrote down what has since
become a world proverb, Coming
events cast their shadows before
| Many writer's owe much of their sue
cess to clever plots and articles which
have been begun, worked out and
| finally set into proper form during the
time that their authors lay be-
tween the blankets. The writ
ing afterwards has been pure
ly mechanical. and even much of
that was done in bed; the setting of
the plot and the dialogue was the chief
thing as most writer's know too well.
| Il trust you'll excuse me-" said a
celebrated doctor lately to friend who
had called to see him early, and who,
on being asked to go up to his bed
room, found him enjoying the comforts
of the sheets. Kindly sit down, my
boy. for minute, till l have done an
swering these letters. l have my let
ters brought up Immediately when
| they arrive in the morning, and l go
over them in bed and put down the re-
plies in pencil on the back of them.
Then when my secretary arrives at 8
O'Clock he has nothing to do but go and
answer them. AS you know. l am kept
busy from 10 until late at night, and
this plan you see saves me nearly an
hours work with him.
| That students often burn the mid
night oil in bed is a fact commonly
known, but few know to what length
it is carried out, especially in colleges.
l know a college in London where any
night one could find 30 or 40 men all
working in bed, with notebooks,
manuals and pencils, and all in full
rig-out many of them having their
writing desks before them on the bed.
The contrivances for turning out the
gas without getting out of bed when
work is done would dc credit to the in
genuity of an Edison.
| And where did you ever find time
to get through your classical authors
and mathematical problems so thor
| oughly as to gain distinction?" said
to London university man, who had
graduated few years ago with dis
tinguished honors. For l knew he had
worked hard at his own business all
day from nine till five.
In bed. old fellow, in bed!" said he.
Il used to lie awake in the morning for
an hour before getting up and en-
ployed the time in thinking over the
Euclidian riders and comic problems
that had puzzled me. Almost invari-
ably l worked their solution out in my
brain without paper or pencil while
lying in bed. And every night before
l went to sleep 1 went over so many
dozen Greek verbs and Latin annota-
tons till they were just like the multi
plication table to me-
There Isl another class of men who
work much in bed-viz., the legal fra
ternity. Not a very long time ago (.
leading Q. c. in an important case only
got his brief delivered the night before
the case came up for trial at the Man.
chester assizes. and yet, to everybody's
establishment. he showed next day "A
most surprising grasp of the case, and
dealt so successfully with it and the
witnesses engaged in it as to bring off
L.. ~.
how he had been able to master such
an intricate brief in so short a time,
the Q. c. replied Took it to bed with
me and went over it this morning.
Pearson's Weekly.