The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-20
- Atlanta Constitution
EARLY RISING GREAT MEN.
Most OF Them Fond Of the Morning Hours
for Work

Although there is no necessary
connection between early rising and
brilliant career, 1t Is an interesting
fact that many OF our most eminent
men aud women spend less time in
their beds and leave them much ear.
ller than most OF US.
Through the whole of his working
life tho late President Faure was
rarely, If ever, in bed after > o'clock
IN the morning. Even wheE Presi
ldent be invariably rose at 5 o'clock
even in the depth of winter, had a
celd bath and was immersed in his
books in his library by 6 o'clock. To
this habit Of early rising the tanner
President attributed much of his
success in life.
NJ. Jules Verne is another practical
bel ever IN the virtues Of rising eai ly.
His practice is to rise at dawn IN
summer and at 6 in winter. After a
light breakfast be takes up his pen
and writes industriously until II
o'clock, when his days work is com
plete, and be can devote himself to
recreation. " II bad not been an
early riser, he says, should never
have written more books than ! have
lived years"
Alexander Won Humboldt, the great
German philosopher aud traveller,
rarely spent more than four hours in
bed, and, on the testimony of Sir
James Sawyer, was frequently con
tent with two hours aud Littre, no
lived to be eighty, thought that to
spend more than FIVE hours a day in
bed was shameful self-indulgence.
Although his inyarisble hour Of rls
ing was s o'clock, he scarcely ever
left his desk until in the morning,
or until sunrise warned him that
new day had dawned.
There are few earlier risers than
the Kings and Queeus of Europe, who
might psrdonably indulge in later
hours than their subjects. la his
younger days the Austrian Emperor
used to rise at half past / in summer
and o'clock in winter,aud was pay
ing his morning visit to the stables
when nearly sll Vienna was sleep
ing.
The German Emperor has never
been sluggsrd, aud is usually hard
at work in his study at . o'clock and
on horseback at 6, while the Empress
shares her husbands love Of the
morning hours, and may be seen
cantering on her fsvorte mare two
hours before the world breaks its
fast.
King Oscar of Sweden and Norway
is usually to be found among his be
loved books between and every
morning aud the Kings of Italy and
Roumania have also left their b, DIS
at this hour
The young Queen of Holland, like
her mother, rises at 7, aud at about
the same hour the Queen r Ragent OF
Spain may be seen IN somber black,
" fat and forid," on her way to
mass.
Many of England's greatest men
have scorned the delights of bed
while living :" "ltborious days"
Brunei, the great engineer, who lived
to be 50, rarely spent more than four
hours in bed at any time of his
crowded life; and Sir William Arrol,
the engineer of Tsy and Forth
bridges, and the Brunei of our day,
rises earlier than any of his employees
and will frequently crowd twenty
hours work into one day during the
progress of his great enterprises.
Art, too, has its early risers among
its most eminent men. G. F. Watts,
the great academician, has rarely al
lowed his bed to keep him away from
his brushes later than 5 O'clock in the
morning Tit-Bits.