The Penn's Grove record., 1900-01-12
[copyrieht. louis Klopsch lsoal


Copyright. Louis Klopsch. lsoal
WAsH1xorox. D.. C.-In this discourse
Dr.. TalmaRe treats OF . style OF disorder
not much ~discoursed upon and unfoldi
what must be q consolation to many people,
text. Psalms lxxvit.. 4, s'Thou holdest mine
Eyes waking"
Sleep Is the vacation Of the soul; It Is the
mind gone into the playground Of dreams
It is the relaxation OF the muscles aud the
solace Of the nerves; Il Is tho hush Of ac-
slyities; It Is the soft curtaining Of the eyes;
It Is q trance OF eight hours; It is a calm.
Ing OF the pulses; It Ii = breathing much
slower, though far deeper; It Is q temper
airy oblivion Of all carkIng cares; Il Is tbs
1octor recognised BY all schools OF medi.
sine; It Is 4 divine narcotic; it Is q com-
plete an@sthetic; 4 Is m angel OF the
night; It IL . great mercy OF God for the
human race. Lack Of II puts patients on
In the grave. O blessed sleepi No wonder
the Bible makes much OF II. Through slser
80 sound that 4 surgical inoisiOn OF the sidt
OF Adam did not Waken him came the best
temporal blessing ever afforded TO
man-wifely companfonship. While II
sleep on a pillow Of rock jacob
cav a ladder set mr., With angels coming
doyn and climbing. So HE giveth His
beloved Sleep" soliioquixed the psalmist.
~ wv =
workman and ~eulogizes his pillow by say
Ing. THE sleep Of . laboring man Il
sweet" Peter was calmly sleeping be
tween the two coustables that night be-
fore his expected assassination. Christ
was asleep In a boat on Galilee when
tossed In the eu~roclYdon. The annuncia.
tion vas made to Joseph In sleep, and
resurrection az . glorious wakening out Of
sleep.
On the other hand. insomnia or sleep.
lesshess Is an old disorder spoken Of again
and again In the Bible. Ahasuerns suf-
fered from It. and VI read, I'm that night
could not the king Sleep" Joseph Hall
said OF that ruler, NsHe that could com
mand q hundred and seven and twenty
provinces could not command Sleep
Nebuchadnezzar had insomnia, and the
record fs, "Hts sleep brake from him. 2
Solomon describes this trouble and saws,
"Neither day nor night seeth he sleep
with his eyes," Asaph WAS It's victim, for
he complains In my text that his eyes are
open at midnight. some mysterious power
keeping the upper and lower lids from
joining, "Thou holdest mine eyes wax
Ing"
OF course there Is an uprIghteous sleep,
ms when Jonah, trying to escape from
duty, slept In the sides OF the ship while
the Mediterranean wa in wrath because
OF that prophetic passenger; ID when
Columbus In his first voyage exhausted
from being up many nights. guve the ship
In charge of the steersman and the crew,
who, leaving the management OF the ves-
sci to boys, went to eleep and allowed the
ship to strike on the sand banks OF 81.
Thomas: as when the sentinel goes to
sleep at his post, endangerlng the whole
army; as when the sluggard. who accom-
ni}ahoa nnfh4nO TIM DIV hoYopo hn vuant -
sleep and will accomplish nothing the day
after he wakes. Oils up Solomon's picture
OF him as he yawns out, 3 little sleep and
a little slumber and a little folding OF the
hands to Sleep" But sleep mt the right
time and amid the right circumstances,
can you imagine anything more blessed?
II sleep, according to sacred and profane
literature. fs IN emblem Of death, the
morning to all refreshed slumberers Is
a resurrection.
Remark tine first: II you have escaped
the insomnia spoken Of in the text, thank
God. Here and there one can command
sleep, and 1t comes the minute he orders 1t
and departs at the minute he wishes 1t to
go, as Napoleon when he wrote: Different
anars are arranged In my bed as in draw
ers. When / wish to interrupt one train OF
thought 1 close the drawer which contains
that subject n open that which contains
another. They do not mix together or in
convenience me. I have nev r beer kept
awake By an involuntary p~reoccupation Of
mind. When / wish for repose / shut up
all the drawers, and ! an asleep. I have
always slept when / wanted rest, and al
most at will" But I think In most cases
we feel that sleep Is not the result OF a res
o%lution, but a direct gift from God. You
cier cried out, "Alas, why is there no sleep
to be sOld2o
Remark the second: Consider among the
worst crimes the robbery OF ourselves or
others of this mercy OF slumber. Much
ruinous doctrine has been inculcatsd on
this subject. Thomas Moore gave poor nd
vice when he said, ssThe best wa to
lengthen our days Is to steal a few hours
from the night" We are told that, though
they did their work at night. Copernicus
lived to be seventy-three years OF age, and
Galilei seventy-ei9ht years. and Herschel
eighty-four years. Yes. but the reason was
they were all star hunters, and the only
time Tor hunting stars is at night. Prob
ably they slept by day. The night was
made for slumber. The worst lamp a stu
dent can have is ssthe midnight lamp
Lord Brougham never passed moro than
four hours Of the night abed, and J~ustinian,
after = hour Of sleep. would rise from
his couch. But you are neither q Justinfan
nor 9 Lord Brougham. Let not the absurd
~apotbeosfs OF early rising induce you to
the abbreviatlon OF sleep. Get up when
you are slept ont unless circumstances
compel otherwise. Have no alarm clock
making its nerve tearing rncket ut 4
O'Clock In the morning, unless special rea-
sons demand the forsaking Of your pillow
at that hour. Most OF the theories about
early rising We Inherited from times when
people retired at s or9 o'clock In the even
ing. Such early retirement Is Impossible
In our v times for those who are taking
part In the great activities OF life. There
y no virtue In the mere act Of early rising.
IL all depends upon what you do after you
get up. It would be better for the world II
some people never wakened at all.
But most Americans do not get sleep
enough. The sin of late retiring IS one
most widespread and ruinous. What is
much needed IL that in ali our cities those
who are leaders In social life turn back the
hour OF drawing o aSsemblage from 10
and II O'Clock to 8 or half past 2, so that
the guests at 10 or half past 10 may meet
sleep at the right hour in their own dormi-
tories. Two or three social her0ines could
do that in all the towns and cities. Thou
sands OF men and. women are slain eacf
year BY late honrs. Five years is more
than the average Of endurance. The vital
1ty OF men and women Is depleted and they
80 Into chronic ailments, II they do not die
OF dyspepsia or consumption or nervous
prostration, and the beauty goes out ofthe
cheek beyond all restoration OF cosmetics.
Late retiring Is the mother Of premature
wrinkles. Lack OF sleep a~ssassinhies social
life. A reformation is needed, and IL the
customs OF the world could be- changed IN
this matter and the curtains &C social life
could be rung down at q reasonable hour
Of the night twenty per cent. would be
added to the worlds longevity.