Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-01-12


worst lamp a student can have is 1.-The
midnight lamp" Lord Brougham new
err passed more than four hours OF the
night abed. and Justirian. after one
hour OF sleep. would rise from his
couch. But you are neither n JUS
tinian nor n Lord Brougham. Let not
the absurd apotheosis OF early rising
Induce you TO the abbreviation OF sleep.
Get up when you are slept out unless
circumstances compel otherwise. Have
no alarm clock making its nerve tear
Ing racket at 4 o'clock In the morning.
unless special reasons demand the for
saking OF your pillow at that hour
Most OF the theories about early rising
we Inherited from times when people
retired at or . o'clock In the even
ing. Such early retirement Is impossi-
BILE in our own times for those who are
taking part i'm the great activities OF
life. There is no virtue In the mere act
OF early rising. Ii all depends upon
what you 10 after you get up. II
would be better for the world II some
people never Weakened 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 is that in all our cities
those who are leaders In social life
turn back the hour Of drawing room
assemblage from 10 and IL o'clock to
3 or half past Z, so that the guests at
10 or half past 10 may meet sleep ut
the right hour in their own dormito-
ries. Two or three social heroines
could do that in all the towns and
cities. Thousands OF men and women
are slain each year by late hours. Five
years Is more than the average of en-
durance. The vitality of men aud wo-
men Is depleted. and they go into
chronic ailments. IL they do not die OF
dyspepsia or consumption or nervous
prostration. and the beauty goes out Of
the cheek beyond all restoration Of cos
metics. Late retiring is the mother Of
premature wrinkles. Lack of sleep as
sassinates social life. A reformation
is needed, and IL the customs OF the
world could be changed IN this mat
ter and the curtains of social life could
be ruug down at n reasonable hour OF
the night 20 per cent would be added
TO the worlds longevity.
Consolation For Martyrs.
Remark the third: All those ought to
be comforted who by overwork In
right directions have come to insom-
MIA. In all occupations and professions
there are times when special draft is
made upon the nervous energy. There
are thousands of men and women who
cannot sleep because they were injured
by overwork In some time OF domestic
or political or religious exigeucy.
Mothers who. after taking n whole
family of children through the dlsor-
ders that are sure to strike the nursery.
have been left physical wrecks, and
one entire night of slumber Is to them
n rarity. IL not an Impossibility. The
attorney Mt law who, through a long
trial in poorly ventilated courtroom.
has stood for weeks battling for the
rights OF widows and orphans or for
the life of n client I'm whose innocence
he is confident. though all the clrcum-
stances are unfavorable. In his room
he tries the case all night long and ev-
cry night when he would like to be
slumbering. The physician. I'm time OF
epidemic. worn out I'm saving the lives
OF whole families and falling I'm his at
tempts 10 sleep ut night between the
ianglings OF his doorbell The mcr-
chant who has experienced panics.
when the hanks went down and Wall
street became n pandemonium and
there was Il possibility that the next
day he would bc penniless-that night
with no more possibility OF gaining
sleep than II such n blessing had never
touched our planet.
But ! hear and now pronounce high
est consolation OF all those who In any
department have sacrificed their health
to duty. Your sleeplessncss is as much
wound as you can find on any battle
field and Is an honorable wound We
all look with reverence and admiration
upon one who has lost an eye or an
arm In the service OF his country. and
we ought TO look with admiration up
on those who through extreme q lefty
to their life work have lost capacity
for slumber. Remember glorious Al
bert Barnes going along the streets OF
Philadelphia ut 4 O'clock In the morning
for many years TO his church study.
writing all his commentaries before
breakfast and keeping on until he was
stone blind. VIII not the Lord reward
-uch sacriBccsr And IL, through your
hdelity, you have lost capacity TO sleep
God, who never slumbers nor sleeps
will look after you.
IL is high time that we enlarge the
scroll OF martyrs. We are accustomed
10 put In that scroll only those who
have gone down under headsman's ak
or have been wsapped In fires ut the
stake or torn apart with the machinery
or persecution. But the world Is full
OF martyrs who were never touched by
any such instruments OF torture. Many
OF our public men in this capital, and
Indeed In all the capitals, have their
life beaten out OF them by INTERRUPT
lions, nnnoyances and unreasonable de-
mands added to their straightforward
duties. Washington sends many of
the public men back to their differen.
states worn out and incapacitated
why Is 1t that in all our land there are
but two ex-presidents and two ex-vice
presidents? The oilers were slain
by the exhaustions OF public life or by
hand OF assassin. Our public men can
not control their time, cannot regulate
their hours. cannot escape the implora-
ton OF constituents. All who 60 down
to invalidism through the service of
Ged or their country are martyrs.
Songs In the Night.
Remark the fourth: Insomnia is no
sign OF divine displeasure. Martin
Luther had distressing insomnia and
wrote. when l wake up In the night
the devil Immediately comes and dis
putes with me and gives me strange
thoughts until at last J grow enraged
beyond endurance and give him III
words" That consecrated champion
of everything good. DIR. Stephen II.
Tyng, Sr., In his autobiography says
that the only encouragement be had to
think he would sleep at night was the
fact that he had not slept the night be-
fore.
Perhaps this wakefulness may come