Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-01-23
THE AFTER DINNER NAP.
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One OF the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
is good, all purpose word-that should
be revived. maintained and. where
necessary. established In the world Is
the after dinner nap. In a savage OF
DonciviliEed state Of society man sleeps
when he Is sleepy and eats when he Is
hungry. As he becomes enlightened
and ARTIFICIAL be limits and defines him
self IN such matters. He divides the
days into mealtime and defers sleep
until work is done and sill the places
are closed I'd. HIS health Is supposed
20 be preserved by his eating at this
hour and that and his sleeping at the
other. 1t is worthy OF remark that,
with oil this regulation. insomnia and
Indigestion are diseases OF civilization.
Since the er1 OF regulation began the
most natural and sensible rule, and ut
one time almost universal IN this coun-
try. b that dividing the hours OF day
by three meals. called respectively
breakfast, dinner and supper, the first
soon after rising IN the morning. the
second at noon and the third In the
evening. Breakfast naturally follows
sleep. dinner Is the heaviest meal and
comes after a half days toll 10 repair
damages and forttfy for another half
day. and supper comes when, In the
evening. IN more ways than one, the
swallows homevard ny and is the so
cial meal OF the day. This is the old
and proper order. which has been devi-
ated from Of late years by placing
luncheon at midday and postponinR
dinner TIL dark or even later. q system
for which no s1ch philosophical rea-
sons can Be given as for the old plan.
When the world was older than II Is
now and more Ieisurely and less bent
on driving itself into paralysis. loco
motor ataxia, paresis. hypochondria,
dyspepsia, softening Of the brain and
insanity. in the original plan Of life the
dinner. the midday meal was followed
BY q sleep. commonly called q nap.
Natures gentle hint to sleep was fol-
lowed. and from this the sleeper arose
strengthened and refreshed 10 complete
the iAbors Of the day. The custom was
found among the larger and important
Quadrupeds, and there are traces OF Il
In the Oldest historical records
In wsrm countries and among Latin
people the midday sleep has never been
broken In upon. All the Spanish PEG
pie and their derivat.ons call It the
siestA 1t Is observed in ali their eoun-
tries with more fsithfuiness than any
Of the articles OF religion After the
family dinner, ut which all eat. all
LeeD. The merchant shuts up his
store. the lawyer his ONCE, the gambler
Lays down his hand. whatever II is, and
all lay them down to sleep. This is
generally regarded. even by the north
ern people, as q good thing In a hot
country and for the dark people. 1t
may Be added further that the siesta
In any country where the sun shines
and for any people is a good thing.
The sleep allowance which the most
highly enlightened people crowd into
the night alone is frequently q few
hours. and that Is not enough. 1t is not
the allowance suggested by nature and
must be Increased. II is full OF devils
or blue and other tints and Nightmares,
and tires rather than refreshes The
sleep proposed by old fashioned na-
ture after a good dinner was the real
thing and should never have been
abandoned. II helped tired nature IN .
good time anc pleced out, as IL were,
the night.
AS men and women grow old and are
excused from active toll aud are re
manded to the summer porch or win
ter ireside. Il is noticed that they
slumber In their chairs even In broad
day. Il IL the voice OF Mother Ma
ture saying to them. "Sleep, old
friends. sleep on. and take the rest
you should have taken long ago"
When the world has wiser grown,
less furiousiy energetic, less morbidly
svarictous. less painfully and fantas-
tieally Industrious. less intent on sue
cess or the madhouse. II may be that
1t will return to the older and simpler
ways and the MONDAY sleep. Ameri.
cans may learn its value and necessity
In their wide tropical possessious and
sunstroke. now q great American
specially. viii be known no more
Mt d.