Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-11-05
CARE FOR SLEEPERS
A CLUB WHERE DOING MEMBERS
ARE nEveR DISTURBED.

There Ia Good Reason For This
Custom. Which Ia Not Allowed to
BE violatcd-A short slce whicl.
cui"innted In Tragedy. Fl!
There Is an exclusive club in Upper
New York where the employees are for
hidden from awakening any member
who drops asleep in his chair In the H.
brary OF sitting room. II visitor In
quircS for him lie Is out" Other luent
berss Il they sets>him, carry on their
conversation In low tones or go to the
smoking room or cafe. Very few new
members are admitted to the club, but
those who urc fortunate enough to get
in or those who bring visitors are re-
minded Of this custom.
a physician who belongs to the club
explained the reason of it. 1T Is
wrong under amy circumstances" he
said, Ito awaken il man who has fallen
into n natural sleep. How do you
know but 1t ls the first time he has
been able to sleep for hours or even
days? This phenomenon of sleep is n
verS complicated one. There are many
grades OF sleep, and they affect differ
cnt mon In different ways. Dreams
alr the rcs.'lt of defective or partial
sleep. and their common occurrence
In the lighter varieties OF the state
shows that the rest taken by most per-
SONS is not profound or continuous
even while it lasts.
"non't you know that scores of per-
I'm, tol,
ride in the evening simply to produce
n feeling of slccpiness? If n man looks
straight ahead of him or reads u news
paper his ride will do him little good
lie might rs we'll remain at home on
his front stoop. But If he looks about
him, constantly shifting his gaze from
one scene to another. he gets into a
state Of drowsiness such as Is brought
about by artificial means when 1t is
called hypnottSm. Tint Is why so
many men feel like doing In the club
nfter they come IN from ride or a
drive In the park.
sleep induced by ovcrcating is not
natural. That brought about by stimu-
lants is nothing but blood poisoning
and stupor. 1t may BIO desirable and
even necessary In some cases to pre-
duce this stupor. But the state into
which the brain is thrown is not sleep.
II natural sleep follows, 1t is con
tingency and not the effect Of the
stimulant But I was going to tell
you story, not deliver medical lee
turc. l must not mention names, but
many old club men Of New York will
remember the tragedy.
''rherc was man who was quite
prominent. both In business and So
cial way. in the lie Of this city. A
dreadful family misfortune brought on
insomnia. He would sometimes 70
forty-eight hours without sleep; then
after n normal night or two he would
not be able to sleep for week. All
HIS life until his trouble came upon
him lie bad been habitually heavy
sleeper. After two or three months of
this insomnia attack his health began
TO give way. Physicians tried all the
usual means Of overcoming the diff
Guilty, but failed. He was prescribed
sleeping drafts until 1t became dam
gerOus to continue them longer.
''Then be went to Europe, taking
competent young physician OF my ac-
qunintancc as companion. Specialists
abroad prescribed walking and noun
tain climbing. but they discovered that
there is nothing to be gained by in
creasing the fatigue Of the body when
worry Of mind will not allow the re-
pose to which the limbs are entitled.
The man came home little the better
for his trip. He retired from business.
His strength wasted away
FINALLY by one Of those curious
freaks Of nature we occasionally
cnught him doing Mt the club. All
who knew his misfortune sympathized
with him. We moved about as though
in sick chamber until he nwoke. He
seldom slept more than twenty min
utes and told us that his restlessnes.;
mt night continued. One afternoon he
came in positively drowsy. 10 friend
ho said:
~ feel as though could sleep for
week. but can't sleep in my own
home-no. Find me bed here
1--WE got him upstairs to n room and
put man on guard at the door. with
instructions to see that no servant was
allowed to disturb him or make n noise
An hour or SO afterward an accident
in the kitchen brought the fire engines
up to the door. There was really no
danger, but before ladder could be
raised poor Blank's body came tum-
bling into the area.
"He was killed. Suicide? No. 1t
was the opinion Of all Of us that sud
den awakening from the first sound
sleep lie had enjoyed for more than
year upset his mind and that when he
was awakened by the noise he did not
realize where he was. In q frenzy he
leaped from the window York
Times.
Chinese Scandal Ncrchants.
In China there is profession for
Indies, strange because openly and
handsomely remunerated in the cur
a.