The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-10-17
Care For Sleepers.
From the New York Times.

| York where the employees are forbidden
from awakening any member who drops
, asleep in his chair in the library or sitting
room. If a visitor inquiries for him he is
: "out. Other members, if they see 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 are fortunate enough to get
in or those who bring visitors are reminded
of this custom.
A physician who belongs to the club
explained the reason of it. 'EIt is wrong
under any circumstances, he said, s'to
awaken a man who has fallen into nat
ural sleep. How do you know but it is the
first time he has been able to sleep for
hours or even days? This phenomenon
of sleep is very complicated one. There
are many grades of sleep, and they affect
different men in different ways. Dreams
are the result Of defective or partial sleep,
and their common occurrence in the lighter
varieties of the state shows that the rest
taken by most persons is not profound or
continuous even while it lasts.
dom you know that scores of persons
in New York take long trolley ride in the
evening simply to produce feeling of
sleepiness? If man looks straight ahead
of him or reads newspaper his ride will
do him little good. He might as we'll re-
main 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 it is called
hypnotism. That is why so many men
feel like doing in the club after they come
in from a ride or drive in the park.
''Sleep induced by overeating is not
natural. That brought about by stimu-
lants is nothing but blood poisoning and
stupor. 1t may be desirable and even
necessary in some cases to produce this
stupor But the state into which the
brain is thrown is not sleep. If natural
sleep follows, it is a contingency and not
the effect of the stimulant. But | was
going to tell you story, not deliver med
ical lecture. | must not mention names,
but many old club men of New York will
remember the tragedy.
"There was a man who was quite prom
inent. both in business and social way,
in the life of this city. A dreadful family
misfortune brought on insomnia. He would
sometimes 90 forty eight hours without
sleep; then after Il normal night or two he
would not be able to sleep for week. All
his life until his trouble came upon him he
had been habitually heavy sleeper. AT
ter two or three months of this insomnia
, attack his health began to give way Ply
sicians tried all the usual means of over
coming the difficulty, but failed He was
prescribed sleeping drafts until it became
dangerous to continue them longer.
s'Then he went to Europe, taking
competent young physician of my acquaint-
ance as companion Specialists abroad
prescribed walking and mountain climbing,
but they discovered that there is nothing
to be gained by increasing the fatigue OF
the body when worry of mind will not al
low the repose to which the limbs are en-
titled. The man came home little the
better for his trip. He retired from busi-
ness He strength wasted away.
"Finally by one of those curious freaks
of nature we occasionally caught him doz-
inc at the club All who knew his mis-
fortune sympathized with him. We moved
about as though in a sick chamber until
he awoke He seldom slept more than
twenty minutes and told us that his rest
lessness at night continued. One after
noon he came in positively drowsy. To
friend he said:
g 4 feel as though could sleep for
week, but | can sleep in my own home
no. Find me a bed here.
eve got him upstairs to room and
put man on guard at the door, with in
, structions to see that no servant was allow
ed to disturb him or make noise. An
hour or so afterward an accident in the
kitchen brought the fire engines up to the
5 door. There was really no danger, but
before ladder could be raised poor Blank s
. body came tumbling into the area.
ssHe was killed. Suicide? No. 1t
was the opionion of all of us that sudden
awakening from the first sound sleep he
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 frenzy he leaped from the window.
d An eccentric man named Evans, who
: recently died in Carmarthenshire, Wales,
Il devoted his life to witnessing hangings,
d making the acquaintance of executioners
g and collecting relics of murderers. In the
r early days of public hangings he would
e travel any distance to see man ''turned
a off, He was so fascinated by the busl-
ness that on the death of Calcraft he ap-
piled for his post As this was not granted
he set up gallows in his own house and
t invited his friends to test the moose.
An Obedient Boy Merchant did you
dol;,,or INV MESSAGE TO Mr.. Smith.