Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-25
Natural History in New York January q
to February 8, 1907"
PHILOSOPHY FOR INSoMNIACS
How the TcrrOrs of SleepIessness Muy
He Mitigated if You Have
the Nerve.

. why make a bugbear out OF insomnia?
Why rot use it as a servant instead of
whining under it as a master? "All we,
Ike sheep want to jump over the same
place i'm the wall at the same time We
are all chanting the refrain, eight hours
work. eight hours play, eight hours sleep"
and we are trying pel-mell 20 realize it
together. But that is impossible industrally
and physically. We cannot time our labor
hours TO a simultaneous eight. What a
looking world this would be IL we were all
whizzing together in the same eight hours
for recreation. It is just as impossible and
just as ridiculous to try to bunch our sleep
into common eight. Yet we are storm
ing the skies and making life weary to
the rest OF mankind with our complaints
that we cannot execute the latter feat To
begin with, most people do not need eight
hours sleep. ] never had eight hours con-
secuuve sleep in my life that was not the
sleep OF exhauston-that was not a sign
that something had been done that could
not be continued without serious inroads on
vitality. Seven hours is all ] have been
able normally to utilize. That amount Of
sleep I have rarely had consecutively. I
have had my midnight wake from child
hood. One OF the most vivid and abiding
memories Of the old home is the attic win
dow with its seven-by-nine panes, toward
which turned back my head, year in and
year out, TO make sure by its light that
was not buried alive. had the same
room in college for three years It fronted
I west overlooldng--T should say overhear-
ing-the Connecticut valley. 1 have as
distinct recollection of the midnight train
toiling up that valley as / have of the )
O'Clock morning bell that called 70 chapel
| heard II as often. The midnight wake
has been the habit of my whole life. Since
nave had sense enough to adapt myself
to 1t instead Of fighting it have had some
comfort
| find the rule with myself is to sleep
when ] am sleepy. This has always called
for an after-dinner nap. When have had
that for ten TO thirty minutes I have had
new half day. I pity myself now TO think
that back as far as my college days did
not habitually take that sedatve 70 nerv-
GUS exhaustion. fought sleep then as IL
were lighting with beasts at Ephesus"
| Now for the midnight wake / have
found that I enjoy my mind and favor my
body better and fall asleep quicker by try
ing to do some good, honest work I'm
| thought rather than to toss about and in
| dulge in obiurgation because sleep will not
| come. can think myself into position
lor the work Of another day, can polish
an essay, or take a bout with some prob
lem IN science, psychology or ethics, and
the first thing I know the bell Of the 6
o'clock train is ringing at the station. In
this way get rid both of myself and the
cares that infest the day"
! Now, mine may he an individual case
but l imagine there are many individual
cases Of this sort among men. am as
thankful for the hour OF my midnight wake
as for any other hour of my life.-CharIes
! Caverns in Chicago Advance.