Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-07-11
SLEEP OF GREAT MEN
As a Rule All Famous Figures
Have Been Early Risers.
SCHILLER WROTE AT NIGHT.
The German Poet Worked With Wet
Towels on His Head and Strong
Coffee at His Observation-Disclosures of
Humboldt, Balzac and VoItaire.

y" bsio st0oa duA SkIOuS
Coffee at His Observation-Disclosures of
Humboldt, Balzac and Voltaire.
give hours sleep is sufficient for
men," declared Napoleon; 'seven for
women, children and FOOLS"
History hardly bears out the great
Corsican's dictum, although there have
been some notable advocates among
the worlds great men of the theory
generally regarded as burning the
candle at both ends" Men, however,
undoubtedly differ fundamentally in re-
gard to the need of sleep as they do in
other respects, and, whether great or
little, each n must work out from
experience a schedule Of rest, as he
must of diet and exercise. One fact,
however, may be predicated Of almost
all great persons-whatever their hab-
it's as regards retiring they have been
early risers. During the year Of Dan
iel Webster's greatest congressional ac-
tivity it was remarked Of him that no
one ever saw him reading or preparing
for his speeches. This was all done,
according to his own confession, at an
hour when other men were still enjoy
ing their morning slumber. Webster
possessed in a high degree what is
known as the morning temperament"
as distinguished from the might tenn
permanent" and he found consequently
that his mind manifested greatest
clarity and productivity during the ear
ly hours Of the day.
Training undoubtedly has much to
do with the formation Of mental hab-
its, but it is folly, says the New York
Herald, to deny the existence of an in
born inclination stronger than train
ing or discipline. The German poet
Schiller is a luminous example Of the
might temperament" and he is pic
tured with wet towels around his head
and strong coffee at his elbow as he
bent eel his lamp lllumined manu-
script. Yet, like all German boys,
Schiller was trained to early rising,
and if he deliberately chose the night
for his time Of composition it was be-
cause of an inner impulse which admit
ted Of no refusal. With the approach
Of evening the heart quickens it's pulsa-
lions, and respirations become more
rapid, and the whole system suffers an
Increase Of feverish activity; hence we
are prepared to find the might DISPOSE
ton" In the case Of nervous and ex-
citable brain workers, notably Of poets
ord r,riforS NF fot}or M hut Fo- L., IL
given to produce year in and year out a
certain fixed daily quota, as in the case
Of Anthony Trollope, who early set
himself to work and with whom the
arrival Of noon marked the completion
of his days task.
BalZac, on the other hand. that Titan
of the nineteenth century, was accus-
toned regularly to arise at midnight
and after enveloping himself in his
monks habit to seat himself at his
desk and force his weary brain to its
task Of creation. Carried away by ad-
miration of the master" Theophile
Gautier and a number of other am
bilious youths of the day undertook to
initiate this popularity of the sfather
Of realism" with the result that very
soon they were forced to take to their
beds in earnest to make up for the
hours stolen from slumber. Doctors
doubtless would point to the early tax
ing off Of Balzac, who died when fifty
one years Of age, as proof Of the del.
e%terious effects of such a regimen.
On the other hand, it may be question
ed whether his exhaustion was not due
to the privations and financial troubles
Of his early years rather than to work
at i'll advised hours. 1t is as illogical
to attribute his early death to the alb
normality of his habits Of labor as to
attribute the long survival of Voltaire
and the explorer and traveller, Alexan-
der Humboldt, to a like cause.
On n occasion Max Muller, as re-
lated in his autobiography, was return
ing from an evening entertainment in
Berlin with Humboldt, who was then
eighty years Of age, and the CONVERSE
ton turned upon the latter's Cosmos"
Bitterly the savant complained that he
was no longer able to accomplish as
much as previously, since he now re-
quired four hours sleep instead of two,
as in earlier years. "When | was your
age he remarked to the philologian,
9" would simply turn down my lamp
and after a nap of two hours would be
as fresh as ever"
The sleeping room of Voltaire's Sec
rotary at Ferney was directly beneath
that Of the author. and at any hour OF
the day or night when moved to com
position the great frenchman was &C.
customed to stamp upon the floor Of
his chamber and summon the unfortu-
nate scribe to take down his thoughts.
When once under way it was no I'M
usual thing for him to continue work
ing for sixteen hours at a stretch.
Goethe despite his habit Of early ris-
ing was wont to arise in the night to
scribble down a poem or song, and
Emerson's wife was subject to the
danger Of being aroused by the philos-
opher in his search for writing mate
rails. only a thought, my DEAR" he
would reassure her as he seized the
feeting inspiration.
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