Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-05-29
SLEEP OF GREAT men |
As a Rule All Famous Figures
Have Been Early Risers.
SCHILLER WROTE AT NIGHT.
Tho German Poet Worked With Wet
Towels on His Head and Strong
Coffee at His Observation-Disclosures Of
Humboldt, Balzao and voltaire. #

Humboldt, BaIzao and voitaire.
give hours sleep Is sufficient for
men, !" declared Napoleon; seven for
women, children and fools. z s
| 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 1.-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 one must work out from
experience a schedule Of rest, as he
must Of diet and exercise. One fact,
however, may be predlcated Of almost
all great persons hateyer their hab-
its as regards retiring they have been
early risers, During the years Of Dam
lei WebsteTs greatest congt siofaal ac-
tIvity IT was REMARKED of him That no
one ever saw him reading or preparing
for his speeches. This was all done,
according 70, his own confession, at an
hour when other men were still enjoy
ing their incoming 'slumber. Webster
possessed In a high degree what is
known as the morning temperament"
as distinguished from the might tenn
perament,' and he found consequently
that his mind manifested greatest
clarity and prodnctixity during the ear
II hours Of the day.
Training undoubtedly has much to
do with the formation OF mental hab-
It's, but it Is folly, says the New York
Herald, to deny the existence of an I'M
born Meditation stronger than train
ing or discipline. The German poet
Schiller Is q luminous example Of the
night temperament, and he Is pic
tured with wet towels around his head
and strong coffee at his elbow as he
bent over his lamp illumined manu-
script. Yet, like all German boys,
Schiller was trained to- early rising,
and II 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 quick It's pnlsas
lions, and respirat TONS 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-
cifable brain workers, notably OF poets
and writer's Of fiction. To but few is it
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 enveioplng himself in his
monks habit to seat himself at his
desk and force his weary brain TO its
task of creation. Carried away by adj
miration OF the master, !" TheophiIs
Gautier and a number OF other am
bilious youths Of the day undertook to
Initiate this popularity Of the father
sof 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 siumbar Doctors
doubtless would point to the early tax
Ing of Of Balzac, who died when fifty
one years Of age, as proof OF the del
|eteri0us effects OF such regimen.
On the other hand, 1t may be question
Led whether his exhaustion was NOT due
to the privations and financial troubles
III 80