The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-19
SLEEP Of GREAT men
As a Rule All Famous Figures
Have Been Early Risers.
SCHILLER WROTE AT MIGHT.

The German Poe: Worked With Wet
Towels on His Head and Strong
Coffee at His EIbow-Enourance Of
Humboldt, Balzac and Votaire.
Give hours sleep is sufficient for
men," declared Napoleon; "seren 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 10 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 predicated of almost
all greet persons-whateyer their hab-
it's as regards retiring they have been
early risers. During the years 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
perament," 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 Sa-mation Of mental hab-
it's, 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 over his lamp illumined manu-
script. Yet, like all German boys,
Schiller was trained to early rising,
and il 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 its pulsa-
tions, and respirations become more
rapid, and the whole system suffers an
increase Of feverish activity; hence we
are prepared to find the might disposi-
ton" in the case Of nervous and eX-
citable brain workers, notably Of poets
and writers Of fiction. To but few is it
given to produce year in and year out q
certain fixed daily quota, as in the case
Of Anthony Trollope, who early set
himself to work and with whom the
arriva! 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 peculiarly Of the father
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 Gel
eterious effects Of such 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 like cause.
On one 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 I was your
age he remarked to the philologian,
II would simply turn down my lamp
and after nap Of two hours would be
as fresh as ever
The sleeping room Of Voltaire's sec
retary 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 ac-
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 un.
Us Udt tu4llS 4O1 I1Al w SSAS4AuC hS30
ing for sixteen hours at stretch.
Goethe despite his habit Of early rts,
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
rials. "Only a thought, my DEAR" he
would reassure her as he seized the
feeting inspiration.
During the time when suspicion
pointed strongly to Sir Walter Scott as
the author of the Waverley novels the
closest watchfulness Of his guests at
Abbotsford failed to detect signs OF
literary activity on their hosts part,
the reason being that his pen had al
ways completed its daily labors by the
time the amateur detectives had arisen
from their beds.