Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-08-28
THE NIGHT MAGNlFlEs.

Who Lie Awake and Worry.
~You have lain awake at night"
said a physician. "and have heard a
mouse gnawing at the woodwork
somewhere down in kitchen cup
boardT
The listener nodded.
SLOW loud did 1t sound to you--as
Loud as a burglar splintering the door
lambs with jimmy
Another nod.
"You have been awakened at I:3C
a. M. by the crying Of teethlng H.
FAINT next doorT"
A shudder.
"And 1t sounded like the hoarse pur.
murs of mingled mutations Of a ften.
zied mob assembled outside to demand
somebody's bloodY
Partial collapse.
"Along toward morning you have lis.
tened to the thin, small voice Of q mos
quito circulating above your headT
An Involuntary slap.
ibid 1t sound like the screech OF a
planning mill turning out clapboards for
q barn?
Two mods.
'Would you have minded any OF
those sounds In the daytlmeT
A shake Of the head.
"Now, have no doubt you think
that the seeming loudness OF these
sounds was due to the contrasting ST.
Ience of the night. But take another
test. You have been In lover
Um-um without utterancel.
"And do you remember how much
softer and warmer and more thrilling
was the touch of your best girls hand
as you strolled with her on the way
home from singing school ut the witch
ing hour of half past 0 p. m. than II
was when you called In the forenoon
to ask II you might escort her to the
aforesaid vocal exercises
An unspoken yum yum,
''Was 1t the night silence that added
the finishing touch7
at was not" the physician replied
to his own question. noting his listen
er's look of uncertainty. take another
instance: You think you know how to
wrlte-a little"
A smile of qualification.
"Well, you find yourself awake at
night and thinking. A gem of an Idea
suddenly sparkies In the darkness.
You surround 1t with epigrams, and
while celebrating the setting you fall
asleep. What does this jewel amount
to In the morningr
A sigh.
'There you are. You recall the idea
and some Of the epigrams and a little
of the setting and all Of 1t SO common
place that you wouldn't think Of try
ing to make anything presentable out
of II.
"The fact is" the physician went
on, "the night magnlHes. At night our
pleasures are more keen, our pains
more distressing. our small successes
are triumphs. our little failures are
disasters, our family cherished hopes
appear before us as things realized.
our small worries as overwhelming
calamities.
"You find yourself awake In the
night. and your thoughts wander back
to some time in your youth when In
the presence of those older and wiser
yOu-as you now see it-were guilty OF
some slight breach in department or OF
some little offense to good taste In
speech, and you dwell upon the con-
defnnat ton that must have fallen upon
you. In the morning II what yon were
dwelling upon SO seriously occurs to
your mind at all you smile and say to
yourself that IL your fault was noticed
by anybody ut the time 1t was too
trivial for any one but you to remem-
Der.
1.-THE night magnifes!" the physician
repeated. "Such things as have men,
toned prove 1t. 1t is partly due to the
silence, but more to ourselves. To &C.
count for the latter would keep me
talking.
"But take 1t for granted that what
ever your cause for worry at night 1t
will look smaller by daylight and re-
fuse to dwell on It. II your anticipa-
lions are pleasant, nurse them. and
you will fall asleep. In the morning
you will not be downcast because your
magnified hopes Of the night seem I'M
likely to be realized" Washington
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