The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-02-04
THE NIGHT MAGNIFIES.

Something Worth Knowing For Those
Who Lie Awake and Worry.
"You have lain awake at night"
said physician, ''and have heard a
mouse gnawing at the woodwork
somewhere down In kitchen cup
f, boardT'
The listener nodded.
.How loud did it sound to you-as
bud as burglar splintering the door
jambs with jimmyT
Another nod.
~You have been awakened at loO
q. M. by the crying of a teething In
FAINT next door,
A shudder.
"And it sounded like the hoarse muir
murs of mingled mutations Of a fren-
lied mob assembled outside to demand
somebody's bloodT
Partial collapse.
4Along toward morning you have lis
tened to the thin, small voice of mos
quito circulating above your headY"
An involuntary slap.
Did it sound like the screech Of q
planning mill turning out clapboards for
q BARN.
Two mods.
would you have minded any Of
those sounds in the daytimeT
A shake of the head.
s.Now, / have no doubt you think
that the seeming loudness Of these
sounds was due to the contrasting ST.
lence of the night. But take another
test You have been in lover
Um-um without utterance).
"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 at the witch
ing hour Of half past 8 p. m. than 1t
was when you called in the forenoon
to ask if you might escort her to the
aforesaid vocal exercisesT
An unspoken yum yum.
''Was it the night silence that added
the finishing touch?
ut 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
write-a little"
A smile of qualification.
'Well, you find yourself awake at
night and thinking. A gem of an idea
suddenly sparkles in the darkness.
You surround it with epigrams, and
while celebrating the setting you fall
asleep. What does this jewel amount
to in the morningT
A sigh.
'SThere you are. You recall the idea
and some of the epigrams and little
Of the setting and all of it SO common
place that you wouldn't think of try
ing to make anything presentable out
Of it.
1.-THE fact is" the physician went
on, "the night magnifes. 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-
demnation that must have fallen upon
you. In the morning if what yon were
dwelling upon so seriously. occurs to
your mind at all you smile and say to
yourself that If your fault was noticed
by anybody at the time it was too
trivial for any one but you to remem-
Der.
1.-THE night magnifiesw the physician
repeated. "Such things as have men
toned prove it. 1t is partly due to the
silence, but more to ourselves. To ac-
count for the latter would keep me
talking.
But take it for granted that what
ever your cause for worry at night it
will look smaller by daylight and re-
fuse to dwell on It, If your anticipa-
lions are pleasant, nurse them, and
you win fall asleep. In the morning
you will not be downcast because your
magnifed hopes of the night seem un-
likely to be realized" - Washington
Post