The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-18
FOUR HOURS IS ENOUGH ID SLEEP Comptroller Metz ThriVes on It
 for Years MAN WHO NEVER SLEEPS Thio Busy and WakefuI Official Says That More Than Four Hours Sleep Is a Waste of Time
 and Money.
MAN WHO NEVER SLEEPS

If some one told you that man could get along year in and year out with only three or four hours sleep out of every "A. and meanwhile carry on his shoul- ders more business responsibility than a half dozen ordinary men, you prob ably would not believe it. But there is such a man in New Yorok city. It Is Herman A. Metz, comptroller, who be- cause of his remarkable activity Is called by the men in his office "The Man Who Never Sleeps"
 He never sleeps as much as seven or eight hours at a stretch. He very sell dom sleeps more than three and half or four hours. He usually sleeps three. And he has done. it for years.
 Still, If you should see him hustle into his office some morning at o'clock you would think he had enjoyed a full nights rest and topped 1t off with a Turkish bath. He once said if he slept eight or nine hours without interruption he would not get over it for week. His mind works with lightning-like rapidity when he has his customary three or four hours rest; it works more slowly when he has prolonged sleep. Lack of mental rest seems to keep him In the pink of condition. Here is his actual routine for one 24-hour period within the last ten days
 8 to g a. Unattended to personal busi- ness.
 a. m. to 1 D. Unsigned papres. re- ceiyed visitors and looked after the thou sand and one details of the comptrollers office.
 | 1 to 3 p. m.-Had luncheon with four men who had business appointments with him.
 to 2:SO D. m.--Looked after his per sonal correspondence. 2:30 to 3:30 D. m.-Attended meeting of the board of estimate
 8:30 to 8:30 D. m.-Performed duties of comptroller and received at least 100 vis- itors.
 8:3O to p. m.-Got shaved and mas- saged and put on evening clothes. 7:3O D. m.-Attended banquet at Engin- eers' club
 p. m.-Went to second banquet at Rector's.
 1o:sO p. m.-Dropped in at a theatre box party.
 n;s0 p. m.-Made speech at polit- ical banquet.
 12:30 a. m.-Joined a supper party at an uptown restaurant.
 a. m.-Started for Brooklyn in an au- tomobile.
 a. m.-Played game of billiards at the Brooklyn Democratic club. a. m.-Went home and to bed. a. m.-Got up to prepare for another days affairs.
 Not Unusual for Him. 1 There is nothing unusual in this for I MT. Metz. Frequently he goes to three and four banquets in 8 single night, stay ing few minutes at each. Neither is he a stranger in the all-night restaurants in Upper Broadway He Is known in them all, just as he is known in all the the atres and clubs. Getting around as he does Is partly business with him, although he declares that he enjoys every minute of his time. More than that 1t agrees with him.
 Never since he became full-hedged business man has he made practice of sleeping six. seven or eight hours as the average man does. And he never gets up with headache or with tired feel ing.
 Tt is time wasted to sleep eight or nine hours," said he to New York Her aid reporter. "Figure it out. Say man sleeps four hours a night instead of eight. He saves 146O hours in a year, or 112 working days, of eight hours each, which Is the time usually given to busi- ness Now see what that means. Say a mans earning capacity is s10 a day He Is throwing away s1s20 a year, as-
 
 is devoted to earning money. In ten years, figuring his earning capacity at | BIO day, he would have made SIS, 200 1 Say he can earn $25 day, which is mod | est enough. In ten years he would have | thrown away s45,5O0 worth of tme Now. l say he is worth $l00 day, which thou sands of men are. He loses S182 900. That's worth thinking over a bit find no trou- ble tn getting along with"
 Beg pardon, MT. Metz, a delegation of Bronx taxpayers to see you"
 The comptroller's secretary had inter- rupted Five minutes later the busy off, cial returned to the Interviewer. He had listened to his visitors for a minute or SO | Then he checked them. He had grasped l what they had in mind long before they | had got good start with their explana tion. Then he gave his answer to them in a jify. slapped each one on the back. ac- companied 1t with an invitation to come again, and sent them on their way smil- ing. He does in ten minutes what many business men will spend hours over He gallops through long reports and com plicated. technical documents compre- hending them fully, and goes along. nev- CT turning the pages back to re-read them
 He will take a group of visitors for two or three minutes, turn to another and discuss an entirely different topic. and meanwhile put his signature to papers brought in by his chief clerk and ans wer hurried questions put to him by his secretaries. He is indeed a live wire He talks like a streak of lightning and thinks faster than he can talk. When he dictates his stenographers are put to their wits ends to keep up with him.
 And he does it all on three and four hours sleep.
 Never Feels Tired Out.
 Don't you ever feel tired outy' was asked of him.
 Never. If I sleep my y\aIotted time I feel fine and fit. If oversleep I don't or four hours. and more often three than four. That is enough for any man, in my estimation. if he takes good care of him self doesn't eat too much drink too much. or in other ways abuse himself"
 Whats your advice to people who wish to live as you do and keep their health?''
 Don't worry, don't let others worry you, and don't take yourself too d--d seriously You know the trouble with the great majority of people is that they think they are carrying the responsibil- ities Of the world upon their shoulders. Always remember that you-I mean any one-is just one of a billion Things would and will go on without you and you won't be missed. So don't try to fig ure out that you are essential to the worlds progress. Just smile and let things run along as they will, always, of course, doing your best at whatever you undertake. With this mental attitude gray hairs won't como early and lines won't streak the face"
 MT. Metz gives never less than eight or nine hours day to the city and he xuorLs h arde every minute T4o uro ct os