Year: 1873

Coaxing Slumber.


There is no reason to doubt the fact,
that the most wakeful person will find
it easy enough to go to sleep if he
heeds the words Of the scientific people,
and sets about the matter in such q
way that "tllere shall be an accumula-
ton in the organism of the products
of oxidation, and mainly of carbonic
acid, that accumulation being favored
and controlled by reflex action of the
nervous system, which thus protects
the organism from excessive oxida-
ton, and also allows the organism to
manifest its normal functional activity
throughout a succeeding rhythmic
period"


But rs there are persons who might
worry their minds by endeatoring to
arrange matters according to this pro-
granme, we may as well try to con-
slider this desirable "rbythmic period"
from a simpler point of view.


The matter has been 80 thoroughly
discussed in the journals Of the land,
ever since sleeplessness became ma
tional disease, that we do not pretend
to offer any new ideas in regard to it.
We will merely assert, that if we
want to go to sleep, and find ourselves
unable to do 80 in the ordinary way,
it is an excellent plan to fix our mind
upon something uninteresting, and to
keep it there. Here is the gist Of nearly
every thing that has been said about
the mental processes of inducing sleep.


Nearly every one knows of some
thing or somebody decidedly uninter-
esting, and there are those who could
afford to furnish subjects Of this ma
ture to their-friends. But it must be
admitted that it is hard to keep ones
mind at work upon a dull and unen-
crossing theme. There is q constant
tendency to get interested in some
thing and 80 keep awake. Generally
it is the fact that we are awake and
ought to be asleep that occupies our
minds, and few subjects could possess
q more painful interest ut the time.
In consequence Of this tendency, this
affinity Of the mind for matters Of in
terest, it is often necessary to give
color Of pleasurable sensation to the
object Of mental contemplation. In
this way We can think of the thing
long enough to get perfectly tired out,
and SO, unconsciously, drop off into
slunlber.


For instance, suppose We image
that we are rowing boat. regularly
and steadily, along quiet and heavily
shaded stream. This il most excel
lent imagination to 60 to sleep upon.
We know man who fell into slum-
Der every night for months thinking
upon this fancy, and in all that time
he never rowed his boat quarter Of
mile from the starting -place.) Well,
this idea Of a boat and . pair Of oars
may be 80 extremely uniBterestiDg to
some men, that it would he impossible
for them to keep their minds upon it
long enoug to produce the proper
effect. In such u case it might be well
to put lady in the stern Of the boat.
But it is necessary to be careful here.
This female must not he very inter-
esting. We would recommend a lady
not too young; some quiet, thought
ful person, with what is generally
known as " a superior mind" There
should be but little conversation, and
that Of a nature to induce somnolent
reflection. For instance, the lady
might remark, after a period Of silence,
that she should think that people liv-
ing in ConstantiDople would always
feel themselves under the Influence of
spell. Now one might be quite GER
tain that such remark, made by q
thoughtful woman with a superior
mind, would have something in it.,
and the quiet persistence necessary to
discover the reference to the fact that
few Of the opportunities for spelling
as tan n-ti-n-o-p-l-c, together
with the gentle and mOnotOnous ex-
ercise with the oars, will be almost
certain to put one to sleep-if any
thing can.


Persons who are in the habit of ly-
ing awake in the morning, before it is
time to get up, will often find that il
they can but impress it upon their
minds that they ought to get up i'm
mediately, and that it is wrong for
them to lie still moment longer, the
bed will begin to grow more attractive,
and that the gentle drowsiness which
besets people who ought to get out ot
bed, but who want to stay there, will
very probably steal upon them. Every
one who has ever wished he could be
as delightfully."- sleepy on Sunday OF
holiday mornings as he is on days
when he must rise early to his work,
will appreciate this plan.-Scribner's
! One of our fashionable youths don
ned his first silk hat and cigar satur.
! day evening. He got along well enough
| with the cigar, but he had to give Ut