Year: 1872




Doctors of modicine are either grow
ing complacent or sensible. A great
many of them have concluded that it is
better to become allies of nature than
to fight her and repel all her kindly aid.
Perhaps the physicians were always
wise (they always looked wise), and
only yielded to popular prejudice in
their Sangrado practice and their risor-
Gus council. We have all been taught
there is merit in wasting as few hours
as possible in sleep, and that early ris-
ing is one of the cardinal virtues-ad-
mitting for the Protestant moment that
cardinals have virtues. We have all
been educated to believe that She time
given to the bed is lost, and that we
gain all the hours we steal from it.
Children have been taught that prompt
rising in the morning is beautiful
thing.


I am not sorry, therefore, that one of
the medical faculty, DR.. Hall, has had
the good sense to tell the world that
children under the age of eighteen, and
old and feeble people (and he might as
well have said everybody, need ten
hours sleep, and that bouncing sudden
ly out of bed in the morning is as hurt
full as it is disagreeable; that fifteen or
twenty minutes spent in gradually wax
ing up, stretching the limbs, and letting
the blood slowly resume its wonted cir
culation, is time we'll spent. For the
sudden sending of the blood to the
heart is severe shock, and the person
who gets up in this hasiy and reckless
manner is certain to be drowsy by mid
day, unless he Or she is an editor OF a
belle and does not get up till after noon.
I concur in this-in fact, always knew
that it was true; and think, further, that
pulling anybody out of bed ought to be
states-prison offense, and doubt not
that conviction for it could be had be-
fore any of our ordinary sleepy juries-
| if they were awake enough to hear the
evidence.


Many people seem to think that it is
unbecoming to sleep much anywhere,
except in church and at evening lectures.
They speak Of it as merit that they
do with SO few hours sleep at home.
This is one reason why there are SO
many stupid people in society-admit-
ting for the argument that there are SO
many; they get up too soon or too sud-
denly, and SO are never fairly awake all
through. What seems to be stupidity
is really want of sleep. A good many
of the sermons, and now and then an
editolial, are written in this state of
mind; and evenefashionable people go
gaping around, making yawning calls
upon acquaintance who ought to be in
bed, and who wish the callers were.


The world is astray about this matter
of sleep. led away by nursery coaplets
about early to rise, and the examples of
Napoleon, Peter the Great, and other
military heroes, who are reported to
have been satisfied with an hour or two
of sleep snatched from the twenty -four,
taken on plank, while their half-dozen
scribblng secretaries were not allowed
to sleep at all. We all know what be-
came of Napoleon. Even Mr.. Abbott
cannot make it appear that he had much
more than respect for the Ruler of the
universe. These sleepless people have
made most of the mischief in the world.
Catherine de Medicis was, we believe, q
light sleeper. George Washington, on
the contrary, took his time, walked up
the Father Of his Country by degrees,
got out Of bed with deliberation, and
dressed himself, with thoughtful slow
ness. What ridiculous idea it would
be to think of that great man as bouno-
| ing out of bed at the first bell and dress
ing himself as If there was : FIRE next
door