LECTURES AND ESSAYS. 525 



SLEEP. 



"Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep." Take it in abundance. 

 The great conservator of nervous force, and recuperator of animal machin- 

 ery. I like Saxe's sentiment : 



" God bless the man who first invented sleep," 

 So Sancho Panza said, and so say I ; 

 And bless him also that he didn't keep 



His great discovery to himself ; or try 

 To make it — as the lucky fellow might — 

 A close monopoly by " patent right." 



Yes, bless the man who first invented sleep ; 



(I really can't avoid the iteration), 

 But blast the man, with curses loud and deep, 



What e'er the rascal's name, or age, or situation, 

 Who first invented, and went round advertising 

 That artificial cut-off — early rising. 



So let us sleep, and give the Maker praise. 



I like the lad, who, when his father thought 

 To clip his morning nap by hackneyed phrase 



Of vagrant worm by early songster caught, 

 Cried: Served him right! it's not at all surprising, 

 The worm was punished, sir, for early rising. 



Let the children sleep, do not wake them in the morning, you will add 

 much to the strength of the nervous system in later years by giving them 

 plenty of sleep. Do not overtax yourself so the nervous system refuses to 

 let you sleep. Do not get into the condition of one who said : 



" Methought, I heard a voice cry, ' Sleep no more! 

 Macbeth does murder sleep,' the innccent sleep 

 Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care, 

 The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, 

 Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, 

 Chief nourish er in life's feast." 



In conclusion, we may say that in a healthy home in a healthy locality, 

 with plenty of pure air, pure water applied externally and internally, good 

 food properly cooked, plenty of labor to occupy body and intellect, regular 

 hours for labor, meals and sleep and proper clothing, you can lie down every 

 night and say: 



"Come gentle sleep! attend thy votary's prayer, 

 And through death's image to my couch repair; 

 How sweet, though lifeless yet with life to lie, 

 And without dying, O how sweet to die." 



