MORAL ASPECT OF SLEEP. 205 



lection of humors upon the brain, during waking. This organ, say they, 

 compressed by the blood whicli obstructs its vessels, falls into a slate of 

 real stupor. An opinion as unsupported as the other. As long as the 

 humors flow in abundance towards the brain, they keep up in it an ex- 

 citement which is altogether unfavorable to sleep. Do we not know, 

 that it is enough that the brain be strongly occupied by its thoughts or 

 vividly effected in any way, to repel sleep. Coffee, spirituous liquors in 

 small quantities, will produce sleeplessness, by exciting the force of cir- 

 culation, and determining towards the brain, a more considerable efilux 

 of blood. AH, on the other hand, that may divert this fluid towards an- 

 other organ, as copious bleeding, pediluvium, purges, digestion, severe 

 cold, or what ever diminishes the force vvitli which it is driven towards 

 it, as inebriation, general debility, tends powerfully to promote sleep. 

 In like manner, is it observed, that while it lasts, the cerebral mass col- 

 lapses ; a sign that the flow of blood is remarkably lessened." 



If we look at sleep in itself without any reference to its necessity, 

 it may appear to be a very essential deprivation of our earthly existence, 

 llesembling death, or entire and continued inaction — so that it has been 

 frequently employed by diflerent nations as its symbol — it might appear 

 a foe to man. We certainly by it are prevented from tiiose movements, 

 cut oft' from those actions that constitute external life and impart the 

 highest value and dignity to our nature. 



We should more easily take up the opinion tJiat vigilance is the nat- 

 ural state of man than the contrary. I have never read of more than 

 one man who adopted the theory that the natural state of man is sleep. 

 He was a Dutch physician, who, in endeavoring to reduce his views to 

 practice in his own case, destroyed his intellect and ended his days in a 

 mad-house. It is not improbable that his mental alienation had an ear- 

 lier origin than his singular efibrts to give himself entirely up to the do- 

 minion of Morpheus. It is not probable that any one of us will fall in- 

 to the opposite heresy of despising s'eep; the occasions are loo numer- 

 ous in which our feelings and actions exclaim, '-Blessed is the man tiiat 

 invented sleep !" but we may fall into erroneous opinions and practices 

 too, and therefore need to be reminilcd what are the extremes wliich we 

 should avoid in this matter, and where is the middle ground on which 

 we may composedly lie down, and wrapping ourselves up indulge in a 

 comfortable nap. 



Amongst the extravagant notions that have been broached in this 

 world of vagaries, I have yet to learn that any one has maintained that 

 man ought not to sleep. One man, we have seen, adopted the contrary 

 view and proved the absurdity of his theory by its lamentable cflecls. 



