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diff --git a/old/64138-0.txt b/old/64138-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f9826ca..0000000 --- a/old/64138-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7820 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The psychology of sleep, by Bolton Hall - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The psychology of sleep - -Author: Bolton Hall - -Release Date: December 26, 2020 [eBook #64138] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Turgut Dincer, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP *** - Transcriber’s Notes - -Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation and accents and all other spelling and punctuation -remains unchanged. - -The quotation from Ballad of Reading Gaol, (Chapter VIII) has been -corrected from - - And Sleep will not lie down but walks - And wild-eyed cries to time. - to - And Sleep will not lie down but walks - Wild-eyed and cries to time. - -Footnotes are located at the end of the relevant paragraphs. - -Italics are represented thus _italic_. - - - - -[Illustration: BOLTON HALL - -“THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP”] - - - - - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF - SLEEP - - BY - BOLTON HALL, M.A. - - Author of “Three Acres and Liberty,” “Things as They Are,” - “Free America,” etc. - - With an Introduction - BY - EDWARD MOFFAT WEYER, Ph.D. - Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Jefferson College - - [Illustration] - - - NEW YORK - MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY - 1917 - - - - - Copyright, 1911, by - MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY - NEW YORK - - _All rights reserved_ - Published October, 1911 - - - THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS - RAHWAY, N. J. - - - - - TO THE MEMORY OF - - THE REVEREND DR. JOHN HALL - - WHO PREACHED FROM THE WORD - WHAT I TEACH FROM THE WORLD - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -At the request of the author, I have read this book in proof sheets, -and, from the point of view of one interested in psychology, I have -suggested many amendments which have all, I think, been adopted. - -As will be seen by the intelligent reader, the best sleep involves more -than a normal body; it involves healthy thought and the application -to our daily lives of the moral principles laid down by our great -spiritual teachers. - -The cure of sleeplessness has hitherto been left largely to the -physician, who is not always a specialist on that subject and who -will welcome a treatise that will enable his patient to co-operate -with his restorative measures. Mr. Hall has already shown in _Three -Acres and Liberty_ and in _The Garden Yard_ his ability to put into -clear, popular language and readable form scientific truths that -non-scientific people need to know and wish to learn. - -The proper management of our own bodies is even more essential to our -happiness and well-being than the proper management of the land, and I -hope that this book will be no less welcome to students and physicians -than to the great mass who for lack of knowledge or of attention do not -wholly avail themselves of the freely offered gift of sleep. - -The book may be useful to many who find it difficult to harmonize their -lives with their surroundings, and may bring to many a happier view of -the ways of God to man. - - EDWARD MOFFAT WEYER, - Washington and Jefferson College. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I SLEEP 1 - - II HOW MUCH SLEEP 5 - - III THE TIME OF SLEEP 11 - - IV WHAT SLEEP MAY MEAN 15 - - V HOW TO GO TO SLEEP 20 - - VI SLEEP IS NATURAL 26 - - VII THE DUPLEX MIND 30 - - VIII WAKEFULNESS 36 - - IX SIMPLE CAUSES OF WAKEFULNESS 40 - - X “LIGHT” SLEEPERS 47 - - XI THE GIFTS OF WAKEFULNESS 51 - - XII THE PURPOSE OF SLEEP 58 - - XIII THE SLEEP OF THE INVALID 62 - - XIV THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF PAIN 66 - - XV OPIATES 73 - - XVI DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP 78 - - XVII MORE DEVICES FOR GOING TO - SLEEP 84 - - XVIII STILL FURTHER DEVICES 88 - - XIX HYPNOTIC SLEEP 94 - - XX “PERCHANCE TO DREAM” 101 - - XXI NATURAL LIVING 108 - - XXII FRESH AIR AND REFRESHING - SLEEP 113 - - XXIII THE BREATH OF LIFE 117 - - XXIV EATING AND SLEEPING 124 - - XXV SLEEPING AND EATING 128 - - XXVI SOME MODERN THEORIES OF - SLEEP 133 - - XXVII EARLY THEORIES OF SLEEP 138 - - XXVIII MORE THEORIES 142 - - XXIX STILL MORE THEORIES 147 - - XXX WE LEARN TO DO BY DOING 153 - - XXXI VAIN REGRETS 156 - - XXXII THE LOVE THAT IS PEACE 162 - - XXXIII THE SPECTER OF DEATH 167 - - XXXIV A NATURAL CHANGE 175 - - XXXV THE DISTRUST OF LIFE 180 - - XXXVI REST AND SLEEP 186 - - XXXVII THE NEED OF REST 192 - - XXXVIII SAVING OF EFFORT 196 - - XXXIX ANTAGONISM 201 - - XL STRUGGLE IN THE FAMILY 205 - - XLI UNNATURAL LAWS 210 - - XLII THE NATURAL LAW 215 - - XLIII “LETTING GO” 219 - - XLIV REST IN TRUTH 225 - - XLV THE SPAN OF LIFE 229 - - XLVI WASTE STEAM 233 - - XLVII UNDERSTANDING 238 - - XLVIII THE SUPERSTITION OF FEAR 246 - - XLIX IMAGINARY FEARS 251 - - L ILL SUCCESS 257 - - LI SOCIAL UNREST 263 - - LII ECONOMIC REST 269 - - LIII “IF HE SLEEP HE SHALL DO - WELL” 275 - - LIV CONCLUSION 280 - - APPENDICES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 284 - - APPENDIX A 285 - - APPENDIX B 287 - - APPENDIX C 288 - - APPENDIX D 293 - - APPENDIX E 297 - - - - -FOREWORD - - -This book is intended no less for those who do sleep well than for -those who do not. It is just as important to be able to teach others -to act well as to be able to do so ourselves. To teach we must analyze -and comprehend our own action and its motives: for being able to do a -thing well is far different from being able to teach it. In order to -teach anything we must know how we do it and why others cannot do it. -We never know anything thoroughly until we have tried to teach it to -another. - -Many persons sleep well only because they are still, like little -children and animals, in the unreflective stage of life. That is the -stage of the Natural Man, and it is good in itself; but later the -mental life awakes, when consciousness of one’s self begins, and -examination of one’s own desires develops. If not rightly understood or -if not at least accepted, that development brings anxiety, unrest and -disturbance of sleep, and breaks the harmony of the whole nature. - -The highest stage of development is the spiritual, the all-conscious -state which includes and harmonizes the other two. In that we do not -lose the ready, overflowing enjoyment of our bodily exercises and -functions; rather they are intensified; the physical and the mental are -united in the complete life. - -In order to attain this harmony we must examine the means that we and -others use to gain rest and peace; some of these are instinctive and -some prudential, and we must perceive why it is that these means work -or fail to work in different cases. When, with all our getting, we have -gotten this understanding, then, and not till then, all action becomes -natural and joyful, for then we understand it all, and follow willingly -the leading of the Spirit that is in Man. - - Care-charmer Sleep, son of the sable Night, - Brother to Death, in silent darkness born. - - SAMUEL DANIEL. - - - - -CHAPTER I - -SLEEP - - Sancho Panza says: “Now, blessings light on him who first invented - sleep! Sleep which covers a man all over, thoughts and all, like a - cloak; and is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the - cold, and cold for the hot. Sleep is the current coin that purchases - all the pleasures of the world cheap, and the balance that sets the - king and shepherd, the fool and the wise man, even.”—“Don Quixote.” - - -Sleeping is the one thing that everyone practices almost daily all his -life, and that, nevertheless, hardly anyone does as well as when he -began. We have improved in our walking, talking, eating, seeing, and -in other acts of skill and habit; but, in spite of our experience, few -of us have improved in sleeping: the best sleepers only “sleep like a -child.” It must be that we do not do it wisely, else we should by this -time do it well. - -Even the race of mankind as a whole does not seem to be able to use -sleep, to summon it, or to control it any better than primitive -man did. We talk much of the need of sleep, and sagely discuss its -benefits, but we know neither how to use the faculty of sleep to the -best advantage nor how to cultivate it. - -Yet for ages men have studied the mystery of sleep. We have acquired -many interesting facts concerning its variation, and have formulated a -number of theories concerning its cause and advantages; nevertheless, -science has given us little real knowledge of sleep, and less mastery -over it. - -Mankind has had idols ever since consciousness began. Advancing -knowledge has changed the nature and number of the idols, but it has -not destroyed them. The idol of the present age is “Science,” and -men worship it in the degree that it seems to fit their needs. They -forget that Science is merely the knowledge of things and persons, -arranged and classified, so as to make it available. In its nature -it is fallible, for some new phase discovered to-day may show that -yesterday’s conclusion was formed from a theory which itself was based -on a mistaken premise. Man has caught a glimpse of something that -resembled truth, has stated it, reasoned about it, and finally either -established its authority or disproved it utterly through the discovery -of the real thing he was seeking. Either result was progress, because -man grows, as Browning says, “through catching at mistake as midway -help, till he reach fact indeed.” So there is no need to be disturbed -by the conflicting opinions of men of science touching the purpose or -method of sleep. Even the rejected theories have added to the sum of -our knowledge, and the field for investigation is still open to all -who are faithful in noting and comparing the manifestations of Nature, -which the scientists call phenomena. - -Most of what we call science has to do with physical or material -things. Consequently, we find scientists dealing mainly with what may -be called tangible phenomena, those which may be measured or weighed -or held in the hand or, at least, pinned down by pressure of thumb or -finger. - -Material Science’s estimate of man is largely gauged by - - “Things done, that took the eye and had the price; - O’er which, from level stand, - The low world laid its hand, - Found straightway to its mind, could value in a trice.” - -This is the almost inevitable result of looking upon life as purely -material or physical. We must view life as physical, but not physical -only; as mental, but not mental only; as spiritual, but not spiritual -only. - -In studying sleep and its attendant phenomena all these things must be -taken into consideration. So slight a thing as fancy may profoundly -influence our acts; fancies not attributable to any material source, so -fleeting and evanescent that the clumsy net of language cannot hold -them, may induce sleep or destroy sleep. - -A review of the theories and conclusions of physicians, both scientific -and unscientific, as well as of others who have found the study of -sleep of absorbing importance, will find a place in our examination of -this vital function of organisms. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -HOW MUCH SLEEP - - Six hours in sleep, in law’s grave study six, - Four spend in prayer, the rest on Nature fix. - (Translation.) SIR EDWARD COKE. - - -Man is the highest expression yet discovered of the “living organism,” -and sleep has always taken more of his time than any other function. -Marie de Manacéïne of St. Petersburg, in her great book called -“Sleep,” says: “The weaker the consciousness is, the more easily it -is fatigued and in need of sleep; an energetic consciousness, on the -contrary, is contented with periods of sleep that are shorter, less -deep, and less frequent.” Although the consciousness of the race has -developed and strengthened enormously, and is steadily strengthening -itself, the old-fashioned idea that one-third of our time should -be spent in sleep holds the average mind as strongly as ever. We -insist upon it for the young, impress it upon everybody, and look -distrustfully upon him who is so daring and unreasonable as to say that -he requires less than eight hours of sleep. When an idea is intrenched -in the mind it is next to impossible to drive it out by reason or even -by repetition. - -It is the popular belief that Alfred the Great—who is also Alfred the -Wise and Alfred the Good (being dead so long)—divided time into three -equal parts, and taught that one part should be given to sleep. If he -had said this, it would not follow that it is the last and wisest word -on the best way to divide our time, but he did not say it. What he -said was that one-third of each day should be given to sleep, diet and -exercise: that is, that a man should devote eight hours to sleeping, -eating and whatever form of exercise or recreation he desired. - -There is nothing to show that Alfred spent even six hours in sleep, -although there is plenty of proof that he recognized the difference -between rest and sleep, for he gave the second division of the -day—eight hours—to study and to reflection, while the remaining eight -hours were to be for business. In those days kings worked hard. Sir -Henry Sumner Maine says that the list of places where King John held -court shows that even he was as active as any commercial traveler -nowadays. (“Early Law and Custom,” p. 183.) - -But the superstition that Alfred recommended eight hours for sleep will -not down, and no amount of argument or proof will change the opinion -of the average man on this point. “Our forefathers slept eight hours,” -they say; “so should we.” We forget that probably the rushlight and -the candle had much to do with the long hours of sleep in olden times. -As artificial light has improved, sleeping-time has been shortened. - -There is an old English quatrain which runs: - - “Nature requires five, - Custom gives seven, - Laziness takes nine - And wickedness eleven.” - -But sleep is a natural need, and, like any other natural need, varies -in degree in different persons. Dogs, cats and other animals generally -sleep more than we do, and their young ones sleep still more. Generally -speaking, the infant, whose mental powers have barely awakened, who is, -so far as we can tell, merely a human animal, needs more sleep than it -will ever need again in its existence. In this great need of sleep the -human animal resembles other animals. - -It frequently happens that, as a man waxes older, he requires less and -less sleep than in his growing and most active years. But old people -who have outlived their mental life come to a time when they sleep and -perform merely the physical functions like the infant; so also with -those whose energy so far exceeds their physical strength that the mere -effort of living exhausts them. This condition may be in part due to -overstrain of the powers of youth and middle age, but it also follows -the fixed idea that years diminish strength and lessen energy. It is -easy to fall into this notion, for it accords so well with the general -idea that rest must come only after the period of activity, whether -that period be a day or a lifetime. - -All of us have had periods when we have needed fewer than our average -hours of sleep. People who sleep out of doors or in thoroughly -ventilated rooms, under warm but light clothing, find that they need -less sleep than when they occupy poorly ventilated rooms and wrap -themselves in heavy, unhygienic clothing. Fresh discoveries are being -made almost daily by those who give intelligent consideration to these -things. - -Even babies differ in their need of sleep. I know one healthy, -happy, beautiful baby who has never slept the average sixteen hours -that babies are supposed to need. This child is now between three -and four years of age, and has never gone to sleep before nine or -half-past nine at night. Her parents had the common idea of long -hours of sleep for infants, and the child had a hard struggle for a -while to convince them that she had no such need: such struggles are -often called “naughtiness.” She was regularly put to bed at seven -o’clock, and all the usual devices for enticing a baby to sleep were -practiced. Sometimes she was left severely alone, sometimes she had -gentle lullabies sung to her, but, whether alone or in company, this -particular baby played and enjoyed herself until between nine and -nine-thirty, when she quietly dropped to sleep. She awoke as early as -the average baby wakes, happy and refreshed, and her parents finally -learned that there is no sleeping rule that has no exceptions, whether -applied to infants or adults. - -Drowsiness is a sign that we ought to sleep, just as hunger is a sign -that we ought to eat. Natural wakefulness means that we ought not to -sleep. The child tries to obey the promptings of nature, but we think -these promptings are wrong, if not wicked, and force him into all sorts -of bad habits. Says Michelet, “No consecrated absurdity could have -stood its ground if the man had not silenced the objections of the -child.” We are slowly learning that there is no need or function of the -body or of the mind that is exactly the same in all individuals, or -that is always the same even in the same individual. - -But, in spite of this dawning knowledge, we still view with alarm any -disregard of the rule, either in ourselves or another; so true it is, -as Thomas Paine says, that “It is a faculty of the human mind to -become what it contemplates.” We have looked upon ourselves as having -certain, unvarying, imperative needs until we have almost become -subject to them. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - THE TIME OF SLEEP - - “Women, like children, require more sleep normally than men, but - ‘Macfarlane states that they can better bear the loss of sleep, and - most physicians will agree with him.’” H. CAMPBELL. - - -The amount of sleep, like the amount of food, required by an individual -varies greatly, depending largely upon the conditions at the time. -Edison, for instance, can go days without sleep when engrossed in some -invention, and he has been quoted as saying that people sleep too much, -four hours daily being quite sufficient. - -In answer to my inquiry, Mr. Edison’s secretary wrote, “Mr. Edison -directs me to write you that the statement is correct, that for -thirty years he did not get four hours of sleep per day.” Evidently, -experience taught him that an average of four hours per day, if taken -rightly and at the right time, is enough for him. He keeps a couch in -his workroom so as to sleep when he is sleepy. He does not need a clock -to tell him when to go to bed, any more than you need a thermometer to -tell you when to pull up the blankets. - -Edison is not alone in his views on sleep. He made extensive -experiments with the two hundred workers in his own factory which -convinced him and most of them that the majority slept much too long. -The hands seem to have entered willingly into the trials: perhaps -their personal regard for him influenced their conclusions. Napoleon -Bonaparte and Frederick of Prussia were both satisfied with four hours -of sleep,[1] while Bishop Taylor was of opinion that three hours was -sufficient for any man’s needs, and Richard Baxter, who wrote “The -Saints’ Rest,” thought four hours the proper measure. - -[1] It is said, however, that in later life Napoleon carried this too -far, and was sometimes stupid for lack of sleep. - -Paul Leicester Ford, who was never a strong person, once told me that -he found four hours’ sleep enough for all purposes. He did not wish -to be understood as saying that four hours’ rest was enough, but four -hours’ sleep. He was one of the few who understood the difference -between sleep and rest. He frequently rested; his favorite practice -being to lie back in a big armchair with a book, and forget the -surrounding conditions. The book created a different set of sensations, -which, combined with the pause in physical activity, brought a sense -of rest to the frail body. He frequently got his four hours of sleep -curled up in the big chair, and was then able to go on with the work -which in a few short years made him famous. The wife of the late -George T. Angell of Boston testifies that for years he seldom slept -four hours a night, having found that, for him, more was unnecessary; -but, of course, it does not follow that no more is necessary for anyone. - -These are not unusual instances, but rather typical cases. History -and biography are full of such; each of us can probably mention one -or more persons among his own acquaintance who can do well with less -than the usual eight hours of sleep, but we have looked upon them as -exceptions and perhaps have prophesied that they will feel the evil -results later, if not now. We usually select ourselves as the standard -for all other persons, or perhaps it is more correct to say that we are -prone to select one stage of our own development as a standard, and try -to compel even our growing self to conform to that stage. When the crab -outgrows his shell it sloughs off, and, so far as we know, he offers -no objection, but takes the new shell, which answers his needs better. -But we, who consider ourselves infinitely superior to the crab, try -to compel ourselves to keep within the bounds of old thoughts, early -habits, and outgrown customs after we no longer need them. When we are -unfortunate enough to succeed, we rejoice at our cramped souls as the -Chinese woman prides herself upon her crushed, cramped, misshapen foot. - -The amount of sleep that suited you last year may not suit you to-day. -You may really be getting better sleep and so needing less of it: or -you may have to make up by quantity for a poorer quality. The test -is that, if you are sleepy in waking hours, you need better sleep or -more of it. If you are wakeful in sleeping hours, you need less sleep -or else you are not getting the right kind. Good sleep is a habit, a -natural habit as distinguished from an acquired habit, and when we -learn to take it naturally, and in natural amount, we get a great deal -more from it. It is fair to assume that purely natural habits, which -continue from age to age through all stages of human progress, are -essential to human welfare. Otherwise they would drop away from us -as many useless physical parts have dropped. If you stop to think of -this, you know that it is so; the man in the street and the girl at the -ribbon counter do not know, so there is more excuse for them if they -misunderstand. It may be that they usually sleep better than you do, -and so do not need to know it. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -WHAT SLEEP MAY MEAN - - O Sleep, we are beholden to thee, Sleep, - Thou bearest angels to us in the night, - Saints out of heaven with palms. - - JEAN INGELOW. - - -We know so little about sleep, positively, that anyone may assume one -thing or another about it, so long as what he assumes accords with what -we do know positively. - -It has been surmised that, during sleep, the subconscious mind is -busy with the day’s impressions of the objective mind,[2] fitting and -relating them to past experiences, the sum of which makes up the man -himself. The subconscious mind is, in a sense, man’s attitude to life. -It receives suggestions more easily than the objective mind receives -them, and has more effect upon man’s understanding of life. If our last -conscious thought is a loving thought toward all living things, we have -aided the latent mind in its effort to get in tune with the infinite -harmony of life. Alice Herring Christopher, the metaphysician, once -told me that every night as she drops off to sleep she says to herself -that she is going to have a lovely time, and as a consequence she does; -and that, on waking, she tries to realize how delightful her sleep has -been. - -[2] In an examination of the theory of the “subjective” and the -“objective mind,” see chap. vii. - -There is an old saying that, when a baby smiles in its sleep, it is -because the angels are whispering to it, and, if we kept ourselves in -communion with the substance of things, “angels” might bring us sweet -messages, too. They surely will, if we drop to sleep as lovingly and -peacefully as a little child. - -Another friend of mine, who has the faculty of wearing herself out -with the excitement of each day’s experiences, is learning to offset -this unnecessary drain upon her strength by suggesting to herself -each night, “I shall wake rested and refreshed in the morning.” By -this means she is gaining in nervous poise, and averting the numerous -“break-downs” from which she used to suffer. Having made this much -progress,—which brings her “not far from the kingdom,”—it only remains -for her to make the full claim for the fulfillment of the promise, “Ye -shall find rest to your souls,” to secure it. - -For the most part, men still regard sleep as a symbol of death, that -time when we shall know nothing of what goes on about us; when, -according to general belief, we no longer grow or enjoy. We exclaim -with Hesiod, “Sleep—the Brother of Death and the Son of Night!” But -the new idea of sleep as a growing time is overcoming that old idea of -sleep as death, and is beginning to rob even the great change itself of -its terrors. We are beginning to see that sleep does not interfere with -the activity of the mind, but simply gives it an opportunity to digest -and absorb impressions. In the same way it may be that death does not -interfere with the activity of the real man, but may afford him an -opportunity to get the full meaning of the experiences he had while -sojourning in the objective world. - -As it is not conceivable that life began with our individual appearance -in this world, so it is not likely that it will end when our individual -consciousness ceases. The sum of what we have learned and of what we -have done must go on, else all the learning and the doing would be for -naught. So this thing which was “I”—and will continue to be the sum -of that “I,” no matter whether I am conscious of it or not—will use -and absorb all that has been thought or done in the body, and accept or -reject its results. - -It will all count in that next experience, and help us to be, as -Browning says: - - “Fearless and unperplexed - When I wage battle next, - What weapons to select, what armor to endue.” - -The sum of our experiences added to the sum of all that have gone -before will help us to understand life better when and wherever we are -again conscious of it, just as the experiences of each day help us to -live the next day better. In the active, waking world the perceptive -mind receives impressions which the reflective mind stores up and -brings to bear upon our daily life and thought, thus developing greater -consciousness in the individual; so the interruption of all physical -activity may be necessary to the further development of the real and -intangible man. - -As one awakes each morning from a night’s sleep a new man, physically -and mentally, although not necessarily aware of any change, so may our -awakening be from the last sleep that men call death. It may be that -we shall arise to new experiences, or perhaps to further development -in a world that we cannot touch with our hands. But in either case we -may not doubt that the awakening will be good, for all life is good. -For, after all, we should know none of the joys of living if we had not -tried them. Life is consciousness, and hardly one of us would prefer -never to have lived; to have had no share in that which has meant -_man_; the growth and culmination of unnumbered centuries. Life is one, -a whole, and the “slings and arrows” of daily worries and toil are -only an unimportant part of it. And, if it is so good that we wish -to stay here and hope to enjoy it, if we can see how it has steadily -improved and beautified in the ages that have passed, we cannot fail to -see that all it may yet become will also be good. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -HOW TO GO TO SLEEP - - Sleep sweetly, tender heart in peace! - - TENNYSON. - - -Man craves sleep. If we know of a friend who is suffering in body -or mind we wish him sleep; mothers soothe their pain-racked or -terrified children to sleep with every gentle art known to them; -if, for any reason, man is out of harmony with his life as he sees -it, he instinctively turns to “Nature’s sweet restorer.” It is a -sovereign balm for many ills, yet we seldom recognize wherein its -virtue lies. During his waking hours man is frequently at odds with -his surroundings. He is out of tune with the real things of life and -is apt to mistake the material side of his life for the whole of his -being. But when sleeping he is less hampered with the impressions of -the workaday world, less resistant, and, therefore, more harmonious. It -is in this mental relaxation that the true benefit of sleep consists. - -We have as yet no conception of the immense import of suggestion to -ourselves or others as a cure for body or mind. Suggestions may often -be made to a person sound asleep, but they are most effective just at -the time when the reason and the will are losing control of the mind, -although consciousness has not yet lost its grip. - -Accordingly it helps our growth to relax the whole nature before going -to sleep and to drop into the mind the thought of peace and harmony; -the assurance that all is and must be well. To do this is to get the -best sort of sleep, the sleep that binds us closer to our fellows and -makes us feel the oneness of all life. This is the sleep from which we -awake refreshed, ready to take up the day’s duties cheerfully. It is an -old country saying, when a person seems what is called “out of sorts” -in the morning, that “he got out on the wrong side of the bed.” But it -is much more likely that he went to sleep in the wrong way: that is, in -an unloving frame of mind. - -“Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” has a wider significance -than we usually realize. As a matter of mere physical well-being, if we -have allowed the lack of knowledge or the selfishness of our brother -to annoy or irritate us, it is well to wipe away all traces of that -irritation before lying down to rest. It is well, when possible, to -seek the “little one” we have offended, through our own ignorance or -selfishness, and make our peace by confessing the fault; while, if we -are still self-centered enough to feel that our brother has dealt -harshly with us, we may remove all the sting by thinking lovingly -of him. As the soft answer turneth away wrath, so the soft attitude -turneth out wrath, both from ourselves and from him. Each day should -complete itself. Sufficient unto the day is the good and the evil -thereof, and to attempt to carry over the evil through resentment until -another day is but to lay up trouble for ourselves. - -For, after all, it is lack of knowledge or understanding that makes our -brother unkind to us or us to him. Each is doing the best he can, being -such a man as he is. Each of us has still some of that separateness -which makes us regard our own interests as apart from other interests, -or hostile to them. What our brother does, therefore, he does because -it seems to him the best thing for himself. As soon as he sees that -one cannot truly prosper at the expense of another, because we are all -one, he will give up his stupid ways—as we shall give up our stupid -ways when we see that same truth. Until then it is useless to be angry -or upset, for that is only to show that we, too, are unable to see -the oneness of all. As it is bad for our brother that he is so blind, -it were more consistent that we should feel sorrow than anger at his -self-injury. - -Epictetus understood that, nineteen hundred years ago, and we have not -become so stupid as to deny it; we only forget. He saw that there is -only one kind of motive in all men—they are moved by what they think is -right and best for themselves. Said he, “It is impossible to judge one -thing best for me and to seek a different one, to judge one thing right -and be inclined towards another.” We all know this about ourselves, but -we do not see it so plainly about others. - -If we felt this about all men, we should not have “indignation with -the multitude.” For what are all their wrongdoings? Is it not that they -are “mistaken about the things that are good and evil? Shall we then -be indignant with them, or shall we only pity them?... Show them the -error and we shall see how they will cease from it when they really see -it. But, if they do not see the error, they have naught better than the -deceptive appearance of the thing as it looks to them.” For, argues -Epictetus, “this man who errs and is deceived concerning things of the -greatest moment is blinded, not in the vision that distinguished black -and white, but in the judgment which distinguished Good and Evil.... If -it is the greatest misfortune to be deprived of the greatest things, -and the greatest thing in every man is a _Will_ such as he ought to -have, and if one be deprived of this, why are we still indignant with -him?... We need not be moved contrary to Nature by the evil deeds of -other men. Pity them rather, be not inclined to offense and hatred.... -When someone may do us an injury or speak ill of us, remember that he -does it or speaks it, believing that it is meet and best for him to do -so. It is not possible, then, that he can do the thing that appears -best to you, but the thing that appears best to him. Wherefore, if good -appears evil to him, it is he that is injured, being deceived. For, if -anyone takes a true consequence to be false, it is not the consequence -that is injured, but he is injured who is deceived. Setting out, then, -with these opinions, you will bear a gentle mind toward any man who -may injure you. For, say on each occasion, ‘so it appeared to him.’” -Forgive: and if you must blame somebody, blame yourself—you can forgive -yourself so easily. - -So we shall find sleep more restful if we leave behind us all the -shortcomings of ourselves and of our fellows, and approach that season -of seeming forgetfulness with love towards all. Calm as an infant’s -sleep will be the slumber of the all-loving man, and for him the new -day will dawn with increased brightness; his strength shall be renewed, -and his joy be more abundant. - -If we always lie down to sleep with this attitude, regarding the -darkness not merely as the time when the physical man should rest, -but also as a growing time for the spiritual man, it will not be long -before we adjust our daily life to more harmonious relations with the -universe. The more lovingly we live, the sweeter and sounder will be -our slumber, for so it is that “He giveth his beloved sleep.” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -SLEEP IS NATURAL - - Sleep is the joy of life. - - WU TING FANG. - - -Man has not gone so far beyond the animal stage of development as -to have cast aside all the weights that hinder him in his further -progress. He has considered three substantial meals daily necessary to -his health, and if, for any reason, his system refused to take that -quantity of food, he has worried himself almost into a fever over it. -Or, he has consulted a physician who has usually given him a tonic; -a tonic is something to stimulate the jaded appetite, or compel the -surfeited stomach to do more work than it should. - -Recent research has shown that this overworking of the digestive organs -is a fruitful source of physical disease, that it dulls the mind and -chills the spirit. Our loving Mother Nature punishes each excess, -because pain quickest draws our attention to our wrongdoing. The flesh -strives with us as well as the Spirit, for we reap in our own bodies -the fruit of our ways; still man looks everywhere but within for -advice and counsel. His feelings may warn him that he is pursuing the -wrong course, but, until some authority has assured him that he is -doing wrong, he rarely pays heed to his inner warnings. - -Gluttony is one of the evils which Nature tries to save man from. The -stomach rebels when it is made to dispose of too much material, and -calls in the rest of the body to assist in making a protest. The head -aches, the heart works uneasily, the liver and bowels become inactive, -the limbs grow heavy, and the whole abused man is ill at ease. A bad -breath is worse than an evil spirit, and a bad digestion is a surer -sign of ill-doing than a bad conscience. Nature has done her best to -show the foolishness of overeating; it is not her fault if man persists -in this course in spite of her warnings, but she takes care that he -pays the price of his wrongdoing, sometimes in sleeplessness, often in -even more serious ways. - -Overeating has been the fashion for centuries. We have thought that, -the more we eat, the stronger we should become, and mankind has -followed that fashion despite the ills that it has caused, forgetting -that it is what we digest, not what we eat, that nourishes. The effects -of overeating are both direct and indirect. The direct effects are -those that dog the heels of the offense. These effects, when acute, -have even caused death in a few hours or days, as with King John and -his “dish of lamprey eels,” but some of the indirect effects are more -direful. Much of the use of alcoholic liquors is due to overeating. -When we have eaten too much, and the digestive organs are so overloaded -that they cannot work, we take alcohol in some form to stimulate them -to greater action. As we continue the wrong practice, it requires more -and more liquor to stimulate us, usually ending in stupor, a parody of -sleep. In a short time that which we used to cure or offset one evil -has created a habit, in itself a greater evil. - -It took us a long time to see the connection between illness, -drunkenness, and overeating. We now know that drink becomes a habit and -after that a disease. If we look at mankind in the mass, drunkenness -appears plainly as the result of two general causes, overstimulation of -the indulgent classes, and the malnutrition that craves stimulants in -the masses of the underfed. - -Like every other faculty, consciousness becomes dulled through lack -of exercise. It follows that oversleeping inclines to dullness and -stupidity. Further, the body will readily accommodate itself to the -physiological conditions that prevail during sleep, to a changed blood -circulation, and breathing. The oversleeping may come to resemble -the hibernation of some animals. For those inclined to drowsiness or -to unnaturally long sleep, real interests in life are helpful, also -amusements, pleasant society in the evenings, and even tea and coffee -or other mild stimulants are useful. - -Meanwhile, some people, at least, think they suffer from insomnia, who -in fact suffer from going to bed too soon or lying abed too late—in the -struggle to sleep more than they need. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE DUPLEX MIND - - Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth - Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep. - - MILTON. - - -We must not forget that it is easy to miss the good results of any -natural function, and, through misuse, get only poor results. As in the -matter of eating, we should get only good from satisfying our hunger, -but the acquired habit of eating more than we need or can digest does -incalculable harm. In the same way we may misuse sleep, and so lose its -best benefits. - -“Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,” may be made, as -Shakespeare says, a repairing time as well as a resting time, for as -Iamblichus, the Neo-Platonic philosopher saw, “The night-time of the -body is the daytime of the soul.” With some insight into the best uses -of this natural habit, Iamblichus further said that, during sleep, -“the nobler part of the soul is united by abstraction to higher -natures and becomes a participant in the wisdom and foreknowledge of -the gods.” Dr. Thomas J. Hudson’s claim made a very popular appeal, -that there is a subjective mind made up of our inner knowledge, our -own intuitions and mental processes. He alleged it to be a part -of our being that is able, in some instances—as in the case of -“lightning calculators,” of mind-readers and of some clairvoyants—to -perceive the relations of things without reasoning them out, and to -perceive the fixed laws of Nature without the aid of the senses.[3] He -concluded that this mind or this faculty of mind is an inheritance from -experiences and conclusions of the race in its upward growth. - -[3] “Law of Psychic Phenomena,” chap. vi. - -Swedenborg also, who was at least a noted scientist, divided the mind -into the Interior, corresponding to the subjective mind, and the -Exterior or reasoning memory.[4] - -[4] Arcana Coelestia, § 1772. - -The objective mind, as it may be called, is what we all know as mind -or intellect, that part which deals with external objects, getting -its impressions and reaching its conclusions from observation. It is -differently affected in different individuals by such purely physical -things as sight and hearing. For a proof of this, ask any two persons -who have seen and heard and been affected by something you have seen -and felt, to describe its effect upon them, and the mental picture they -have of it. Not only will they not agree in detail with each other, -but you will find that neither has seen it in the same way that you -have. - -Modern science cannot accept the statement that foreign, mysterious -agencies control the mind during sleep; but may not some such -experience as that which Iamblichus describes, come to us in sleep by -the spirit working, not from without, but from within us? Our spiritual -nature is freed at night from the incessant calls that beset us during -the day. In the calm that comes over it in the night-time the doors of -the storehouses of memory may stand wide open before it, and it may -lead perhaps a broader, fuller life. - -Professor William James has shown that in our waking hours, each of us -is not so much a single self as a cluster of separate selves—a business -self, social self, the material self, and so on—all making up the man -as his casual acquaintances know him. Professor James found that in -every individual there is rivalry and sometimes discord among these -partial selves. Now may it not be that in the silence, these warring -factions lose their identity in a state of broader conscious life, and -merge themselves into a harmoniously acting “Spiritual Me”? - -From the standpoint of this spiritual self, then, the waking state -shows only the objective aspects of the mind. It is that understanding -which shows us all men working, whether willingly or unwillingly, for -the common good, and each receiving what he needs or has power to use. -It is a recognition that all men are comprehended in the Spirit’s -plan, that nothing can be for the common harm; that even mistakes work -out for good, and that life gives to each the experience from which -he will get most development and the power which he can best use and -relate to his whole life. From the spiritual standpoint the subjective -mind is the indwelling life of the soul; and its growth a matter of -gradual self-attainment. At its highest stage it is the realization of -that which we have in common with everyone—that understanding and that -consciousness of the law of harmony which makes us love all mankind, -and live in communion with the love that is the substance of all -things. The separate self does not appear at all on the horizon of such -thought and purpose. - -We have all had a consciousness of this love at some time in our lives, -no matter how the cares of the world may have choked it out. It was -this consciousness that made a little boy say, in a burst of happiness, -“I love everything, and everything loves me.” When we “become like a -little child” in this sense, we, too, recognize the love that binds all -life in one. - -When we can harmonize these two—the subconscious, that knows no -separate self, with the objective, that can see all men as one because -it sees all men as working for the same end—we shall have rest and -harmony instead of worry, the insanity of the spiritual mind. - -The objective mind which is active during waking hours, apparently -rests during sleep; the subconscious mind is ever busy. Like the heart -or the digestive organs, the subconscious mind carries on its work -during that break in our usual consciousness which we call sleep. How -this is done we do not know, any more than we know how the physical -organs carry on their work while we are wrapped in slumber and -unconscious of all about us. There are very few, though, who have not -had some proof of the activity of the latent mind during sleep. That -somehow this under-mind does work in an “uncanny” way—that is to say, -in an unknown way—is shown by the fact that most persons can wake up at -any hour that they fix in their minds without being called and without -the abominable alarm clock. - -It is a common enough thing to hear people say, “I do not know how I -knew that; I never remember hearing it; it just came to me.” Or, “I -tried and tried to think of that yesterday, and could not, but, when -I woke this morning, it was the first thing that came to my mind.” -Such incidents show that some process of which we are not objectively -conscious is going on all the time; that no mental experience is -destroyed or wholly dissipated. The common wish is “to sleep over” -any perplexing matter. After a good sleep our ideas are often better -arranged than when we fell asleep. - -I have a friend who drops all her problems into her subconscious -thought, refuses to be “exercised in her mind” about them, and leaves -them for the latent mind to answer. So long as she views them from the -objective, conscious point of view only, she finds herself worrying -and losing sleep. The sleep-won mind, the “all-knowing Self,” as it -were, is not touched by worry, perhaps because, in communion with -the substance of all experience, it perceives that there are few -“problems” in life, when she does not persist in regarding as a -“problem” each separate experience. - -We must learn to connect each experience with what we know of our life -up to that point and with what we think it is meant to be. This effort -will often show us, or itself prove to be, the key to the “problem.” -But it is only the scientific expert, one who has a perfect conception -of the workings of all the parts of the frame, who can take one bone -and reconstruct from it the entire structure of the extinct animal. -That would be impossible for the tyro, and most of us are tyros in the -science of living. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -WAKEFULNESS - - And Sleep will not lie down but walks - Wild-eyed and cries to time. - - “Ballad of Reading Gaol.” OSCAR WILDE. - - -The fact that we confound rest and sleep makes us regard wakefulness as -an evil. We go to bed to sleep, and, if sleep does not come at once, -we begin to fret and to toss and we try by every means that we know -to force ourselves to sleep. We never accomplish anything that way, -because it is essentially opposed to the nature of sleep. Sleep, to be -refreshing, must be complete relaxation of mind and body, and that is -not gained by striving. Natural sleep is merely “letting go,” which is -just what so many find hard to do. The course is so simple and plain -that “the wayfaring man, though a fool, _need_ not err therein,” but -he often does err in spite of its simplicity; and sometimes, perhaps, -even because of its simplicity. - -Naaman, captain of the host of Syria, went to the Israelitish prophet, -Elisha, to be cured of his leprosy. As he was a great man with his -master, he expected some special ceremony done for him. Imagine his -surprise and wrath when bidden to wash in the River Jordan. - -At first Naaman went away in a rage; such advice ill-befitted his ideas -of his needs. If it were enough that he should bathe in a river, why -in Jordan? “Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better -than all the waters of Israel?” Why not wash in them and be clean? And -Naaman turned and went away. - -But his servants questioned him and said: “Had the prophet bid thee do -some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then -when he saith to thee ‘wash and be clean’?” Then Naaman yielded and was -made whole. - -This story is a picture of our own ways. We despise the remedy that is -simple, and we feel sure that, had it been some great thing, we should -have found it easier to do. We are unwilling to accept simple, natural -explanations of our difficulties. We feel so because we think so -highly of ourselves. We forget that the greatest things are often the -simplest, and, if the natural things are too hard for us to do, it is -because we lack that true greatness which sees and welcomes directness. - -If man understood his life better, he would cease to think of anything -as an “accident” without a cause. He would know that nothing can occur -to him that does not signify something to him in relation to his share -in the plan of the Universe. He would understand that so simple a thing -as whether or not he shall fall asleep as soon as he lies down to rest, -or whether he shall find that “sleep has forsaken his eyes and slumber -his eyelids,” may be an experience of great importance to him. - -Every incident of life is subject to law; yet many of the most -important functions of the body are performed without any consciousness -of their relation and dependence one upon another: as, for instance, -breathing upon the circulation of the blood, which in turn depends -upon the heart’s pumping, and that upon the digestion, and that upon -the food, and so on; the same is true of mental activities, and must -be true of spiritual activities, for the same law runs through all of -life. The wakefulness surely has some cause and some significance, else -it had not been. - -When something “goes wrong,” we are forced to look into our case, and -note the relation of one state of mind or body to other states. It is -then, if ever, that we learn which is cause and which is effect; how -mistakes result in pain and pain warns us of mistakes, and how one -necessarily follows the other. If it were not for the pain that follows -the violation of some natural law, man might go on in his unwise course -until he had altogether destroyed his physical body. - -It is the pain from the burn on the tiny hand that warns the infant -not again to touch what he is told is “hot.” If fire did not pain the -body, we might be destroyed by flames without making any effort to -escape. In fact, the chilliness and numbness of the African “sleeping -sickness” often lead patients actually to burn off their hands or feet -in the effort to get warm. It is quite possible that, if there were no -pains in child-birth, women would bear children continually until they -were themselves exhausted or their progeny overran one another. It is -pain that tells us that a tooth is decayed, so that even toothache may -be a blessing. - -Therefore, if we are wise, instead of rebelling against pain, we should -accept it gratefully as the helper and the possible preserver of our -lives, and we should accept the wakefulness quietly as the sign of -something that needs correction, or else as an opportunity for quiet -thought and reflection. - -When we have found what is wrong, and do our best to correct it, not -only is the attention drawn from the pain to the remedy, but the effort -to relieve it lessens the effect of the suffering.[5] - -[5] Tolstoy has traced out the working of that curious and benign -dispensation. See chap. xvii, “Life and Love and Peace,” where the -present author has fully considered his views. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -SIMPLE CAUSES OF WAKEFULNESS - - Where care lodges, sleep will never lie. - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -We all know the blessing of sleep, but it is hard to show the sufferer -that wakefulness is useful. - -Wakefulness always has some cause, and, if we truly wish to be cured -of it, it will be well to seek the cause rather than to grumble at the -wakefulness itself. It is not enough to know what is the matter, we -must find out why it is the matter. To find the cause of any condition -simplifies matters; it makes the course we must follow clearer. If the -cause can be removed, we should bend all our energies to removing it; -to paraphrase Stephen Pearl Andrews’ saying—we are not to be subject -to circumstances, but rather to make ourselves center-stances. But, -if the matter be something over which we have no control, there are -two courses open to us: the first is to accept the condition and adapt -ourselves to it; the second is to devise some method by which we may -gain control over it. - -A childish story[6] will illustrate this: - -[6] Republished by permission of the Century Company. - - Once there was a squirrel that did not like its home, and it used to - scold and find fault with everything. Its papa squirrel had long gray - whiskers, so he was wise. He said to the squirrel: “My dear, as you - do not like your home, there are three sensible things you could do: - - Leave it, - or Change it, - or Suit yourself to it. - - Any one of these would help you in your trouble.” But the little - squirrel said, “Oh! I do not want to do any of those; I had rather - sit on the branch of a tree and scold.” “Well,” said the papa - squirrel, “if you must do that, whenever you want to scold, just go - out on a branch and scold away at someone you do not know.” The little - squirrel blushed so much that he became a red squirrel, and you will - notice that to this day red squirrels do just that thing. - -Whatever course we pursue, we find something to do in connection with -the underlying principle or cause; this _doing_ prevents us from -wasting energy and patience upon mere effects. That is an advantage, -for any action relieves mental pain, and often relieves physical pain, -too. The victim writhes not only in its effort to escape, but in the -effort to express its feeling, to respond to the excited nerves, just -as we dance about or hop up and down when we hit our finger with the -hammer. We often hear people deplore that their suffering is increased -because they can do nothing to remedy the trouble. We frequently -exclaim, “It would be easier to bear, if only I could _do_ something.” -A knowledge of what to do and how to do it always helps toward peace of -mind. - -When yellow fever was one of the “mysterious dispensations of -Providence,” men of science fought only its symptoms, with very -indifferent success. The people in the district where the fever broke -out were panic-stricken; those who could fled from the place; those -who were compelled to remain went about in fear of their lives. Now -that we believe that the bite of an infected mosquito is the once -“mysterious dispensation,” we no longer allow the infection to spread. -Fear and unreason might have continued to treat outbreaks and epidemics -of yellow fever for centuries to come without lasting advantage to the -plague-ridden spots, but the knowledge of what to do and how to do it -has made yellow fever a preventable evil. It has no terrors for an -intelligent community. - -So with wakefulness. If we find ourselves wakeful when we should be -sleeping, the first thing to do is to find the reason. - -Sometimes we cause our own sleeplessness unsuspectingly, but none -the less deliberately, by the false requirements that we lay upon -ourselves. People often say, “I could not go to sleep in a room like -that.” If there is time and opportunity to put the room in order, why -do it; but, if not, we can resolve, as the boys say, to “forget it.” -Many a woman frets and disturbs herself continually by putting things -in what she considers order, which things are no better for being -rearranged and which generally cannot stay in order—endless pushing -in of chairs and placing pamphlets or books with the little ones on -top and the big ones at the bottom; a constant and wearisome struggle -to keep all the shades in the house in a line. The labor of Sisyphus, -who had forever to roll a great stone up a sand hill, would be restful -compared with that. I knew a man once who would be entirely upset, and -would upset all the people about him, if his stockings that came from -the wash were not placed below those in the drawer so that they would -surely be used in rotation. - -Some persons cannot sleep after dawn if the light shines on their -faces, yet are so possessed by the idea of order that they will not -move the bed, disarrange the furniture to make a screen, or even sleep -with their heads at the foot of the bed. - -Another person insists always on being waked up by the last person to -come home in order to be sure that the house was closed up. Still -another cannot go to sleep till he has balanced up every cent of petty -cash spent that day. - -Many persons spend the most of their thought and exhaust themselves -over things that are just as trivial and inconsequent as these; though -they seem important to them. When anything has become such a habit, -even though reasonable in itself, that you cannot sleep without it, you -are paying too dear for it and it is time to change it. There is danger -even in good habits—they may master us. - -It may be that we have had some stimulating mental experience which -has not yet relaxed its grip upon our attention. In such case even -bodily weariness is apt to be forgotten, for, after all, every physical -sensation is dependent upon some mental condition, whether fleeting or -permanent. It is this interdependence of physical feeling and thought -which makes it possible to recall emotions of pain or sorrow, of -comfort or joy. The sight, the touch, or the smell of certain things -will bring back sensations that once accompanied them, whether those -sensations be painful or pleasant. - -If the mind has been so stimulated that it cannot relax, there is -little likelihood that sleep will come quickly, but we cannot relax by -impatience. Tossing and turning will not quiet the mind; we must either -accept the condition calmly and follow out the train of thought that -has started or deliberately side-track the exciting cause. This may be -done by setting up a counter activity in the mind along quieting lines. -For instance, if one had walked the streets late on some such occasion -as a New Year’s Eve celebration in New York, and had become stimulated -by the lights and the crowds, he might deliberately recall the most -peaceful day in the country that it had been his fortune ever to know. - -A typical scene of this sort is a warm Sunday in late spring, when -all the usual activities of country life have ceased; the air is -heavy with the scent of clover and field flowers, the apple blossoms, -and the thousand odors of the fresh country field; the air moving so -lazily that it scarcely stirs the trees; the cow chewing the meditative -cud; the bees buzzing dreamily; the very horses, standing under the -shed of the little white country church, whinnying softly to each -other, as knowing that a spell of peace is over all, a spell that must -not be broken; while from the church itself comes the drone of the -preacher,—each little stir a part of the peace that broods over the -day. Think of some such thing as that, recall it in all its details, -and the chances are that the drowsiness induced at the time, whether -one were of the congregation or a mere onlooker, will again steal over -the eyelids and, before one is aware of any change, he is well on the -way to the land of dreams. - -In the same way if one has read an exciting book, or has seen a -thrilling play, one may either live them over until the feelings -exhaust themselves, because no longer new, or one may deliberately -divert one’s self from thinking of them and devote the attention to -more soothing things. Either course removes all cause for impatience -with the fact of wakefulness and leaves the mind quieted. This tends to -drowsiness, even if it does not really induce sleep. - -Sometimes it may help us if we rise and read some quieting book, not -“a thriller.” Such a volume as Thoreau’s “Walden,” or that more modern -little volume, “Adventures in Contentment,” by David Grayson, or we -may repeat some soothing poem like Tennyson’s “Sweet and Low,” or -Burroughs’ “My Own Shall Come to Me” and similar verses. - -Any of these will help to relax tension, and put us in a more restful -frame of mind, and, as minds differ, so some persons will find books -and verses of other sorts to have the desired effect upon them. - -When we cannot sleep, to rise, throw back the bed-clothes so as to cool -the bed, walk about the room, go to the window and fill the lungs with -oxygen often tend to quiet the body and mind. We must learn to know our -own needs and to find out each for himself what meets them. To “know -thyself” is only the first step to control thyself. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -“LIGHT” SLEEPERS - - He sleeps well who knows not that he sleeps ill. - - PUBLIUS SYRUS (42 B.C.). - - -Someone may say that such things as stimulation of the mind are simple -causes of wakefulness, and so easily overcome that it is hardly -necessary to consider them; yet, simple as they are, they frequently -make the wakeful one impatient. The more complex causes are really as -easily dealt with as these simple ones, when once we have learned to -control the mind. Take, for instance, the complaining “light sleeper” -who cannot sleep if anybody else makes a noise, or if anything out -of the ordinary occurs. He is in a steady state of apprehension lest -something will happen to disturb his rest; and generally something does -happen. A baby cries, a dog barks, a heavily-laden team lumbers by, -an automobile honks, a locomotive shrieks, or a steamer whistles, and -sleep forsakes him for the night. - -He pronounces anathema on the offending cause; he pities himself for -his sensitiveness, at the same time that he almost despises his -fellows who are so “dead and unresponsive that they can sleep through -such a racket” he suffers at the thought that he may get no more sleep, -yet he enjoys the prospect of rehearsing to a sympathizing audience in -the morning the tortures of such a delicate organization as his. This -sort of sleeplessness is made up of so many contributing causes that -it is difficult for any but the most perfectly honest man to decide -what makes him so susceptible to noise. But it is undoubtedly true that -some of these causes are due to fear, to training, and, most of all, to -self-interest. - -It is always difficult to make the super-sensitive person realize -that his suffering is due chiefly to self-consideration and a desire -to control others. It is an undue recognition of one’s own claim upon -the very circumstances of life that makes one offer so many surfaces -which may be “hurt.” We may be disturbed in our sleep by the ordinary -pursuits of our fellows because we have an exaggerated idea of the -importance of certain conditions that appeal to us and make for our -comfort. We wish to sleep at a certain time, and we should like to -regulate all our neighbors so that they, too, should suspend all -activities at that same time. We accustom ourselves to quiet; and then -insist that we cannot do without it. - -There is a story told of a man working in a foundry who formed a part -of two “shifts” of workmen and betweenwhiles slept for some hours in -the foundry. When released from that strain, he found that he could not -sleep at home because it was so quiet, and it became necessary for the -members of his family to unite in making ringing, pounding noises to -lull him to slumber. - -It is a well-known fact that those who live near the cataracts of -the Nile cannot sleep if they get beyond the sound of the pounding. -Soldiers, who are wearied after a hard day’s march or fighting, will -sleep soundly beside twenty-four pounder guns steadily firing; or even -sleep on the march, their legs moving mechanically though their senses -are steeped in sleep. - -Country people coming to the city are kept awake by the unusual street -noises, while city-dwellers, accustomed to the roar of elevated or -subway trains, are unable to sleep in the country because of the -intense silence which Nature’s noises often emphasize. - -Unreflecting man is a creature of habit: if any change occurs in his -routine, he finds it difficult to adapt himself to it. He seldom comes -to understand that it is chiefly insistence upon his own needs as apart -from the needs or interests of others that makes him require certain -conditions for sleeping. In either case the cause of wakefulness is -easily found; but nobody other than the individual most concerned can -remove it. - -If we are living in selfish disharmony with our fellows; if we are -indulging feelings of envy, malice, uncharitableness or hatred towards -those about us, we are not likely to sleep refreshingly. All such -emotions do more harm to the one who feels them than to those against -whom they are directed. They may undermine the health, destroy the -mental poise, and blot out the sense of kinship with mankind. The -Hebrews understood that so well that he who would offer a sacrifice is -reminded that, if he have aught against his brother, he must leave his -gift at the altar and make his peace before he can offer an acceptable -sacrifice to God. - -If wakefulness be the result of impatience with our brother, there is -only one cure for it: that is, to replace it with loving patience. It -is the lack of love, or the possession of very narrow love, that causes -us pain in our relations with other people. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE GIFTS OF WAKEFULNESS - - -“But,” you say, “I am not full of uncharitableness towards my fellows -and I am willing they should live their own lives; I am greatly worried -about my own affairs and all my cares come trooping back to me as -soon as I lie down. I cannot sleep for worry.” Yes; but is not that -only another form of selfishness? A subtle form, but none the less -disturbing. Moreover, it is shortsighted, as is all selfishness, for it -is a boomerang. If the worry is about business, we shall need a clear -brain and a steady nerve to face the condition that is causing the -uneasiness; and worry at night will not give us these. On the contrary, -it will destroy what remnant of poise we may have. - -The solution of trouble is not found in worry. Just recall how often -you have said yourself, or heard somebody say, “After all my worrying -it came out all right; it is strange that I never once thought of that -way.” Worry prevents clear thinking, or, indeed, thinking of any sort. -We go around and around in a circle until we grow giddy and faint -with apprehension, while all the time we might have peace if we but -looked at life aright, to see that, in the words of the old Book, -“it is all very good.” When a mechanic is putting a machine together -and finds that the parts do not fit, that they do not “go right” or -harmonize, he will reach one of two conclusions. Either the maker did -not know his business, and so did not make the parts to fit, or else -he, himself, is putting them together in the wrong way. If he wants -to put that machine together so that it will work well, he will look -into the matter carefully, examining each part, all the time keeping in -his mind a conception of the complete machine. He will probably find -that he has been trying to fit two unrelated parts together, or has -reversed their position, misunderstood or only partially understood -their uses, or has done something through carelessness that may easily -be corrected. Of course, if he is a stupid or foolish workman, and not -a skilled mechanic, he may persist in his wrong course and fail to get -the machine into working order. But that is not the fault of the maker, -nor does it prove that the machine would not do perfect work if it were -rightly understood and intelligently controlled. So it is with the -Cosmos, the orderly world, which will go right for us if we do our part -right. - -The first step towards knowing how to get anything is to have a clear -idea of what it is that we want; for development is not thrust upon us, -nor dropped upon us by our parents. It is desire that creates function; -the creature that wants to swim is the creature that learns to swim; -the bird that does not want to fly will lose the power; before we can -rise higher, we must look higher. - -“When the ideal once alights in our streets,” says Edward Carpenter, -“we may go home to supper in peace, the rest will be seen to.” But, -if we enjoy worry as the countryman’s wife “enjoys poor health,” we -shall continue to have it, for we always get what we most want, if we -set about it in the right way. And if we do not want worry, we need -not worry. If the trouble is unavoidable or unchangeable, it were wise -to use our powers to adjust ourselves to the inevitable. If it be a -curable trouble, the only thing is to discover or devise a cure. As -soon as we start to work we cease to worry, because worry and effective -activity cannot exist at the same time. Man, at least, is such a -creature that any real action looking towards a definite end brings him -pleasure; and, though the action may have been stimulated by pain, yet -the pleasure he finds in the action mitigates, if it does not destroy, -the pain. - -If the original cause for the worry lies in our own ignorance, -selfishness, or thoughtlessness, the anxiety may teach us to repair the -ill so that we may not have to get the same lesson again. But worrying -will teach us less than a cheerful acceptance of the facts—or than that -courage which says, - - “And still the menace of the years - Finds and shall find me unafraid”— - -and one of the best aids to cheerfulness is sound, refreshing sleep. If -we should put off all worrying until the morning, there would be very -little worrying done by the normal, healthy person, for, after a good -night’s sleep and in the clear light of day, things look much better -than they did in the darkness and solitude of the night, with mind and -body worn from the activities of the day. - -If we feel that our affairs are too important to be left to the care of -the Providence that keepeth Israel, and slumbers not nor sleeps, then -at least we may wait until morning to give our attention to them. It is -unfair to bring exhausted faculties to bear upon matters of so great -weight. If our troubles can be helped by worrying, we should worry when -we are in the best possible trim. To do less were to underestimate -their importance and to prove that, anyway, they are not worth losing -sleep over. - -But there is still another way of looking at wakefulness, when we -cannot trace the cause of it. It may be the time sent to us by the -Spirit for quiet thought. The ancients believed that God spoke in -visions of the night. We may not always be able to sleep, but we can -always lie in the arms of our Great Mother Nature. There is a real -philosophy as well as devotion in the old prayer we teach our children, -“Now I lay me down to sleep.” A still older form of the almost -instinctive recognition of the fact that sleeping is but intrusting -ourselves to the Universal love was, “He committed himself to God in -sleep.” Like sleep, a wakeful night may be a growing time. It affords -the quiet, the time, the seclusion to think over the meanings of -things, or even to seek the cause of the wakefulness itself. For that -is the first thing to do if we find ourselves wakeful; if the cause -be so obscure that we cannot find it, then the best thing to do is to -accept the fact. - -Either we do not need the sleep we are seeking,—the reclining position -being all the _rest_ the body needs,—or else we do need the wakefulness -to teach us something that we can learn or will learn in no other way. -It is a time when, free from the watchful eyes of those who love us, or -those who do not love us, we need not fear to look at ourselves, our -motives, our relations to our fellows. - -It may be only at such a time that we can feel the closeness of the -tie that binds all mankind, only in such a time that a life-giving -sense of oneness can renew life and joy. Some persons are so acutely -conscious of the surge around them during the day that it is difficult, -if not impossible, for them to get any large view of it. They are so -beset and bewildered by each little detail of life that they cannot -see any relation among things as a whole, cannot “see the wood for -the trees.” Or, it may be that a lack of poise, a false estimate of -the relations of things, makes them find “their own affairs” so -interesting or exhausting that the observing mind gets no large or deep -impressions to be added to the sum of the knowledge the inner self -possesses. - -For either of these classes the wakeful night may prove more restful -and helpful than hours of sleep. It may be made to bring a breadth of -view that will lift one out of the narrow limits in which daily life is -passed. It may do as much as this for any of us, and, if we reject the -receptive mood, and insist upon objecting to the wakefulness, we may -thereby deprive ourselves of some of the most illuminating experiences. - -Someone has said: “Sleep, like drink, may drown our sorrows, yet -it also drowns our joys. What could we not accomplish if we did not -require sleep?” It may be comforting to think of this when we are lying -awake, that at least we are wasting no time. The gift of wakefulness -is often as desirable as is the gift of sleep, and, if we welcome the -one as what must be—with as much cheerfulness as the other—each will -bring us equal blessings. It often happens that what we regard as evil -is but Life’s left hand outstretched with a gift whose use we did not -recognize when presented by her right hand. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE PURPOSE OF SLEEP - - Sleep is a life giver as well as a life saver. - - WILLARD MOYER. - - -But none of these things lessens the benefits of real sleep, nor are -they intended to show that sleep is unnecessary, for although it may be -true, as Dr. Charles Brodie Patterson says in “The New Heaven and the -New Earth,” that man will some day get along without sleep, no one is -yet able to do that. - -Although our troubles make us lose sleep, we could lose all or nearly -all our troubles if we got natural sleep. Forgetfulness of daily frets, -of the wear and tear of contact with the sharp edges of our own temper -and the temper of others—these are the things that sleep blots out. -“Go to sleep,” says Mother Nature, “and forget your troubles.” And -to blot them out even for a time means surcease of sorrow and worry -for that time at least, and a new way of looking at them when we have -awakened. That is what sleep is for. It is the use of it. - -Pat took Mike to church for the first time, and, when the ceremony was -over, he said, “Well, Mike, what do you think uv it?” “Think uv it, -Pat? The candles, the bowings, the incinse, and the garmints,—it do -bate the divil.” - -“Sure,” replied Pat, “thot’s the intintion.” And so it is the -intention of sleep to “beat the devil” of unrest and dissatisfaction. -Nothing makes us feel better than a good night’s sleep. It soothes the -aching muscles, quiets the jangling nerves, brushes away the cobwebs of -the mind, and leaves us rested and refreshed, strong to meet the events -of the new day. - -It is after a bad night that we rise oppressed with fear for what the -day may bring us; overwhelmed in advance with shadowings of evil. This, -in itself, makes us unequal to the demands of the day. If any seeming -strain is put upon us that day, we are apt to make errors in meeting -it; if we find anyone has failed to do just what seemed to us best, we -upbraid him roundly and unlovingly, making him and ourselves unhappy. - -At the close of such a spoiled day, when we review its happenings, we -say: “I knew this morning that this would be an unlucky day. I felt it -as soon as I got up.” But we may not realize that that very attitude -of fear and apprehension may have caused all that we call ill-luck. -Remember this, then, lest the one bad day should spoil another night. - -Often after a night of sound, wholesome, refreshing sleep we are -surprised to find that what looked like a mountain at midnight is now -scarcely a hillock. We find that we can see around it on all sides, -and the prospect of surmounting that difficulty fills us with peculiar -delight. We are no longer apprehensive of anything. The things we see -in our work in the world are no more terrible than what we see in that -unknown world which we enter nightly through the gate of sleep. We -long to pass that gate, yet we know nothing of where we go, how far we -travel, or by what means we come back. - -If we can trust Life for what the night brings, we can trust it further -and gladly accept what the day brings. We feel this, even if we are not -conscious of it, and after a good sleep (this is what sleep is for), we -accept it much as the child accepts his mother’s care. - -A little boy was riding in a trolley car with his parents and persisted -in standing up, to the terror of his mother, who begged him to sit down -lest he get hurt. - -Turning to his father he whispered, as he reluctantly took his seat, -“What a ’fraid-cat mother is.” “Oh, well!” replied his father, -“she is nervous, but you know she has to take care of her little boy.” -“Yes,” said the child, “that’s what she is for.” So that is what -sleep is for—to take care of us, but we cannot compel sleep; and the -advantage of recognizing the possible gifts of wakefulness is that we -thus get around to the frame of mind where we drop into natural sleep. -Impatience not only delays the coming of sleep, but it robs us of any -benefit we might receive from lying peacefully in the dark. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE SLEEP OF THE INVALID - - Sleep, O gentle Sleep, - Nature’s soft nurse— - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -We should not think that, because we are ill, it is natural that we -should not sleep. The invalid needs more and better sleep than the -robust person—and the invalid can have it. - -It is true that, as more and better sleep comes, the invalid will -cease to be an invalid—at least that is the beginning of the end of -invalidism. For Nature provides sleep as the “balm of hurt minds” —a -cure for body or mind that needs restoring. - -In the case of severe illness the physician in charge feels relieved -when he learns that his patient is sleeping well. The professional -idea of sleep is that nutrition goes on most perfectly during sleeping -hours; that is, that Nature repairs all the waste that results from the -use of brain and muscle during our waking hours. The more prolonged and -undisturbed the sleep is, the more opportunity Nature has to make good -the extra demands made upon the system by disease. It opens the way -for the “Vis Medicatrix Naturæ”—the healing power of Life. - -Take, for example, the fever patient. Anyone who has watched beside a -loved one slowly consuming, with the fever raging in his blood, will -remember the sigh of relief that has gone up from physician and nurse -when the patient falls into a natural sleep after the turn of things. -During dreadful nights and anxious days we wait breathlessly for the -“crisis”; we hang upon the physician’s word, scan his face for every -fleeting expression, because we may be deceived by the disease, but his -practiced eye should know. But we do not need his assurance when the -moaning and restlessness pass, when the stertorous breathing quiets, -when the skin becomes moist, and the gentle, regular breathing tells us -that natural sleep has come. If we can be spared, we go out under the -stars and, whether Christian or pagan, up from the depths of our souls -wells a prayer of thankfulness to “whatever gods there be” for the -incomparable blessing of sleep. We feel as if we could “go softly all -our days” before the powers who have decreed that sleep shall gently -steep the eyelids of the one we love. - -Nourishment, in the form of food, is desirable, but more important -still is the sleep when Nature busies herself building new tissue and -blood to make good the ravages of fever’s siege. We are careful to -keep even good news from the patient, if we have cause to fear that -it will prove too stimulating, and everything depressing or alarming -is absolutely withheld, because sleep is the paramount need of the -depleted body. - -We all recognize the value of sleep to the person just past the crisis -of a severe illness, and the next thing to learn is that to the person -invalided through some less active cause, it is as necessary, and that -it may be had. - -It may seem an extravagant statement to say that the invalid should -be able to summon sleep at will even better than an active, healthy -person. But we may see the truth of this statement if we accept Dr. -Edward Binns’ assurance that “in no sense can fatigue be said to be -the cause of sleep,” so that the usual claim that the sick do not get -an opportunity to weary themselves, and so cannot expect sound sleep, -cannot be accounted a reason for sleeplessness of the invalid. - -To be sure, lying abed is not always restful. A friend of mine was -kept in bed for some weeks by a broken ankle. It was necessary to -remain in the one position day and night, which so wore upon her -nervous organization that she grew restless and “lost” much sleep. In -this condition, she said the hardest thing to bear was the well-meant -congratulations of her friends that at least she was “getting a -much-needed rest.” But the real reason why an invalid should learn to -sleep at will is because sleep alone can do what Macbeth asks of the -physician: - - “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, - Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, - Raze out the written troubles of the brain, - And with some sweet oblivious antidote - Cleanse the stuff’d bosom of that perilous stuff - Which weighs upon the heart?” - -Yes, sleep can do this; and illness has need of just such comfort. The -enforced idleness leads to much reflection and the nervous system is -then ill-adapted to endure emotional strain. If pain be added there is -still greater need for sleep. Nor is pain absolutely hostile to sleep: -the writer can often go to sleep while the dentist is drilling and -filling his teeth, and Dr. J. Howard Reed says that this is not very -uncommon. - -Pain is Nature’s strong protest against overstimulation or overexertion -and the exhaustion which it occasions is itself conducive to sleep. It -would be better for us to heed that protest and use our intelligence to -secure sound, refreshing sleep, that Nature might perfect her cures. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF PAIN - - He kisses brows that ache from earthly care; - He soothes to peace the indignant souls of slaves. - - EDGAR FAWCETT. - - -Sometimes we are kept awake by pain. Some persons suffer pain that has -no remission, except the temporary deadness that comes from nervous -exhaustion—and sleep. - -But sometimes the hardest torture is the thought that the pain is -unnecessary or useless. I went once to visit a friend, whom I found -suffering from the worst abscesses on the back of the neck that I ever -saw, so frightful that the sight of them made me, who am a strong man, -feel faint. I asked sympathetically what was the matter. “Oh,” he -said, “I’m getting some experience.” That consciousness that such pain -was useful helped to make the agony less unendurable. In fact, though -he did not see it all then, he was getting just what he and those about -him needed. He was a vigorous man, who took to rural work in a place -where the food was excellent; he was naturally gluttonous and overate, -hence the boils. This he learned; and also how to bear pain. - -There are ways of bearing pain more easily. We must consider the pain -philosophically, and treat it from all three sides—the bodily, the -intellectual, and the spiritual. - -However advanced we may be, it is foolish to deny that, in common with -the rest of mankind, we are more or less in what Paul called the bonds -of the flesh. To try to treat an aching tooth without physical means -is like trying to grow a new leg instead of getting an artificial one. -There was a stage in man’s Pre-Adamite progress from the amœba when, -like the crab, he could grow new legs. Possibly, by discarding all -other faculties, men might again be able to grow new legs: but it would -not pay. - -A man who makes hammers may at one time have made his own files, had a -shop for that. But, as trades became specialized, he found it better -and cheaper to buy his files. Perhaps the supply is suddenly cut off. -Now he could reassemble from the scrap-heap the file machinery and make -files again, but it would be at the cost of putting so much time and -energy into that branch as to paralyze the hammer factory. - -So, Nature found that men rarely lost their legs and that it was more -economical to divert the organization and the energy that reproduced -legs into the brain, which enables men to supply themselves and their -fellows, when occasion arises, with artificial legs. Accordingly we -have lost much of the power of automatic self-healing and have gained -much power of deliberate self-healing. - -While distrusting crutches and drugs, therefore, because we see the -immediate effect of them, but cannot know the remote effects of them, -we cannot refuse a hot-water bottle or an anæsthetic when the pain, -the symptom of the disorder, becomes dangerous in itself. The fever -of typhoid represents a battle within which must be fought out to a -conclusion—successful or not. But, when the patient is in danger of -dying from the high temperature, it is no inconsistency for a mental or -spiritual healer to cool the room or sponge the patient with alcohol. - -Before we resort to the dentist for the aching tooth, we may reduce the -inflammation by abstaining from food and starving the blood corpuscles, -which hasten to the diseased part, until, perhaps, they feed upon -the weaker and obnoxious tissues. This abstinence will go far toward -removing the restlessness that is so torturing an accompaniment of the -pain. These are the physical remedies. - -The mental ones consist mainly in trying to isolate the aching member, -to realize that it is the tooth, not you, that aches, and to watch it -as if it were a separate person. A little boy was asked how he felt -after a feast of green apples. “I have a pain in the middle of my -stomach,” he said, “but the rest of me feels fine.” A further mental -remedy is to send to that separated part, the nerve, the assurance -that you have already its message, which is that there is inflammation -in the tooth and that you will attend to it as speedily as possible. -The nerve gets tired, as it were, of repeating a message that gets no -attention just as it gets tired of reporting the ticking of a clock so -that we become unconscious of it; although, if we suspected that it was -the knocking of a burglar’s tool, we should be kept awake by it night -after night. - -And we must not complain. The Japanese think it rude to complain. If -you are miserable, why make others miserable, too? Better not even let -it be known, if you can help it without creating unpleasantness, that -you suffer. To solicit sympathy is weakening and the constant inquiry, -“How are you now?” concentrates your attention on yourself and on your -feelings. If we complained to everyone of the ticking clock, we would -never forget it; it would become less and less endurable. - -The spiritual treatment is harder to make clear. It is the -unwillingness to have pain that makes it hard to bear. To illustrate -again from the dentist, because that experience is still common -to nearly everyone: We go to the operating chair, not gladly, but -willingly, believing that it is wise and necessary and we bear -the pain without complaining, knowing that it is the common lot of -man. But suppose you were seized, strapped into the chair, and then -your teeth were drilled and sawed to no good purpose, how much more -frightful would be the pain. That would be because you believed it to -be unnecessary and useless. It would be quite different if you trusted -the operator. We must realize, then, that, if there is a controlling -and benevolent Power in the Universe, which we all, rightly or wrongly, -believe in our hearts, we never can have any pain that is useless or -needless to ourselves, or to others, our other selves. - -We may not see it at the time, but, if we look for it, we usually shall -see it. While writing this the author was attacked with a violent -toothache: he had exercised ordinary prudence in attending to his -teeth, so that it did not seem as if the pain were needed to teach -care. But when the toothache came he remembered that, seldom having -pain himself, that subject had been overlooked among the many chapters -of the book. That was a reason; but, notwithstanding the efforts of an -excellent dentist, the torture continued. Why? - -Why, that he might try these things; and he did practice them so as to -lose no sleep. In addition he concluded that it was needful just then -that he should feel just such pain in order to revive his sympathy and -patience with those whose harassed nerves account for so much of their -unreasonableness. - -With that sense, that one is in a manner suffering for men, comes -something of the exaltation of the martyr, even with prosaic toothache. -With that certainly disappears all impatience with the pain. - -Perhaps he will be accounted superstitious in adding that, when these -lessons were learned, the dentist found the trouble and the pain melted -away. But he has had exactly similar experiences before: a new lesson -or a renewal of it was needed. When the pain was no longer necessary it -ceased. Why should it continue? - - -SWEET AND LOW - - Sweet and low, sweet and low, - Wind of the western sea; - Low, low, breathe and blow, - Wind of the western sea! - Over the rolling waters go, - Come from the dying moon, and blow, - Blow him again to me; - While my little one, - While my pretty one, - Sleeps. - - Sleep and rest, sleep and rest; - Father will come to thee soon. - Rest, rest on Mother’s breast; - Father will come to thee soon. - Father will come to his babe in the nest,— - Silver sails all out of the west - Under the silver moon! - Sleep, my little one; - Sleep my pretty one, - Sleep. - - TENNYSON. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -OPIATES - - -One of the most common signs of something at fault either with the body -or the mind is headache. Now headache, like wakefulness or nervousness, -so often associated with headache, is an effect of some error, not a -cause of it, and the wise sufferer will seek the cause even before he -treats the effect. - -We call ourselves the most enlightened nation of the earth to-day, and -it is true that a little knowledge has been more generally diffused -among our people than among other peoples of the world. But we should -not forget that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” largely -because a little knowledge frequently proves to be no real knowledge at -all. For example, the “little knowledge” generally possessed in regard -to opiates. - -Coal-tar was once a waste product, but toward the end of the last -century a German chemist discovered that from it could be derived a -drug, acetanilid, which would greatly lower temperature in fever. -This discovery was hailed as a boon to humanity, and many other -by-products of coal-tar were soon placed on the market, and regarded as -of equal value with acetanilid. Physicians used them for a time without -questioning, and the people took to them gladly. Wherever there was a -persistent headache, some one of the coal-tar products was used, and -“headache powders” multiplied. - -But a little further knowledge led physicians to question the -expediency of using acetanilid, phenacetin, antipyrin, or any of the -coal-tar preparations in other than exceptional cases. Heart-failure -and other dangerous results so frequently followed their use that -the wisdom of using them at all became doubtful. As our knowledge -increases, we are likely to find both the wisdom and necessity entirely -disappearing. - -In the meantime, those who have heard that temporary relief from pain -may be had by using these drugs will go on using them, often in patent -medicines, ignorant of what these nostrums contain, and the number of -deaths resulting from their use continues to increase. The only way to -protect such people from the result of their little knowledge, which -is really ignorance, is by making it illegal to sell these drugs, -except by prescription from a physician, who, in turn, should be held -responsible for results. - -This is, of course, an interference with the individual’s right to do -as seemeth best to him, and to get his experience in his own way. -Herbert Spencer says, “The ultimate result of shielding men from -the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” But it is the -same sort of interference that makes us hold a man by main force from -throwing himself on the track before an approaching train, and not the -sort that would forcibly put an overcoat on him when he did not care to -wear it. One may be no more justifiable than the other, but it seems -more excusable. - -All sleeping doses are to be viewed with distrust; most of them contain -opium or morphine, some still more deadly drugs: Nature “sets up a -tolerance” for them so that, to obtain the effect, the dose must be -increased, until, if the sufferer does not retreat in time, an almost -incurable drug habit is formed, often more terrible than the liquor -habit, which it sometimes supplants. Nor do they bring true sleep. - -R. Clarke Newton, in his treatise on “Opium and Alcohol,” says -“Sleeplessness means not merely unrest, but starvation of the cerebrum. -The only cause for regret in these cases is that the blunder should -ever be committed of supposing that a stupefying drug which throws the -brain into a condition that mimics and burlesques sleep can do good. -It is deceptive to give narcotics in a case of this type. The stupor -simply masks the danger. Better far let the sleepless patient exhaust -himself than stupefy him. Chloral, bromides, and the rest of the poisons -that produce a semblance of sleep are so many snares in such cases. -Sleeplessness is a malady of the most formidable character, but it is -not to be treated by intoxicating the organ upon which the stress of -the trouble falls.” The late Dr. Alonzo Clark, who for years stood at -the head of his profession as a consulting physician in New York City, -is quoted as saying, “All curative agents, so called, are poisons, -and, as a consequence, every dose diminishes the patient’s vitality.” I -doubt whether this view of drugs would be seriously contested by any of -his professional brethren of good standing. - -The venerable Professor Joseph M. Smith, M.D., said: “All medicines -which enter the circulation poison the blood in the same manner as do -the poisons that produce the disease. Drugs do not cure disease.” John -Bigelow, in the “Mystery of Sleep” (p. 190), adds: “With drug-poisons -should be classed nearly, if not quite, all fermented drinks—the most -costly part of some people’s diet who indulge in them at all—coffee, -tea, tobacco, spices, and most of the constantly multiplying tonics -and condiments of the table. All of them have a tendency, directly or -indirectly, to discourage or impair sleep, and, as such, are ‘hostes -humani generis’ (enemies of the human race). Their interference with -sleep, though perhaps the most serious, is very far from being their -only pathogenetic influence.” - -Mr. Bigelow then cites from Jahr’s “Manual of Medicine” the fearful -disturbances of sleep caused by fifteen drugs, all taken as samples -from the list in their order under the single letter “A.” Contrary -to the general belief, sleeplessness is more often a consequence of -insanity than a cause of it. (See Appendix A.) - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP - - Southey, in “The Doctor,” thus summarizes some of the chief devices - to attain sleep by monotony: “I listened to the river and to the - ticking of my watch; I thought of all sleepy sounds and of all - soporific things—the flow of water, the humming of bees, the motion - of a boat, the waving of a field of corn, the nodding of a mandarin’s - head on the chimney-piece, a horse in a mill, the opera, Mr. Humdrum’s - conversations, Mr. Proser’s poems, Mr. Laxative’s speeches, Mr. - Lengthy’s sermons. I tried the device of my own childhood, and fancied - that the bed rushed with me round and round. At length Morpheus - reminded me of Dr. Torpedo’s Divinity Lectures, where the voice, - the manner, the matter, even the very atmosphere and the streaming - candle-light, were all alike soporific; when he who, by strong effort, - lifted up his head and forced open the reluctant eyes, never failed - to see all around him asleep. Lettuces, cowslip wine, poppy syrup, - mandragora, hop pillows, spider’s web pills, and the whole tribe of - narcotics would have failed—but this was irresistible; and thus twenty - years after date, I found benefit from having attended the course.” - - -Frequent impressions on the mind, or calls on the attention, tend to -make us sleepy; thus looking at pictures, the attempt to study, driving -in a carriage. In extreme cases this is very marked. A boy named Caspar -Hauser was shut up alone in a gloomy little room until he was about -eighteen years old; then he was brought to Nürnberg and abandoned in -the street; this was in 1828. He was to all intents a baby and could -not walk, nor speak, nor see clearly, as he had never known any of the -common objects of life—men or animals or plants, or the moon or sun or -even the sky. - -He would go to sleep instantly on being taken outside the house, -because the number of new sensations instantly tired his consciousness. - -For the same reason that the consciousness is quickly exhausted, many -old or delicate persons readily fall asleep. Marie de Manacéïne says -that Moivre, the French mathematician, used to sleep twenty hours a -day during his old age, leaving only four for science and the other -occupations of life. - -Monotony naturally fatigues consciousness and is often successfully -used to produce sleep; the regular dropping of water, the sound of a -brook will put those to sleep whom it does not make nervous. Lullabies -and slumber songs and dull lectures all come under the same head of -devices to tire the consciousness. - -Narcotic drugs do not weary consciousness; they simply destroy it. They -stupefy us instead of inducing sleep. Those who would wisely learn -about this by experiments upon others rather than upon themselves, will -find it all in the article by Ringer and Sainsbury on “Sedatives” in -Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine.” It is enough for us -to be assured that narcotic sleep is less like real sleep than the -hibernation of the animal is like repose. (But see “Remedies” in -Appendix A.) - -Henry Ward Beecher used to get up when he was sleepless and take a -cold bath, a good device for a full-blooded, vigorous person: but a -weak person would not “react” and get warm again. For such an one it -would be better to sponge off and restore the circulation by rubbing. -Some physicians have prescribed, with good success, blood-warm baths, -beginning at a temperature of about 98 and heated up to 110 or 115 -Fahrenheit. When the moisture has been absorbed by wrapping one’s self -in a blanket, throw it off and get quickly into a warm bed. Mark Twain -used to get to sleep by lying down on the bathroom floor after the bath. - -Some, when other means fail, find it effective to place a cold-water -bag at the back of the neck, or to rub the feet with a rough towel: -with others, a hot-water bottle at the back of the neck works better. -A warm footbath helps some persons. At the sanitariums they sponge -with warm water, rub with wet salt, gently sponge it off, and dry the -body—all of which helps the blood to the surface. It is always well -to see that the bowels are emptied. Only trial and judgment will show -whether any of these will effect a cure: they all aim at the same mark, -to abstract the blood from the brain. - -That drinking milk produces sleep in some persons may probably be due -to the lactic acid in the milk, which is a soporific like morphine. -Perhaps its use is to help young animals to the long sleeps they need. - -Willard Moyer, in an entertaining essay, tells us that it is often -advisable for the stomach to have sufficient work for the blood to do -so as to call it from the brain. This does not mean that a meal that -will overload the stomach is a cure for insomnia, but that something -light, such as a cup of warm milk and a cracker, may often “send one -comfortably to sleep like a drowsy kitten or a well-fed baby.” A. -Fleming, following Durham, the author of the “Psychology of Sleep,” -showed that to deprive the brain of blood by pressing the carotid -arteries for thirty seconds brought immediate and deep sleep, but it -only continued while all pulsation of these arteries is stopped.[7] - -[7] It is interesting also to note that a similar pressure on the -jugular veins produces loss of consciousness, but from just the -opposite cause, that is, from congestion of blood in the brain. This -state of unconsciousness resembles coma just as the other resembles -sleep. - - E. M. W. - - -It has been found by cruel experiments on young puppies that sleep is -more necessary to them than food, as they die after being kept awake -four or five days, but may live ten or fifteen days without food. They -easily go to sleep when their heads are level with their bodies, and -they will not go to sleep with their heads lower than their bodies: of -course, the raised head drains some blood out of the brain. - -This is the reason that heat or extreme cold, both of which bring the -blood to the surface and drain it away from the brain, will often -produce sleep. That is why the cowboy likes to sleep with his feet to -the fire. On the other hand, the demand on the heart of cold hands -or feet for more blood to keep them warm may make the heart pump so -strongly that it sends more blood to the brain and keeps one awake. -So also joy, anger, or anxiety cause a flow of blood to the brain and -hinder sleep. - -Becker and Schuller have treated insomnia by wrapping the entire body -in wet sheets and also by applying cold compresses to the head. This -last device is used by students, with doubtful success, “to keep the -brain cool”; it is sometimes affected because it looks like working -hard. Sometimes an ice cap, a double rubber cap filled with cold water, -will bring sleep. - -The Russian nobles used to make servants scratch their heels for a long -time; our ladies have their hair brushed; and A. H. Savage-Landor says -that Corean mothers put their babies to sleep by scratching them gently -on the stomach. I have tried this rubbing, rather than scratching, with -great success. Spanish women rub the children’s upper spine to put them -to sleep. Light exercise before lying down is often a good expedient. - -Sometimes a pillow of heated hops or of balsam pine needles will induce -sleep. To change the hour of going to bed occasionally, yielding to -apparently untimely drowsiness, often helps, as it accustoms us to gain -sleep at irregular times. - -To “relax,” to let the muscles become perfectly loose, is an art, -though it should be natural to one going to sleep. Mrs. Richard Hovey -recommends shaking the fingers, letting them hang loose like a bunch -of strings of beads, and extending the movement to the wrist, arms, -feet, and legs. This is the best form of calisthenic exercise for -sleeplessness. It aids us in getting limp so as to lie at ease. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -MORE DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP - - Oh Sleep! it is a gentle thing, - Beloved from pole to pole. - - COLERIDGE. - - -If life be a succession of ideas, says Dr. Binns, then sleep is the -interval; “consequently, we may say that sleep is the art of escaping -reflection.” If one could follow the Chinese advice, divest the -mind of all unpleasant images, “the secret of sleep at will,” Dr. -Binns thinks, “would be in the possession of all men.” This accords -in its essence with the very modern theory of Dr. Henry Hubbard -Foster of Cornell University, that sleep results from the absence of -stimulations. It is conceivable that things that stimulate, or rouse -us, may come from inside as well as from outside. A sudden thought, a -new, delightful, or horrible mental picture will arouse us and send -sleep flying as effectually as a sudden noise or an exciting commotion -from without. - -We might amend the Chinese advice thus: put out of the mind all images, -pleasant or unpleasant, or, as Dr. Gardner puts it, “bring the mind -to a single sensation.” It has long been known that monotony will -induce sleep. Not merely the monotony of silence, but sometimes even -the monotony of great noise, such as the ceaseless firing of heavy guns -which have lulled the wearied soldiers into rest. There is a sleepy -sound in “The distant boom of a random gun which the foe was sullenly -firing.” It is the sudden, irregular noise which disturbs. If anyone -listens for several hours to soft, flowing music, he will have great -difficulty in keeping awake, no matter how great a lover of music he -may be, particularly if he has to sit in the same position all the -time. Let a musical number with strongly marked staccato movement be -introduced, let the drum throb loud at intervals, the horns blare, then -the sleeper will awake and find renewed enjoyment, not because he loves -noise, but because the monotony has been broken. The mind has responded -to the new stimulus. - -Professor Boris Sidis, of the Harvard Physiological Laboratory, says -that “the fundamental conditions of sleep are monotony and limitation -of voluntary movements. Sleep,” adds Sidis, is not so much due to -cutting off impressions through the senses, be they intense or faint, -as to the monotony of the “impressions that reduced the organism to -the passive state which we experience in sleep.” In other words, -monotony has such a benumbing, deadening effect upon the mind that -sleep naturally ensues. - -Although Binns did not know Foster’s and Sidis’ modern views, yet -accepting Gardner’s theory of “bringing the mind to a single -sensation,” he worked out a plan for inducing sleep which he said -nearly always succeeded. During his long practice he had known of only -two instances where it failed when faithfully and intelligently tried. - -The method is simple, yet it includes putting out of the mind all -images pleasant or unpleasant, and restricting voluntary movements. It -is this: “Turn on the right side, place the head comfortably on the -pillow, let the head fall naturally, using the pillow only to support -the neck, slightly close the lips,—though this is not absolutely -essential,—take full inspiration through the nostrils, drawing in as -much air as possible, then leave the lungs to their own action, neither -hastening nor checking exhalation. Think of the breath as passing from -the nostrils in one continuous stream, and, the very instant the person -so conceives, consciousness and memory depart, the muscles relax, the -breath comes regularly, he no longer wakes but sleeps. It is all the -effort of but a moment.” - -Another method in common use is counting up to a hundred on an -imaginary string of beads. Often one will have lost consciousness -before the hundredth bead is reached, but sometimes they have to be -counted over and over, and sometimes the plan fails altogether. The -immediate reason for this is undoubtedly that we have not brought -the mind to a single sensation, nor succeeded in cutting off the -impressions that come through the senses. - -Everybody has at some time used some such device for inducing sleep -to visit him. The practice of imagining sheep jumping over a gate and -counting them as they go is but another way of bringing the mind to a -single sensation, of deliberately securing monotony and shutting out -all stimuli, as scientific men call the various causes that arouse -sensation in us. Such simple devices are never harmful, and are so -frequently followed by sleep that they continue from generation to -generation. - -If the impressions received through the channels of sense cannot or -will not be shut off, it is useless to continue counting beads or -sheep, or seeing a stream of breath. It becomes necessary to discover -what it is that is back of the stimulation—what impression is so vivid -and so insistent that it will not down. As Frederick Palmer says in his -delightful book, “The Vagabond,” we should “take a good look at a -thing before we run away from it.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -STILL FURTHER DEVICES - - The sleep of a laboring man is sweet. - - ECCLESIASTES. - - -“The Witchery of Sleep” records for us some interesting mechanical -devices for inducing sleep, more common in Europe than in this country. -Their inventors hope to perfect them so that they may take the place -of drugs and “sleeping potions.” This is an end devoutly to be wished -by all who know the steady increase of the “drug habit.” Among these -sleep-inducing instruments the newest is the “vibrating coronet.” This -coronet has three metal bands which encircle the head and two strips -extending to the eyelids. By means of a spring these strips vibrate -the eyelid gently and induce drowsiness. All the mechanical devices -are constructed on the plan of inducing eye-weariness, whether by -vibration or by fixity. Either effect is in accordance with the modern -theories of sleep. Sleep may be induced by monotony also of sounds; by -concentration either of the attention or the hearing on one point, or -by more numerous impressions than the eye can comfortably receive; -thus, when riding in a train, the succession of views will often induce -sleepiness. - -The “Alouette,” a collection of little mirrors attached to the ebony -panels of a box, is so placed that a ray of light falls on the mirrors -in such a way as to fatigue the eye of the beholder. Both this and the -“Fascinator,” a highly polished nickel ball attached to a flexible -wire depending from a metal band similar to the “Coronet,” work on -the plan of concentrating the vision. In a similar way a light-house -or a miniature flashlight, with its appearing and disappearing light, -induces drowsiness, possibly hypnotic, through incessant change. It is -needless to say that these devices might be injurious to the sight and -certainly would not work where the cause of sleeplessness is eyestrain. -That is a case for the oculist. - -But when it is impossible to obtain mechanical devices, there are many -simple schemes of inducing sleep. Any light work, mental or physical, -is helpful. To start writing letters, particularly if one is not fond -of letter-writing, will sometimes induce sleepiness very quickly. -Sorting and arranging old papers will have the same effect, unless one -is of a nature to find such an occupation exciting. - -Of course, a drawback in any of these light occupations is that by the -time one has undressed drowsiness may have fled. That possibility -makes it desirable that all preparations for bed shall first be made -and a warm robe with comfortable bedroom shoes shall constitute the -only extra clothing. Warmth of body, especially of the feet, is -essential to sleep. Sometimes so simple a thing as a hot-water bottle -at the feet, or even woolen bed-socks, will make all the difference -between wakefulness and refreshing slumber. - -Then there is the matter of deep breathing, which seems especially -adapted to feeble or run-down physiques. That is a large subject more -familiar to the people of the Orient than to us. Some Orientals are -able to put themselves into trance-like sleep by their knowledge of -deep breathing. Numerous books have been written treating of this -subject, among the best of which are “The Science of Breath,” by -Ramacharaka, and “The Law of Rhythmical Breath,” by Ella A. Fletcher, -though the “Rhythmical Breath” seems fanciful to Western readers. - -Sleeplessness is sometimes due to lack of physical exercise, and, when -that is so, no device is so effective as work—real physical effort. A -great many persons take calisthenic exercises and go in for physical -culture to develop muscles and also to regulate circulation so that -sleep will come more readily. These are good makeshifts for persons -who have no opportunity to work, but, where circumstances make actual -labor possible, no substitute can satisfactorily take its place. -Gardening, shoveling snow, sawing or chopping wood, all give a variety -of motion and a zest of exertion superior to any gymnastics. Even a -small amount of some such labor daily will often work a complete cure -for insomnia. - -Everybody knows of some plan or device for inducing sleep, and all of -them are more or less successful—sometimes. Indeed, this is so true -that it leads to the belief that, after all, the expectation of sleep -helps to bring it, and here suggestion and auto-suggestion come in. - -Of late, a number of persons have tried the starvation cure—fasting for -several days. This is frequently successful with robust, hearty people, -who may unconsciously be eating too much or eating too stimulating -food. Many who feel unequal to a complete fast might cut down the -amount of food as much as one-half, with happy results. A vegetarian -diet undoubtedly helps, too, although among the lower animals -carnivora sleep more than herbivora. The success of vegetarianism, -both in insomnia and other diseases, may well be due to the diminished -temptation to overeat and the less concentrated diet. - -In any event, it is well for the sufferer from sleeplessness to study -his own case and experiment with any or all the known devices to see -whether, by this means or that, he can lure sleep to his pillow again. - -And, speaking of pillows, it is well to remember that one pillow is -better than two, and that the one should not be too high, too hard, too -soft, or too warm, and that it should be thoroughly aired every day. -It should be odorless and cool and have the cover changed frequently. -Clean bed linen is in itself an effective device for inducing sleep, -just as perfect ventilation adds an hundredfold to the refreshment we -get from our slumbers. - -The best way to learn to sleep is to practice putting others to sleep. -Thy gifts will be unto thyself when thy benefits are to another. - -We never know anything thoroughly till we try to teach it. All these -plans and devices may be suggested one by one to any sleepless person. -Select what you think most suitable and most likely to be accepted, and -let the suggestion be that this is a good plan or something just called -to your attention that seems sensible. If you do not succeed in one or -two, it is difficult to secure trial of more at that time. - -Every temperament is different and may respond to different methods: -for instance, a ticking clock or dropping water, which make some -persons drowsy, will make others inexpressibly nervous. - -The trained nurse will tell you that, when you are trying to get the -patient to sleep, whispering must not be allowed: the sibilant sound -is irritating and the patient unconsciously strains to catch what is -said. Speak in a quiet, even, ordinary tone. Do not fuss, putting the -shade a little higher and lower, stealing across the room, and so on. -If anything is to be done, to walk quietly and naturally will disturb -the sleeper much less than tiptoeing about. - -That mysterious thing that we call “personality” has much to do with -the power to bring sleep to others. Some persons can put almost anyone -to sleep by quietly holding the hand, but nearly everyone has some of -this power. Some persons, especially children, are readily got to sleep -by lying down beside them. - -Reading aloud slowly and in a uniform voice will bring sleep to most -persons. When drowsiness comes, the voice may be lowered a little and -continued until slumber closes the eyes. (Concerning the varieties and -causes of Insomnia, see also Appendix A.) - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -HYPNOTIC SLEEP - - What would we give to our beloved? - The hero’s heart to be unmoved,— - The poet’s star-tuned harp to sweep; - The patriot’s voice to teach and rouse,— - The monarch’s crown to light the brows? - “He giveth His belovèd sleep.” - ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING. - - -The nature of hypnotic sleep has not yet been fully determined, which -is not wonderful when we remember our ignorance of natural sleep. We -may call the active hypnotic state a condition of excessive attention -to the main idea presented and complete oblivion to other ideas. But -this state is preceded by a passive condition resembling sleep. The -use and value of hypnotic sleep is now occupying the attention of -scientific men and it bids fair to be an important curative agent. -Where once the patient suffering from insomnia was treated by drugs, -he is now more successfully treated through suggestion. The change -is a most desirable one and in line with that newer thought which -recognizes the power of regeneration within the soul of the individual. -For, the main things in the development of hypnosis and suggestion as -curative agents is the recognition that an appeal can be made to the -subconscious mind, which, as Dr. Worcester says, “is more sensitive -to good and evil than our conscious mind.” To appeal to our latent -powers to overcome our own weaknesses or limitations is greater and -better than to combat these weaknesses through drugs. Many physicians -who formerly employed hypnosis have adopted a substitute for it, the -so-called hypnoidal state, mere passivity with closed eyes. Hypnotizing -is in many cases needless and dangerous. - -Insomnia, like any other trouble not due to the breakdown of a physical -organ, is more a moral than a material lapse, and can best be cured -by moral means: that is, by the aid of the will and its associated -faculties. Sleeplessness, nervousness, excitability, and irritability -have their rise in mental and emotional states more often than in -physical states, and, under such conditions, treatment by drugs is of -little real use. In the disease hysteria, mental trouble may masquerade -as physical defect, for instance paralysis or even blindness, while -the physical parts concerned are in no wise impaired. The dependence -placed upon merely extraneous things does not assist in the development -of our own inner powers. Even when drugs seem to relieve the outward -symptoms, they fail to strengthen the moral nature, so greatly in need -of strength. The man of drugs only is at a disadvantage as compared -with the suggestionist in treating such disorders. Dr. J. D. Quackenbos -says, “The suggestionist invokes the better subliminal self—invests -it with control, and seldom fails to effect the desired purpose.” He -further maintains, what all investigators are now coming to admit, -that, when the patient wakes from hypnotic sleep, during which helpful, -curative suggestions have been made to him, he is “constrained to -obey the impulses of his own superior self.” The power of suggestion, -whether during waking or sleeping hours, is only beginning to be -recognized, although its use in one form or another is centuries old. -The thoughtless, as well as the thoughtful, use it more or less every -hour of the day, while all of us may know that we are occasionally the -victims of auto-suggestion when we suffer from functional ailments. - -Auto-suggestion is merely the suggestion of the self to the self, and -from ill-advised suggestions spring nearly all the little impediments -to sleep and health. Such a suggestion to ourselves as that we need -certain favorable conditions for sleeping will keep us awake when those -conditions are not possible. We say, “I cannot sleep with a clock -ticking in the room with me,” and so we lie awake and suffer nervous -tortures if we hear a clock tick. Or we say of something our friends -do, or of some natural habit they have, “That makes me so nervous I -almost fly out of my skin” thus we inflict upon ourselves suffering -that we need not endure. - -The strong soul will call his “superior self” to his aid to conquer -this tendency. He will suggest to himself that he is able to sleep -without regard to clocks or other disturbance; that the peculiarities -of other people have no power to irritate, annoy, or otherwise upset -his nervous system; that even in the midst of alarums he may have -peace, if he so wills, and can sleep under ordinary conditions without -fear or annoyance. - -But, to be able to do this, one must have faith in himself, in -his purpose, in his own desire to overcome his fears, for, as Dr. -Worcester remarks, “the value of suggestion lies in its character -and in the character of the man who makes it.” If we say these things -to ourselves, feeling all the time that it is useless, we are -not likely to impress the subconscious mind or rouse it to activity. -Self-deception is not often beneficial in its effects. No more shall we -make headway if we merely repeat such suggestions in parrot-fashion. -You remember the story of the old woman who heard that faith would -remove mountains: so she determined to try it on the hill in front of -her bedroom window. All night she repeated to herself that the mountain -would be removed. In the morning she awoke to see the hill still in -front of her. “There,” she said, “I knew it would be.” Anyhow, the -faith that removes most mountains is the faith that gets a shovel. It -is essential that we concentrate our minds upon the matter in hand, -excluding from our thoughts anything that might distract us and that -we fix our attention upon removing the fault. It is for this reason -that the hypnoidal state, or the wakeful night or the moment when one -is nearly dropping to sleep is the best time either for suggestion -to a patient or for one to indulge in helpful auto-suggestion. As -objective consciousness fades, it is easier to impress the subliminal -self-consciousness and invoke its aid. - -Those who do not know themselves well enough to be able to respond -to their own suggestion, may be helped by another in whom they have -faith. If they submit themselves willingly to suggestion, they may find -themselves so strengthened that they will shortly be able to control -themselves by auto-suggestion. Like almost all upward tendencies, this -power is a matter of development. - -As we come to understand hypnotism better, we learn that we need not -fear ill results from thus yielding ourselves for a good purpose to -another,[8] for one’s subconscious self is always on watch and will -not be compelled to do that which is contrary to one’s own nature or -habit of thought. Hypnotic sleep differs from natural sleep in that -the hypnotized person usually preserves a degree of intelligence and -invariably a moral sense which are not conspicuous in normal sleep and -dreaming. Scientific investigators are quite well agreed on this point, -and Dr. Worcester’s experience has convinced him of its truth. - -[8] There are grave dangers attendant on hypnotism for entertainment. -Prof. C. H. Judd of the University of Chicago says: “There is -no justification whatever for the use of hypnosis as a means of -amusement.” See Judd: Psychology. - -So, if all other means of securing sleep should fail, we may have -recourse to this newest method of curing nervous and other functional -disorders. It is merely one way of getting into closer touch with the -Infinite and Universal and coming into line with life’s underlying laws. - -The use of auto-suggestion is not limited to inducing sleep: it may rid -us of evil habits, disturbing thoughts, and all hatred, malice, and -uncharitableness—which in their turn interfere with sleep. - - -THE LAND OF NOD - - From breakfast on through all the day - At home among my friends I stay; - But every night I go abroad - Afar into the land of Nod. - - All by myself I have to go, - With none to tell me what to do— - All alone beside the streams - And up the mountain-sides of dreams. - - The strangest things are there for me, - Both things to eat and things to see, - And many frightening sights abroad - Till morning in the land of Nod. - - Try as I like to find the way, - I never can get back by day, - Nor can remember plain and clear - The curious music that I hear. - - ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -“PERCHANCE TO DREAM” - -“We are such stuff as dreams are made on,” as Shakespeare says, -and yet no one even to this day knows what that “stuff” may be. -We separate man’s life into intellect, feeling, will; or, like the -Hindoos, into seven phases; we subdivide these, recognizing special -powers and functions belonging to each; we dissect man’s frame; we -dissolve his body into its component parts, and yet, when all is done, -we know as little about _life_, the essence of man, as our father Adam -knew. As Omar says, we hear “much talk about it and about” and yet we -get nowhere. It is much the same with dreams. We need, therefore, only -summarize and review the talk. - -Dreams occupied their most important place in the thought of man at its -beginning. His action has frequently been directed by a dream and the -fate of nations has hinged upon its interpretation. Even in the present -day of matter-of-fact science, at some time in his life following the -racial bent, almost every human being has paid some attention to his -dreams. The superstitious—which includes the most of us—still put -faith in their dreams, though they know not whence they come, nor their -relation to the most mutable of physical conditions. And this though -ages ago Sirach uttered this warning, “Dreams deceive many and fail -those who build upon them.” Scientific investigation has made known -many of the causes of dreams and shown us what slight incidents may -determine their direction. For instance, dreams involving hearing often -take their rise in noises made by the processes going on in the body. -What we eat and the state of our digestion greatly affect the character -of our dreams. - -This has long been recognized by those who try to decipher special -significance in dreams. Twenty-five centuries ago Pythagoras believed -that the gas-generating beans destroyed the chance of having -enlightening or important dreams, and so forbade their use. In similar -fashion interpreters of dreams were warned by Artemidorus to inquire -first whether the dreamer had eaten heartily or lightly before falling -asleep; while Philostratus maintained that skillful interpreters always -refused to expound dreams following the use of wine. - -Thus we see that even in ancient times the relation between eating and -sleeping was recognized. In more modern days it is recorded that poets -and writers had visions from eating raw flesh, while Mrs. Radcliffe, -author of “The Mysteries of Udolpho,” is said to have deliberately -induced horrid dream phantoms by supping late on indigestible food as -a means of getting “printer’s copy.” De Quincey’s “Confessions” is a -monument to the beauty and the horror of the dreams from drugs. There -is also reason to think that the terrors of delirium tremens are true -dreams. John B. Gough described from fearful experience the agony of -seeing and feeling that which is dreadful, mainly because the sufferer -knows that it, nevertheless, does not exist and could not exist. This -can be explained, in our present state of knowledge, only by the -supposition that the subconscious mind, uncorrected and unrestrained by -the senses, alone is awake. Boris Sidis shows that we have no waking -remembrance of many of our dreams, even of most harassing ones. - -It is probable that perfect sleep is undisturbed by dreams, pleasant -or otherwise. Dreams are an evidence of the semi-conscious condition -of some of the senses; the objective mind is no longer in control, but -is passive, and the subjective mind is active. Yet while dreaming, the -objective mind is not so completely unconscious (as it would be if -wrapped in profound slumber) but that it gets glimpses of the workings -of the subjective mind, often very distorted glimpses. This frequently -leads to horrible or impossible situations in dreams. - -It is an interesting question how far we are responsible for our -dreams. It is true in dreams, as in waking, that from the same -sensations individuals will evolve different results, just as -nasturtiums, drawing nourishment from the same soil, will put forth -blossoms of different color and odor. The factor that changes these -same elements into different results is something inherent in the -individual person or plant. - -So that we are not entirely responsible for what we dream, yet the -mental habits, the real tone of mind maintained during waking hours, -has its effect upon dreams. They constitute an index of the mind. So -far as sleep is concerned, of course, “subjective” mind is simply our -remembered experiences, our mental capital, and can be used in waking -hours and is constantly so used: we get traces of these in our dreams. -Age, sex, and temperament also affect the nature of dreams. - -If then our sleep is disturbed by unpleasant dreams, it becomes -necessary to investigate the causes. Have we eaten too much or too -hurriedly? Are our innermost thoughts clean and wholesome, fit for the -light of day? Roman philosophers held that he who wished to obtain -knowledge of the will of any of the gods, must fast and lie down to -sleep beside the shrine of the god, his thoughts filled with longing -and desire for such knowledge. There is more than mere superstition -in that. If we abstain from all excesses and are filled with desire -to know the will of the gods, dreams, when they come to us, will not -disturb or distress us. - -Dreams are admittedly sometimes prophetic, or have at least an indirect -significance touching events not yet come to pass. Galen tells of -a man who dreamed that his leg had turned to stone, and a few days -later found his leg paralyzed, perhaps an instance of auto-suggestion. -Gessner died from a malignant growth which developed in his breast in -the exact spot where, a few nights previously, he had dreamed that a -serpent bit him; while Aristides, dreaming that he was wounded in the -knee by a bull, awoke to find a tumor there. - -These and many better authenticated cases of dream warnings are not so -strange as they seem at first hearing. They may be explained largely -by the fact that remote and vague sensations of suffering and disease -are able to make deeper impression upon the mind when the interests and -activities of the waking life are submerged in sleep. - -The duration of dreams is another matter of great interest. Most -persons feel and say that they “dreamed all night long,” and will -proceed to support their statement by relating various incidents -of their dreams; their prolonged sensations of pleasure or horror; -the events that perhaps covered years. Yet, in reality, the dream -may have occupied less than a minute. The dreamer cannot measure -the time spent in dreaming, for the unconscious condition of the -objective mind obliterates the sense of time, space or material -limitations. This accounts for the prodigious feats, the marvels and -impossible achievements of dreams that seem to the dreamer in no way -disproportionate. - -What we do know is that some of the most wonderful dreams have occupied -but a few moments, and so far scientific research seems to limit them -to an hour or two at most. Mohammed’s dream was completed within the -time occupied by a falling vase; and it is on record that a man fell -asleep just as the clock struck the first stroke of twelve and awoke -in a cold sweat on the last stroke, having dreamed that he had spent -thirty years in prison, suffering tortures of mind and body. - -All this makes it easy to understand how, to an infinite mind, a -thousand years may be as one day and one day as a thousand years, and -how, in our degree, the quiet, self-controlled mind may be unmoved by -time. - -It is the vivid impression made by such dreams that makes us feel that -they must have lasted a long time. Then, as George Trumbull Ladd says, -the recital of our dreams is often colored, unconsciously, “by our -self-conscious and rational waking life when we bring the scene before -the awakened mind.” In other words, many sensations that we think we -experienced are heightened by the idea in the objective mind of what -such sensations ought to be. - -It may be that when the time comes that - - “No one shall work for money - And no one shall work for fame,” - -we shall find light and help in our dreams that is undreamed of now. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -NATURAL LIVING - - Sleep, the saint that evil thoughts and aims - Takest away, and into souls dost creep, - Like to a breeze from heaven. - - WORDSWORTH. - - -He who would get the benefit of sleep must look after health. - -Health, after all, is merely that condition where all parts of the -human organism work together without friction. We think of health as -something that is bestowed upon us from without; something over which -we have no control and almost no influence. Perhaps this queer idea is -partly responsible for the general lack of health to-day. - -It seems incredible that it is necessary that human beings endowed with -tremendous capacity for enjoyment, with everything at hand to enjoy, -should be hindered by a mere lack of that harmony that we call health -from fully enjoying life. It seems only reasonable that there must be -some explanation of lack of health and some way of escape from it. - -It is now generally admitted that most of the diseases to which man -thinks himself heir are due to improper, unnatural living. It could -safely be added that the remainder of our ill-health and distress comes -in large part from improper, unnatural thinking. - -The common man may laugh at the idea that we make our own ill-health; -if you were not more intelligent than the common man, you would not -read this book, so that you will probably see at once that your own -experience has taught you the truth of it. You will discover that you -have learned for yourself, albeit for the most part unconsciously, that -what a man thinks about, that he becomes. So it would seem that the -natural and proper thing to do, if we find ourselves suffering from -sleeplessness and ill-health, is to look after our way of living and -thinking. - -Medical science was once the attempt to cure disease; as Dr. Woods -Hutchinson says, it is now coming to be the science of preventing -disease, and everything that tends to that end is properly a part of -the science of medicine, though it have no connection with the myriad -drugs of the pharmacopœia. - -Until we compare conditions to-day with those of even fifty years -ago, we can form no idea of our rapid strides toward natural living. -If we walk the streets of the city or the roads of suburban towns and -villages very early in the morning, at any season of the year, we -shall find the vast majority of the houses with open windows. It is -true that the opening may not always be very wide, but they are open. -Fifty years ago all would have been closed. - -Within the recollection of those whose memories go back a quarter of -a century, we were taught that night air was dangerous to breathe and -was to be completely shut out from our houses. Now we know that the -organism needs fresh air by night as well as by day, and that the most -dangerous thing about night air is the lack of it. - -We now treat the most dreaded diseases, pneumonia and tuberculosis, -almost wholly by fresh air and nourishing food, administering drugs -only to check the symptoms until the system gets into condition to -throw them off. More than that, we know now that consumption, at least, -is not a mysterious dispensation of Providence visited upon certain -people without regard to individual responsibility. Rather it is always -the result of improper living or thinking, or both, and, when it is -the scourge of a district, as in thickly settled city slums, it is the -direct result of monopoly and oppression that deny the common interests -of all mankind. - -In 1865 Dr. W. W. Hall of New York published his book, “Sleep,” in -the preface of which he said: “It is the end and aim of this book to -show that as a means of high health, good blood, and a strong mind to -old and young, sick or well, each one should have a single bed in -a large, clean, light room, so as to pass all the hours of sleep in -a pure, fresh air, and that those who fail in this, will in the end -fail in health and strength of limb and brain, and will die while yet -their days are not all told.” That this physician with a large practice -should find it necessary to write a book to set forth the necessity -of fresh air during sleeping-hours, goes to show how little the mass -of our people knew even fifty years ago. We hear so much about fresh -air in these days that we forget that the preceding generation was in -deadly terror of it. - -All things point to a marked advance during the past decades, in the -understanding of conditions necessary for health, but, after all, we -have come but a very little way along the road we must travel to get -the most out of life. - -We owe a good deal of our advance in this direction to physicians and -others who have broken loose from traditions and have not feared to -put their ideas and discoveries to the test. Nature has provided all -things for “the healing of the nations,” if we but trust her. As Dr. -Shattuck, a famous Boston surgeon, used to say in making his rounds in -the Massachusetts General Hospital, “There is one inestimable gift -God has given to man—an abundance of fresh air.” It was his method of -announcing that he did not think the ventilation of room or ward was -sufficient, and the nurses understood that, and immediately admitted -more air into the room. - -In the wards of that great institution were dozens of persons who had -never before heard of the value of fresh air: being compelled by evil -social conditions to live in districts where sunshine and air were -rarities, they had never heard of any relation between health and fresh -air. They frequently learned that lesson there. - -A little device which we call “the Perfect Gift of Sleep” is a great -help in excluding the light without excluding the air, and especially -valuable in that most delightful change, sleeping out of doors. A bag -is made of dark green or blue or black silk or satin, about four inches -wide and eight inches long, and very loosely filled with sweet pine -needles. It is laid lightly over the eyes. - -This may seem too trivial to bother about, but the increased comfort -and the better quality of sleep which it brings is astonishing. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -FRESH AIR AND REFRESHING SLEEP - - Somnus, that walks the world from twilights’ wane - All the night long till day be born again. - - EDGAR FAWCETT. - - -It is not so necessary now as when Dr. Hall wrote to urge the -importance of large, airy sleeping-rooms. But it is amazing to find how -many, even among the so-called “better classes,” neglect to open their -windows wide at night. I have known people out in the country whose -bedroom windows could hardly be made to open, so seldom did they admit -the air. Indeed, they were also heavily shaded so that they might not -admit the sunshine. - -That such people have been able to live at all is due to the patience -of Nature, or to the fact that so much of the day is spent in the open -air that it helps to counteract the effect of the closed-up night. Even -then they do not escape early wrinkles, bent shoulders, and a look of -age long before their time. We used to attribute these to the hard -work of the farmer’s life, but we might more properly attribute it to -improper living. - -Besides an abundance of fresh air day and night, summer and winter, -personal cleanliness immensely aids to health and the ability to sleep. -In the old days we bathed to clean ourselves when dirty. It was an -advance on that when someone said he took a bath every spring and fall, -whether he needed it or not. In those days once a week was considered -frequent. To-day we bathe to keep clean. - -Someone, probably Joseph Fels, has said that the civilization of -a people may best be estimated by the amount of soap and water it -consumes. If we start out well-groomed in the morning—fresh from the -bath with clean linen, clothes brushed and all our personal needs duly -attended to—we carry our heads higher, feel an uplift of body and mind -that is impossible to the careless or untidy person. - -The same influence applies to going to bed at night. If we retire -soiled and worn from the day’s experiences, we may toss and turn -with discomfort whose source we may not understand, or we fall into -heavy, unrefreshing sleep. The body does most of its breathing during -sleeping-time. You know how the moisture from the breath shows on a -mirror when you breathe on it: well, the skin gives off about three -times as much moisture as the breath, and, unless the pores of the skin -are free from all obstructions such as dust, old, dried perspiration, -and similar soil, it cannot perform its work properly and to the -advantage of the sleeper. If you don’t like water, use oil as the -Easterns do. Even dry rubbing, if the skin is moist, will keep the -pores open. - -The little trouble entailed is more than offset by the refreshed -feeling, the lightening of the mind as well as of the body, the more -restful sleep, and the better health resulting from the practice. - -One of the advantages of the night bath is that it reminds us to change -all the clothes we have worn during the day. If they must be worn again -the next day, they should be spread out on the backs of chairs or on -hangers, that they may be thoroughly aired before morning. If we feel -that we must have something more than the pajamas or night-robe, then -there should be separate sets of underclothes kept for that purpose -alone—old, thin, partly-worn ones may be reserved for this use. - -Whether baths should be hot, warm, or cold must depend upon the -individual. There is no set rule that applies equally to all persons. -Many persons find the cold plunge or shower most invigorating in the -morning,—it is too stimulating to be taken at night—and others cannot -stand the shock of contact with cold water at any time. There is but -one wise thing to do—to experiment for yourself and adopt the sort of -bath that seems best suited to your needs. Most people will find the -warm bath more satisfactory than the hot or cold. - -And remember that it is not only the lungs that need fresh air: the -skin needs it too, and, next to overeating, the quickest way to -“catch” cold is to bundle up in heavy perspiration-holding flannels. -Linen mesh is excellent, but, whatever underclothing is worn, it should -not suffocate the millions of pores of the skin. - -An airy room, free from hangings, carpets, street clothes, and all -other dust-gatherers; a clean body; a contented mind—these are -important factors both in sleep and in general health, and, best of -all, they are inexpensive enough to be within the reach of nearly -everybody. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE BREATH OF LIFE - - In winter I get up at night - And dress by yellow candle-light. - In summer, quite the other way, - I have to go to bed by day. - - I have to go to bed and see - The birds still hopping on the tree, - Or hear the grown-up people’s feet - Still going past me in the street. - - And does it not seem hard to you, - When all the sky is clear and blue, - And I should like so much to play, - To have to go to bed by day? - - “Bed in Summer.” - ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON. - - -One of the most common causes of ill-health and sleeplessness is -improper breathing. Breathing is the fundamental function of life, the -first at birth and the last at death, and when it is badly performed we -are sure to have trouble. The great majority of people never use the -whole of their lungs in breathing. By this neglect the blood is never -sufficiently oxygenated to burn out all impurities. - -But you may say, “I am not responsible for the way I breathe; I do -that “automatically,” and you would be in a degree correct. It is -true that we are not conscious of the act of breathing. It would be an -intolerable burden upon the mind if every breath required conscious -attention. We could hardly attend to anything else. - -That is no reason, however, why we should not regulate our breathing -for our own benefit. Breathing, though an habitual organic act, is -under the indirect control of the higher centers of the nervous system. -We must, as Dr. Worcester says, re-educate the lower centers to -breathe, and to do this it is necessary to give conscious attention to -it for a time. If we wish to replace bad breathing by good breathing, -we must fix our attention regularly upon drawing the breath, practice -the right sort of breathing, and impress upon the vital mechanism that -this new order of breathing is to be adopted, for the way to be rid of -a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. If we persevere in this -course, the right method can very easily be established. - -By the right method is meant breathing from the diaphragm. If you -will watch the act of breathing among your friends for even one day, -you will discover for yourself how few do it well. The great majority -breathe with the upper part of the lungs only, so that the chest -visibly rises and falls in time with the inhalations and exhalations. -Such persons may be unconscious of their own breathing, but they make -all who observe them conscious of it. They are not only injuring -themselves, but making a claim upon the attention of others that is -scarcely justifiable. - -Quick, short breathing is one of the signs either of excitement or of -depression, some pleasurable or painful emotion or sensation, but it -is not a means to health. If we have this habit, we may find in it an -explanation of many of the trifling ills and discomforts from which we -suffer, and of not a few of the more serious ones. - -Emily M. Bishop, who has given much study to the effect of our habits -of mind and body upon our health and spirits, says, in her latest book, -“Daily Ways of Living,” that we may change the whole current of our -thought by a change in breathing. She wisely advises her readers the -next time they feel depressed or worried, “blue,” or “miserable,” to -try drawing deep, full breaths. If you are not in good spirits, try -that now: “spirit” means the breath. - -Open the windows and let in fresh air, if within doors; inhale deeply, -hold it, and then exhale rather quickly. After only four or five such -inhalations you will find that the miserable feeling has disappeared or -is greatly lessened. The “blues” cannot live while good red blood is -circulating rapidly through the veins and arteries. It is only when the -blood is sluggish or not sufficiently purified by the indrawn oxygen -that worry and depression can hold us in their thrall. Deep breathing -is a simple remedy for the blues, but its effectiveness makes it worth -trying. - -Proper breathing will often ward off a cold, especially a cold due to -chill. As soon as you feel yourself getting chilly, act. The feeling of -chilliness is a proof that the resistance of the body is below normal. -The cause may be interior, due to the presence of some poison in the -system, or it may be due entirely to external causes. In either event, -to purify the blood and improve its circulation is the best sort of -“first aid to the injured.” Inhale until you can feel it in your fingers -and toes, exhale quickly, and repeat the operation until you feel -all aglow. Mlle. Marie de Palkowska, whose special work is teaching -correct breathing, says: “The nerve centers are directly affected -by the condition of the blood, and they are enfeebled, contracted, -or irritated by an excess of carbon and nitrogen in it, producing -depression of spirits; but, if the blood is circulating freely, the -nerves are quieted and well-nourished by the supply of oxygen, through -the process of correct breathing, and the result is perfect health of -mind and body and a happy optimism.” Worry, sleeplessness, and disease -do not easily lay hold upon one who has “perfect health of mind and -body and a happy optimism.” If these may be secured through intelligent -attention to breathing, there is no reason why they should not be as -common as they are natural. The more we look into the question of -health, whether physical, mental, or moral, the more clearly we see -that poise is only possible through conformity to universal law. It -could not be otherwise. - -Earlier in this inquiry we have traced the interdependence, the unity -of man’s three natures—the physical, the mental, and the spiritual,—and -the value of correct breathing to the whole man is in perfect keeping -with that interdependence. In the process of digestion, upon which -physical health so largely depends, we create poisons within ourselves -and accumulate waste matter. The organism must be momently purified -of these wastes, or putrefaction quickly follows. Autotoxins form, as -the doctors say. The function of breathing, when properly controlled, -affords the quickest and best method of cleansing the blood of these -impurities. If we have not this proper control, the poisons are not -eliminated and the supply of blood to the brain is vitiated. - -Just as the body cannot perform its functions well if we are compelled -to live upon tainted food, so the brain cannot do its work well if -the blood—its food—is impure. Breathing which expands the diaphragm -so purifies the blood as it passes through the lungs, that it becomes -an important factor in maintaining health and poise in body and mind, -which in their turn react upon the spirit. - -This sort of breathing is more common among men than among women, -due in part to natural physical differences and in part to dress. -Man breathes largely from the abdomen, while woman breathes chiefly -from the chest, expanding only the upper portion of the lungs. This -is partly a natural and partly an artificial necessity, due to the -pressure of the corset upon the diaphragm. Both men and women would -find their physical health improved and their outlook on life broadened -and brightened by proper control of the function of breathing. If we -are sleepless, nervous, too alert, as well as if we are heavy, dull, -and inactive, we will find it worth our while to try conscious breath -control. It takes but a comparatively short time to re-educate the -automatic centers into correct breathing and the result is always good. - -It no less behooves the man who is trying to live largely on the -rational plane, than the man who is living wholly on the physical -plane, to make his efforts both easier and more effective by such -simple attention to natural laws. The next time you are worried, -depressed, or sleepless, change the air of the room and try deep and -correct breathing for a few minutes. You will be surprised at the -complete change wrought in you, if you are not suffering from some -serious organic breakdown which needs skilled attention. And even that -condition may be helped by proper breathing. - -But we are not to forget that, like calisthenic and gymnastic -exercises, the training of the breathing is really little more than a -device for correcting the results of wrong living and only a substitute -for right living. The man or the woman who does plenty of healthful, -normal work, who often pants and gets “out of breath,” naturally -expands the lungs and has as little use for breathing exercises as for -tight clothing. - -A buck-saw, a spade, or even a broom is better than a teacher of -breathing and a better corrector of sleeplessness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -EATING AND SLEEPING - - For his sleep - Was aery light, from pure digestion bred. - - MILTON. - - -We do not have to depend upon mere irresponsible guesses for the new -faith in the possibility of longer life for man. Scientists have been -experimenting along this line for some years, and Metchnikoff assures -us that the average human life should exceed “three-score years and -ten” by four decades. - -He points out that the greatly increased number of persons who remain -physically and mentally active past the age of seventy-five and eighty -years is itself a proof that life may be prolonged. He recognizes that -merely to extend existence is not a sufficient end to work for—it must -be an active, worthwhile existence, and he has experimented toward this -end. - -All of us can recall instances of “old people” who have preserved -their physical and mental faculties until their last years. We have -been in the habit of regarding these people as exceptions and have -perhaps not noticed that these “exceptions” are already almost -frequent enough to prove that there is no such rule for longevity. - -Whenever we investigate a new and wonderful thing, we find that -its causes are simple and ordinary. So Metchnikoff and kindred -experimenters are beginning to show us that prolonging life is a -comparatively simple matter. It comes back again to diet and sleep on -the physical side and to understanding of the universal laws on the -mental and the emotional side of life. - -All scientific men agree that nearly all of us eat too much, or eat -improper food. Most of them say that we sleep too much, or try to sleep -too much. They advise simple diet, varied but not heavy. It is probable -that the early human being ate as the wild animals do, to appease -hunger, and had to eat whatever he could find without regard to taste. -As civilization advanced and he learned ways of getting increased -returns from Nature, he began to select and choose what he should eat. -In this way he developed “appetite” as apart from natural hunger, and -as his knowledge increased, and his taste became more and more refined, -appetite gradually took the place of hunger. - -People ordinarily seldom know the pleasure of satisfying real hunger. -Because of habit, the appetite stirs as often as three or five times -a day and we gratify it. We must have certain foods prepared in a -certain way. Eating becomes an end in itself, rather than merely a -means to an end. If appetite is fully indulged, he becomes heavy, -suffers from indigestion and sleeplessness, talks of stomach trouble -and consequent “loss of appetite.” He seeks a physician to restore -what he is really better without. Not every physician is as wise as -the one to whom a cook once applied. She told her story of inability -to eat her meals, of uncertain and unrestful sleep, increased weight, -and shortness of breath. The physician heard her tale of woe and asked -her the size of the family for which she cooked and about their mode -of living. He learned that the family consisted of five, and that they -entertained lavishly. “Do you taste all the food you prepare?” was the -next question. - -“Yes, sir; I must taste it to be sure it is just right.” “Ah!” -replied the doctor; “put on a plate exactly the same quantity of -everything that you take to taste—no more, no less—and send it to me -to-morrow evening.” - -Much to the cook’s astonishment, at the close of the next day, which -had included a dinner-party, there was a heaping platter of food, more -than she would have thought it possible to eat even at three meals. - -“It is not a tonic you want,” said the physician. “You already eat -too much, which accounts for your loss of appetite, shortness of -breath, and sleeplessness. It may be necessary for you to taste all -the food you cook, but take smaller ‘tastes’ and eat nothing else on -cooking days. I cannot help you; you must help yourself.” (Being an -ignorant woman, she went to another doctor and got some ill-tasting -drug.) - -And such is, after all, the decision of all the scientific -investigators into the life and health of men: We must help ourselves -by understanding the laws of life and observing them. - -Most rich persons are really like the man who applied to his physician -about “loss of appetite.” “Try beginning dinner with raw oysters,” -said the doctor. In a few days the patient returned, to say that the -oysters did no good. - -“Maybe you didn’t eat enough?” said the doctor. - -“Well,” said the man, “I ate four dozen.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -SLEEPING AND EATING - - Man’s rich restorative, his balmy bath - That supplies, lubricates and keeps in play - The various movements of this nice machine. - - YOUNG. - - -“There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of” in -anybody’s philosophy or understanding of living; it is not strange that -the great mass have not dreamed of eating as a cause of sleeplessness -and ill-health, though they may dream in consequence of it. It is -generally believed that a hearty meal of any indigestible food -immediately before bed is bad for sleep: yet animals and primitive -men always sleep after they are gorged. But few recognize that the -whole plan of eating may be responsible for sleeplessness or excessive -sleepiness. For, like fatigue, food may either bring or prevent sleep. - -In these days not even the most fastidious will object to a discussion -of the ethics and æsthetics of feeding. It is no longer “the -gratification of a vulgar necessity,” but a matter of keen scientific -interest. Colleges give courses in the chemistry of food that we may -know what combinations it is wise to make, while some of the leading -universities have made severe practical tests of some of the new “fads -in eating.” There are so many theories of eating to-day that one may -take his choice, and, if the quality of both health and sleep is not -improved, he can run through the list and then take what is best of -each. - -When Dr. W. W. Hall wrote his book on fresh air in the sleeping-room, -he added, in a casual sort of way, this piece of advice to the would-be -sleeper, “Always eat slowly and in moderation of well-divided food.” -That is advice that will bear infinite repetition. It is really the -keynote of all the present-day theories of eating. It applies equally -well to omnivorous and vegetarian peoples. - -Horace Fletcher says, “You may eat anything you like, if you eat it -at the right time and in the right way,” and, when one has learned -what Mr. Fletcher thinks is the right time and way, one has grasped -the whole of “Fletcherism.” It consists in eating only when one is -hungry—so hungry that “the mouth waters and one could stand and whinny -like a horse at the smell of bread”—and then chewing just as long as -there is any taste left to the food. I have known children to get -the habit of eating too fast, with indigestion and restlessness as a -consequence, because the nurse stood beside the table with a spoonful -always ready and waiting while the last was being swallowed. We may -avoid that habit for ourselves or cure ourselves of it by always laying -down the knife and fork or spoon after each mouthful. This insures some -time to chew. - -It is the opinion of all those who have special theories on “what to -eat and how to eat it” that civilized man scarcely knows what true -hunger is. We are so in the habit of eating at fixed and customary -hours that we create “habit hunger,” which has but slight connection -with Nature’s demands for sustenance. In accordance with this idea, -fasting is again becoming popular and all sorts of good results are -claimed for it. The “devil of unrest and disease” is now being -reckoned among “those that go not out but by fasting and prayer.” -Fasting and prayer meant the physical and the spiritual treatment -together. - -Fasting has long been imposed upon man as a religious rite, generally -as penance for some “sin,” but now it is being advised and -self-imposed for the sake of its physical advantages. It may well be -that the habit of fasting for health’s sake originated with prehistoric -man and was diverted into religious channels and its original -significance forgotten. So many “religious rites” have come about in -this way that it is fair to assume that fasting may have, also. - -However that may be, the practice is coming into scientific prominence, -and Charles C. Haskell in his book, “Perfect Health: How to Get it -and How to Keep it, by One Who Has It,” made much of the importance of -fasting. If one is ill, fasting will make him well, according to Mr. -Haskell. He gives numerous instances of the benefits that have followed -fasts extending from one to nine or even more days. Mr. Upton Sinclair -has written of his happy experience of abstinence in “The Fasting -Cure.” As soon as the system is ready for food, true hunger will -appear, says Mr. Haskell, and, like Mr. Fletcher, he regards “watering -at the mouth”—the free flow of saliva—as the best index of real hunger. - -But, unlike Fletcher, Haskell is a vegetarian pure and simple, as that -word is generally understood. Haskell says, “Nature has provided -a natural food for man, and it is the vegetable kingdom.” He also -strongly urges upon the seeker for sound health, which means sound -sleep, to give up the habit of taking breakfast, thus conquering -appetite and restoring real hunger. This is, indeed, the first precept -he lays down; and the second is much like it. It runs, “Never eat -except at the call of Natural Hunger.” Third, “Enjoy to the full every -mouthful of food as long as any taste remains in it.” Fourth, “Do -not drink any liquids with your meals.” The rules are simple enough -to follow if you have any cause to suspect that your mode of life is -the cause of “poor sleep.” This book has no special brand of food to -recommend, nor does it intend to say what any man should or should not -eat. Sir Henry Thompson is about right when he says that “No man can -tell another what he can or ought to eat, without knowing what are the -habits of life and work—mental and bodily—of the person to be advised. -One rule cannot apply to all.” - -All that the writer aims to do is to set forth the best theories of -how to insure sound sleep and good health, and to leave it to the -individual reader to try whichever he thinks fits. It is what he will -do, anyway, if he is a wise man; for only by following the course he -most desires can he learn whether these desires are to be trusted as -guides to happiness and well-being. - -But—most persons eat too much or too often or too fast. Maybe you do, -too. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -SOME MODERN THEORIES OF SLEEP - - I have an exposition of sleep come upon me. - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -There have been almost as many theories of sleep and its causes as -there have been investigators, but these theories may be grouped under -a few main heads: - -Physiological, or that which has to do with some bodily conditions -only, and which made men think that sleep was dependent upon the -circulation of the blood or upon decreased consumption of oxygen, was -an early one of these theories. It has had many advocates and has led -to many interesting experiments that have increased the sum of general -knowledge, although they have not explained sleep. - -Delicate instruments, with formidable names, have been invented -and successfully used to measure the intensity of sleep and to -note its phenomena. Two of the experimenters—C. E. Brush, Jr., and -R. Fayerweather of the Physiological Laboratory of Johns Hopkins -University—through long, intricate and exhaustive experiments, have -found that sleep is most intense and the pressure of blood in the -arteries lowest during the first half of the sleeping period. After we -have completed the first half of our sleep, the intensity or soundness -of sleep becomes less, and the pressure of blood in the arteries -continues to increase up to the moment of awaking. - -It is interesting to learn that the moment when we are most soundly -sleeping is at the end of the first hour of sleep, and that the -blood-pressure has at that time reached its very lowest point. Messrs. -Brush and Fayerweather report that, during the first few hours of -sleep, the blood-pressure continues to fall and then begins a gradual -rise. The tendency is to more and more rapid flow of the blood, but -this rise is not steady or regular, because it is broken by long waves -when the force of the circulation falls and the pulse is weaker than it -was a moment or two before. The rapidity of the blood-flow is greater -on the moment of awakening than just before dropping to sleep. This -increase is not sudden, but is the culmination of the rise that begins -a few hours after we fall asleep. (See Appendix B.) - -The intensity or depth of sleep is shown by a curve that looks like a -pile of sand with the top scooped off. It increases rather slowly, in -most cases, for the first quarter-hour: then quickly, so that half an -hour later the person is most “sound asleep.” He stays so, on the -level top, for about half an hour. That is the time that wise burglars -and late husbands choose to steal into the house, about an hour after -everyone is asleep. After that time the sleeper reverses the process of -falling into deep sleep by getting nearer to waking for half an hour -and then getting, at first rapidly, nearer to waking for two or three -hours. In the last three or four hours healthy and normal persons reach -about the same proportions of time and intensity of sleep, so that the -Indian-bow-shaped curve fairly represents how long it takes everybody -to deepen his sleep. Kohlschütter found how great an intensity of sound -was needed to awaken a sleeper at different periods throughout the -night. His curve thus made tallies very exactly with that of Brush and -Fayerweather, obtained in quite a different way. - -Some other investigators have pointed out that, interesting as -this theory is, it proves one thing about as completely as it does -the other. For, while it is plain that sleep and the great fall in -blood-pressure exist at the same moment, it is not conclusively shown -which is cause and which is effect. Does sleep cause the fall in -blood-pressure, or does the fall in blood-pressure cause sleep? The two -are coexistent, but who can say which begins first? - -It looks as if sleep might be more justly considered the cause, if -one takes the sleeping-position, and maintains the attitude of mind -suitable to induce sleep, blood-pressure grows less, even though the -patient does not actually fall asleep. - -Under this physiological view must come also the chemical theory based -on the fact that we consume more oxygen during the day, thus forming -carbon dioxide and other poisons which cause sleepiness. During the -night we absorb oxygen, building up the tissues, and eliminating the -poisons of the waking hours. - -The poisons which are the result of the consumption of oxygen cause -fatigue, and according to Preyer, a European authority, “sleep is the -direct consequence of fatigue, or rather of the fatigue products in -the blood.” His contention is that, if lactic acid and other chemical -products of the consumption of oxygen in the body were injected -artificially, sleep would follow. Experiments in this direction made by -Preyer, Fisher, and L. Meyer have yielded such contradictory results -that the theory is not proved thereby. - -The idea that sleep is the result of poisons in the system takes us -into the pathological theory of sleep, which regards it as a sort of -disease like epilepsy or auto-intoxication. We produce by our own -activities the poisons which cause insensibility until the system -cleanses itself. Professor Leo Errera of Brussels says that “work in -the organism is closely bound up with a chemical breaking down.” Among -the products of this breakdown are “leucomaines,” the scientific -name for poisons formed in living tissue, and just the opposite to -“ptomaines,” which, however, are also virulent poisons. - -Professor Errera tells us that, during our waking hours, we produce -more leucomaines than the oxygen we absorb can destroy. This excess is -carried along by the blood and held by the brain centers, and in time -produces sleep, just as any poisonous anæsthetic, such as morphine, -would produce sleep. - -While we are sleeping we absorb much oxygen and we recover from the -effects of our self-intoxication. Errera maintains that work, fatigue, -sleep, and repair are not merely successive events, but phenomena -chained together in a regular and necessary cycle. He explains -sleeplessness due to overfatigue on the theory that small doses of -poisons induce sleep and large doses induce excitement and even -convulsions. - -Manacéïne points out that this theory is good from a purely physical -standpoint, but does not explain our power to postpone sleep or the -faculty of waking at a fixed hour. We can do both, and any adequate -theory of sleep must explain why we can control the tendency to sleep, -but cannot control the symptoms of ordinary poisoning. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -EARLY THEORIES OF SLEEP - - Balm that tames all anguish. - - WORDSWORTH. - - -Mr. Edward Binns of London, as early as 1842, published a book called -“The Anatomy of Sleep”—with the subtitle, “The Art of Procuring Sound -and Refreshing Slumber at Will.” The subtitle makes one think of the -three-volume novels of that time, but the book is fairly concise and -worth careful review. Moreover, it is in advance of many works on sleep -both before and after. (For ancient surmises see Appendix C.) - -One of the favorite medical theories of sleep is that it is caused by -fatigue, and is, therefore, purely passive in its nature. Binns did not -accept this theory. He said, “Sleep is an active and positive faculty, -not a negative and passive result of fatigue or weariness.” Some of -the more modern writers, notably Manacéïne, agree with Dr. Binns that -sleep is not the result of physical fatigue or weariness. Dr. Binns -thinks that one proof that fatigue can in no sense be said to be the -cause of sleep is that, if we prolong “the state of wakefulness after -the usual period of retiring to rest, it is more difficult to induce -sleep than if we went at the usual hour.” This is especially true of -children, yet the patient may be much more fatigued at the later hour -than at the usual bedtime. - -Binns’ theory is that physiological sleep is in antagonism to -intellectual activity, being the active process of nutrition, -assimilation of food, or of the repair of the waste of the body; that -it concerns the nerve centers: that is, “the ganglionic system.” It -is a generally admitted theory that man’s activity, whether physical -or mental, “uses up” tissue and nerve force, and that it is only when -repair exceeds this waste that life is maintained at a high standard. -If the activities of life be many and varied, much sleep according to -this theory would be needed to repair the waste of force. Experience -has shown that those who live purely physical lives, doing hard manual -labor with little mental exercise, need the most sleep. Those whose -activities are mostly mental generally sleep fewer hours, though the -desire for sleep may be as intense when it comes as is that of the -manual laborer. (See Appendix, Questionnaire.) - -Regarding sleep as a necessity, in itself an “active and positive -faculty,” Binns says of it that “it is the true ‘vis medicatrix -naturæ’ —the healing force of nature—to whose vigilance we are -indebted for that condition of mind and body called ‘health.’” However, -he is not an advocate of long hours of sleep for everybody. He thinks -individuals differ widely in the amount of sleep needed. He makes the -general statement that, “the lower the cerebral organs in the scale -of organization, the greater the power of sleep.” On this point all -the authorities agree, and even in our own experience we learn that. -The animals nearest to man in point of development sleep more than man -sleeps; and, among men, those who live the most sluggish mental and -emotional lives sleep longer than those whose brains are more active. - -There may, of course, be exceptions to this rule, and yet those -exceptions would not disprove that there is a rule. Much depends, -says the good doctor, upon the peculiarities “of the individual; the -culture of his mind; his amusement, his food, his occupation, and the -temper with which he wooes sleep. General Elliot never slept more -than four hours out of twenty-four, and his food consisted wholly of -bread, vegetables, and water.” This seems like one more link in the -chain that binds up our habits of eating with our power to sleep. -Just as heavy eating late at night may so disturb our slumber as to -leave us practically sleepless, so general heavy eating may render us -so incapable of mental activity that sleep may take possession of -us. General Elliot’s slight need of sleep was probably due, in large -measure, to his light diet, and Dr. Binns seems to be of that opinion. -We notice that flesh-eating animals, especially serpents, gorge and -then sleep long. - -A modern medical authority, Sir Henry Thompson of London, in his -book, “Diet in Relation to Age and Activity,” takes somewhat similar -ground, although careful to state that he is not “a vegetarian.” He -says: “I have been compelled by facts to accept the conclusion that -as much mischief in the form of actual disease, impaired vigor and -shortened life accrues to civilized man, so far as I have observed -in our own country and throughout almost every part of Europe, from -erroneous habits in eating as from the habitual use of alcoholic drink, -considerable as I know the evil of that to be.” [9] - -[9] See chap. xxi on “Natural Living.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - -MORE THEORIES - - To Sleep I give my powers away - My will is bondsman to the dark; - I sit within a helmless bark. - - TENNYSON. - - -There is another class of investigators who aim to explain what might -be called the nervous mechanism of sleep rather than its causes. -These are the histologists, and theirs is the “histological” theory -of sleep. There is a vast literature on this one phase of sleep -theorizing alone, and it is deeply interesting to those who, in order -to understand this theory, are willing to wrestle with the difficult -and technical terms. - -The general reader, unfamiliar with physiological terms, is bewildered -by such a word as “neuroglia.” He wonders what sort of a fossil that -is, when in fact it is merely a particular sort of tissue found in -the central nervous system; a substance without any nervous property -serving a purpose merely similar to cement. So that, after all, like -much science, it is simple enough when put in plain words. - -Some histologists hold that the neuroglia is able to contract or -expand; that, when expanded, it takes or receives impressions from -without, and, when it contracts, it shuts out such impressions, thus -inducing sleep. Dr. J. Leonard Corning, of New York, says that -“Sleep may be defined as that state of the central nervous system in -which the higher centers are, to a great extent, in a condition of -physiological quiescence, with all the consequences thereby implied.” -Dr. Corning means that the nervous centers of the brain are inactive, -as a result of contraction, and that this state results in drowsiness -and in consequent loss of the consciousness. He recognizes, however, -that this purely physical condition does not always produce sleep; that -there may be disturbing causes within. He says: “Those who suffer from -sleeplessness are, almost without exception, beset by a variety of -disagreeable mental symptoms during the day, dread of impending evil, -irritability, depression, dread of society, etc.” Although these are -often the result of wrong states of mind or heart, he recommends for -such cases warm baths, Turkish baths, massage, and for obstinate cases -he even suggests the use of drugs, because he regards the formation -of habits of insomnia as more likely than the formation of the drug -habit. This suggestion is not generally favored by the investigators -of sleep, the most of whom discountenance the use of drugs. Almost -everyone has known somebody who contracted the “drug habit,” or has -heard of somebody who died from the effects of an overdose of some -poison taken to induce sleep. Nobody should dose himself with drugs, -hoping to get good results from sleep thus secured. It is wiser by -far to discover the cause of sleeplessness and remove it, rather than -merely to stupefy ourselves for the time being. - -It was as a worker along histological lines that Henry Hubbard Foster -of Cornell University became convinced that sleep is induced by the -absence of stimuli: that is, of things that attract and hold our -attention. It may be that the individual withdraws from all stimulating -conditions and creates conditions to cause sleep, as we do when we -prepare for bed; or it may be that, because of fatigue, our senses do -not respond to the things that would otherwise stimulate us. In either -event, the result is the same—there is an absence of stimuli. - -Foster believes that the present state of our development is not -sufficient to meet the demands of continuous activity of the senses and -the brain. “If it were not for fatigue,” he says, “the development of -the nervous system might be carried to such a point that consciousness -could be present continuously.” He finds the reason for sleep in “a -temporary derangement of the nervous system.” According to Boris Sidis -of Harvard, who has experimented extensively on frogs, cats, birds, -dogs, children, and adults, the cells of the central nervous system, by -expanding and contracting, connect themselves with, or cut themselves -off from the whole nervous system, and induce “waking-states and -sleeping-states.” The purely scientific man is forever aiming to -reduce all the phenomena of human life to a simple formula. But no -formula has yet been discovered which includes all phases of life to -the satisfaction of all its students. Hence we have so many different -theories of so natural and universal a function as sleep, none of them -perfectly satisfactory even to their discoverers or inventors, and none -affording any great help to those who want to know how to sleep. - -This whole neuron theory, as it is called, of dilating and contracting -is really no more complete an explanation than any of the others. No -perfect explanation of any natural function can be given until we can -fully explain life. That has not yet been done. The most advanced -biologists can say, “Here life appears,” but they cannot absolutely -define life any more than they can create it out of inanimate things. - -We know, however, that in sleep, sight, nearly useless to man in the -gloom of night, goes first to rest. Next taste goes. Then smell, still -so useful to animals, deserts us. Then touch is dulled. Last of all, -the hearing relaxes its guard, though with some persons it stays long -awake. Noise will arouse us quicker than a touch; and last the light. - -As you drop off to sleep you can notice the decreased sensation in the -long-serving feet which feels as if it slowly climbs to the muscles in -the head and neck. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - -STILL MORE THEORIES - - Sleep sits upon his brow; - His eye is closed; he sleeps, nor dreams of harm. - - LONGFELLOW. - - -We have not yet exhausted all the theories, nor shown how much too much -some of them and how far too little all of them prove. - -The two remaining scientific theories of sleep are the psychological -and the biological. The best modern exponent of the psychological -theory is Marie de Manacéïne, who defines sleep as “the resting-time -of consciousness.” Persons whose consciousness is but little developed, -young children, and those of weak intellect, usually require a great -deal of sleep, while persons whose minds are active, alert, responsive, -get along with comparatively little sleep. - -For a long time it was believed that living creatures devoid of -consciousness would not sleep at all, but recent experiments have -apparently weakened that conclusion. Dogs, pigeons, and other animals -deprived of brains in the interest of scientific discovery, appear to -sleep, that is, they have periods of inactivity, just as those with -brains and consciousness. Belmondo, after repeated experiments, drew -the conclusion that sleep is not a purely cerebral function, as some -believe, but that the whole organism sleeps; and the brain sleeps only -because the organs of sense sleep. This, however, is doubtful. - -And this is in sum and substance the biological theory of sleep, -that the whole organism sleeps, but even here there are exceptions. -It is true that the heart beats less rapidly; that we breathe less -frequently; that the brain cells cease their functioning because the -neuroglia contracts and shuts off or lessens their joint activity; -the motor consciousness rests; the nerves of sensation refuse to be -stimulated, we sleep. Yet we know that the spinal cord never sleeps, -that certain functions of the body continue uninterruptedly in the -sleeping-state as in the waking-state, and, after all these years of -theorizing and experimenting, we do not know definitely what sleep is. -We know the mechanism of sleep, its manifestations and its effects; -we know that continued sleeplessness means madness and death; that -sleep is essential to the physical and mental well-being of the human -organism, but we do not know what sleep is any more than we know what -life is. There is a limit to what material science can know. - -Heubel, who is one of the recent supporters of the psychological -theory of sleep, says that “Mental activity depends on the incoming -peripheral sensory stimulations; when such peripheral sensory -stimulations are absent, mental activity is in abeyance and sleep -results.” This is, in effect, to say that, when things about us no -longer give us any sensation, when they do not attract or hold our -attention, we fall asleep. But we all know of exceptions to this rule. -We have seen others fall into “a brown study,” and have probably done -so ourselves, and become perfectly lost to all about them; absorbed in -their own reflections, they neither hear nor see the things happening -around them. For the time being “peripheral sensory stimulations” are -absent, and yet mental activity continues and sleep does not result. - -The biological theory of sleep considers all the other theories, while -formulating its own, because biology considers the whole organism and -not only one organ or function of the body. From a different point of -view Binns’ theory is confirmed by Claperède, who points out that, -“biologically regarded, sleep has its significance not as a passive -state, but as an active instinct, like all the other instincts of -animal life.” There is a degree of satisfaction to be found in this -theory. It might be stated in this way, that, when man has had during -any period all the sensations and experiences he can digest, the -instinct to sleep takes possession of him. It is not that he becomes -helpless in the hands of those experiences, but that his whole nature, -like his stomach, knows when it has had food enough, and desires time -for digestion and assimilation before it takes in more. Obviously, -“utter separation from the phenomenal world,” as John Bigelow expresses -it, becomes necessary. - -In his lectures on Botany at the Royal School of Medicine in Great -Britain, Professor Leo H. Grindon said: “Man is captured in sleep not -by death but by his better nature; to-day runs in through a deeper day -to become the parent of to-morrow, and to issue every morning, bright -as the morning of life, and of life-size, from the peaceful womb of -the cerebellum.” This is the result not of a passive state, but of an -active instinct; it accepts sleep as a time of growth, not merely a -time of rest. Bigelow says, “Something goes on during sleep which is -a preventive as well as an antidote to mania,” and, in furtherance of -this same idea, Dr. J. J. G. Wilkinson of the Royal College of Surgeons -of London, argues that it seems “as if a reason more perfect than -reason, and uninfluenced by its partialities, had been at work when -we were in our beds.” Even “biologically regarded,” Bigelow is not -far astray when he claims that “our desire for sleep is manifestly -designed to promote in us the growth and development of spiritual -graces.” In other words, we desire to sleep, that we may relate the -experiences of our every-day active life to the sum of knowledge we -already possess by inheritance and past experience, that we may thereby -get a fuller understanding of life and its purposes. - -“It is not uncommon for those who have no habit or inclination -to sleep during the morning hours of secular days, to be overcome -with somnolency in church soon after the devotional exercises are -begun, and to find it impossible to derive any edification from them -until they have lost themselves for a moment or two in absolute -unconsciousness. Then they have no difficulty, sometimes a lively -pleasure, in attending to the exercises which follow. The worshiper is -then withdrawn from the familiar excitement of customary avocations. -It is idle to suppose that in these few moments of repose, upright -in his pew, he has rested enough, in the common acceptation of that -word, to repair any waste of tissue that would explain the new sense -of refreshment that ensues. He has received, in that brief retirement -from the world, some reinforcements which manifestly are not dependent -upon time or space for their efficacy—spiritual reinforcements, and -spiritual reinforcements only. He has removed himself, or been removed, -further away, out of sight or hearing or thinking, so to speak, of -his phenomenal life, and nearer to the Source of all life.” This -explanation may or may not be true. He adds: - -“It was quite a common impression among the ancients that sleepers -in temples of religion were more apt to receive divine communications -there than elsewhere.” (“Mystery of Sleep,” John Bigelow, pp. 94-95.) - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - -WE LEARN TO DO BY DOING - - Sleep winds us up for the succeeding dawn. - - YOUNG. - - -Good health and good sleep are so interdependent that it is as -difficult to separate them into cause and effect as to determine -“which came first, the hen or the egg?” If it be true that life may be -wonderfully prolonged as soon as we have learned to avoid disease and -exhaustion, and that we may learn to avoid both by avoiding excess, -then it is as much within our power to live long and well as to sleep -long and well, if we so wish. Senility, the disease of old age, is now -believed to be caused by germs which flourish in the waste matter left -in the system through improper or excessive eating. - -Metchnikoff, the noted bacteriologist, alleges that the large intestine -is the breeding-place of these destructive germs. A Dr. Hall arrived -at the same conclusion earlier and combated his germs with copious -water-flooding of the bowels. So far, Metchnikoff’s experiments point -to the conclusion that lactic acid destroys them. That is why he -recommends the use of pure buttermilk and has invented a tablet that, -dropped into milk, will convert it into a wholesome drink for adult -man. Discoveries and inventions of this sort are of great interest to -all who enjoy and seek to prolong life. But purely physical things -cannot take the place of the mental attitude. The youngest woman of -seventy-nine that I have ever known is one who says, “Tell me more; -I must not get into such a rut that I cannot grow.” No discovery or -invention will do us much good if we allow habit to cramp our thought -and custom to stale it. - -Science may show us how to avoid disease and to prolong life, but, if -we turn a deaf ear to her teaching, we shall get no benefit from it. It -is the alert, open mind that profits from discovery or experience. The -sun may shine with life-giving power, but, if the house be shuttered -and darkened, it will not benefit the dwellers. So with the mind. If -we resolutely shut it against new ideas, if we refuse to take even the -gift of life and health from an unaccustomed hand, then we must expect -to suffer. - -If we would rid ourselves of sleeplessness, of disease, and -dissatisfaction, we must be willing to let go of every habit, every -thought, every feeling that may injure us. To hug them to us is merely -to invite further suffering, to lessen our own vigor and our own -enjoyment. - -Nevertheless, we must hug our habits to us, if we can see or understand -nothing better. No one can help us beyond what we are willing to -receive: anyone can lead a horse to the water, but no one can make him -drink. If the end in view seems to us worth the price we must pay, we -pay it. We have no choice; for our desires push us that way. We often -take credit to ourselves for things for which no credit is due us. -However self-denying an act may seem, it is, after all, the thing we -want most to do, else we would not do it. - -In the same way, if we refuse to profit by the discoveries and -experiments of others, if we prefer to go on in our old way of -suffering, nobody can really prevent us. It is all a matter that we -must decide. This book does not pretend to cure any ill. It intends -merely to show what investigation and experience have proved; to point -to possible ways of escape from the ills with which men now suffer. If -it looks desirable to you, you will only read it; but, until you have -tried it, you cannot say whether it is good or not. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - -VAIN REGRETS - - Thou hast been called, O Sleep! the friend of woe; - But ’tis the happy that have called thee so. - - SOUTHEY. - - -Sometimes we lie awake at night to regret some action of our own -because the result has not been what we desired or expected. “John the -Unafraid” says that “if your misfortune is not your own fault, you -have much to be glad of. If it is your own fault you have more to be -glad of, since you can prevent that misfortune from occurring again.” -In either case, therefore, you may follow the advice given so many -years ago, “Rejoice evermore.” At least it is evident that in neither -case need you lose sleep over it: for, according to your light, you did -what seemed to you at the time best for you to do. - -For, to quote Epictetus again, it is not possible “to judge one thing -to be best for me and seek another.” The thing you did, you did because -it seemed best to do that, and to regret now and wish you had done -something else is, in reality, to wish that you had been a different -person from what you were, which is a foolish regret, or, that you had -done something different from what seemed best to do. That would be a -mild form of insanity. You don’t really regret that you were not insane? - -It has no bearing on the case that the outcome has proved that you -were mistaken. You might never have learned that your course was not -best for you or for others, except by doing just as you did. Now you -have that much more knowledge than you had before, and you can use it -to help you another time. A man can’t do any better than he can. You -cannot do more than you _know_, and you only know what you have learned -by experience. The great majority of us learn only in the school of -personal experience; the few wise ones learn some things through the -experience of others, by relating or applying their own experience to -the events in the lives of others. Comparing and reflecting, they come -to see the close relation of act and consequence, and thus recognize -the universal laws in operation. - -Such wisdom may be yours, but it will not come through regretting that -you did not possess it ready-made. Besides, no misfortune, whether we -are ourselves directly responsible for it or not, is ever in vain. -No matter how hard and almost unendurable the “misfortune” may have -seemed at the time, we shall find in looking back that it was no -unmixed evil. The terrible calamity has often been the turning-point -in our lives. It made us pause and think, and, through the thinking, we -have achieved development of which we were otherwise incapable. - -Even when we do not always see this for ourselves, partly because we -are not always good judges of our own development or progress, we see -it plainly in the lives of others. A friend of mine once said to me of -a woman who was doing a tremendous work in the world, “I remember when -she was just a selfish society woman.” “What changed her?” I asked. - -“Oh, she lost her only daughter very suddenly. It was a terrible blow, -and her friends thought she would never recover. But she did, and those -who love her best know that that heavy sorrow was really a blessing -in disguise. Think what she is now!” I smiled appreciatively, for my -friend was herself still smarting from a keen disappointment which she -had not yet recognized as a blessing in disguise. But recognizing it in -another’s life must eventually help her to see it in her own. - -If our misfortune has come from a selfishness that we might have -overcome, and did not, we shall not better matters by wasting time -in regret. “Repentance”—which is the only emotion such a misfortune -should arouse—“is to up and act for righteousness, and forget that -you ever had relations with sin.” Unless we “bring forth fruits meet -for repentance,” our repentance is lost, and we are indeed worse off -than if we had felt none. - -Spinoza, the Jewish philosopher, has spoken almost the last word on the -uselessness of regret. He says: “One might perhaps expect gnawings -of conscience and repentance to help to bring him on the right path, -and might thereupon conclude (as everyone does conclude) that these -affections are good things. Yet when we look at the matter closely, we -shall find that not only are they not good, but on the contrary hurtful -and evil passions. For it is manifest that we can always get along -better by reason and love of truth than by worry of conscience and -remorse.” It is an old Hebrew idea that we should repent in sackcloth -and ashes, making ourselves miserable that we may make God happy. -We forget that love cannot enjoy anyone’s misery. It were indeed a -perverted mind, whether human or divine, that could derive pleasure -from the discomfort or sorrow of another. - -Plants grow better when the sunshine warms them, and human beings -expand and develop under the sunshine of joyous reflection and effort. -If you are losing sleep through dreary or hopeless regret, purge your -mind of such folly, and, after a sound sleep, you will find that things -look brighter. - -There are, of course, exceptions to the rule that sleep brings mental -quiet, for some sorts of nervous sufferers are prone to depression in -the morning, but it is not common among active, healthy persons. They, -like well-nourished children, awake to find each day a fresh delight. - -Dr. M. Allen Starr, the distinguished nerve specialist of New York, -writes me that there are several explanations of the cause of such -depression. He is of the opinion that those who are depressed from -melancholia when they wake in the morning, are probably suffering -from a toxic condition of the blood which originally produced the -melancholia. This toxin, or poison, is resisted by the nervous system -when it is well nourished, but has a greater effect when the nervous -system is poorly nourished. He says that there is a general consensus -of opinion that, during sleep, the blood vessels of the brain are -contracted slightly so that the amount of blood going into the brain -during sleep is less than during the waking hours. This was proved -many years ago by Professor Mosso of Turin, by a series of experiments -which are conclusive. When blood vessels are contracted, and less blood -is going to an organ, the nutrition of that organ is less actively -maintained. Hence, if a person has poison in the system, it is less -restricted during sleep, has a greater opportunity to attack the -nerve-cells, and thus to prevent the nutrition which is essential -to the feeling of general comfort. That is the theory on which we -physicians explain depression on awaking after sleep in melancholia. -What is true of melancholia is probably true also of fatigue conditions -and irregular conditions of health, many of which are dependent upon -the existence in the blood of substances detrimental to health, either -the products of indigestion or the poisons of disease. This theory -explains the conditions in which a person not actively ill may awake -from a sleep in a state of depression. (See Appendix A.) - -Prof. Edward M. Weyer in reading the sheets of this book suggests -another tentative explanation of depression upon waking: if we consider -the nerve cell as stored with energy, then, if the store is maintained -at normal, it is in a healthful state. The supply fluctuates somewhat -during the day, but in the melancholic person it does not rise to -normal even after good sleep: the less amount of carbonic acid gas -eliminated during sleep leaves the system on waking at the mercy of -that poisoned gas and of the chronically low nervous energy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - -THE LOVE THAT IS PEACE - - Sweet gate of life, sweet type of death— - Come, Sleep! - - DORA READ GOODALE. - - -Many persons lose sleep because of their love for others, as the lover -who sighs and tosses, dreaming, asleep or awake, of the beloved. The -mother loses sleep thinking of the child with its little worries and -problems, its willfulness or its frail health. There is always some -cause that seems to her reasonable ground for worry. The father, too, -plans for the future of his son, and lies awake to map out a life for -another human being, as if that being were a puppet and his father held -the strings by which it could be moved in his hands. - -Dickens showed the futility of such planning in “Dombey and Son,” and -we have all seen it in actual life. Yet we go on doing as our fathers -did, and suffering, as we say, “because of our love.” It is really -only because we do not understand what love is. - -What we usually call love is largely self-love; that is why we hear so -much of the pangs of love. Love, being the essence of godlikeness, -ought to bring us the joy of the gods, and love would bring only joy if -we could forget ourselves. We understand ourselves so little that we do -not know when our love is self-love. We are always seeking some return -upon our affection, as if it were an investment that must pay dividends -to prove its profitableness. The price of our love is generally the -right to criticise, to influence, to control; or, if we forego these -seeming advantages, we expect at least consideration from those whom -we have blessed with our love. No relation of life seems too sacred to -escape the contamination of the selfish demands of self or narrow love. - -The mother loves her child, cares for it in its helpless years, gladly -risks even her life for it, and yet may be unwilling that that child -shall live its own life, follow its own yearnings, think its own -thoughts. The great stumbling-block of the parent is the unconscious -demand for gratitude, the claim made upon the child of a return for the -effort and affection so freely bestowed. It may be that the parent does -not look for material returns, such as money or position, nevertheless -a price is exacted every time that the parent is surprised, -disappointed, or angered by the child pursuing some course contrary to -his teaching. The love that cared for the helpless child becomes the -tyranny that would control its thoughts and action. - -We say “This is natural,” but we seldom say, even to ourselves, -“This is selfishness.” We would not desire to compel another to think -as we think, if we were not sure that we could not be mistaken. It is -a conceit of ourselves which makes us quick to thrust upon another -“ready-made” opinions because they are our opinions. - -But there is a still more subtle selfishness than this that may be at -the bottom of things. If we have earnestly advocated anything which the -world has been slow to accept, we feel that it is a sort of attack upon -us and our views when our children do not support those views. We say, -“How can we expect others to heed us, if our own children don’t heed -us,” and so we are hurt or angered. We think of their opposition as -disloyalty, and it does not occur to us that it might be no advantage -if others did heed us; that the very opposition of our children may be -the best means of preventing us from doing harm to our fellows. - -Besides, if we cared more that men should see the right and love it, -than that they should heed us, it would not hurt or vex us whether -they listened or not. If we have a message, it will find hearers and -followers. “There can never be one lost good,” says Browning, and, if -what we would teach is good, it will find its own. It is self-love, -not love for others, which makes us sore or angry when they will not -listen. - -It is a narrow love that makes us fail our friends because they have -not fulfilled the ideal we had of them. We never really loved them. We -loved something that we thought they should be, and were unwilling to -find them something different. We get pain out of our relations with -our fellow-beings because our love is not big enough to exclude self. - -We make in our minds a model of what our friends should be, and it -takes up so much room that we cannot accommodate so much as a mental -photograph of what they really are. And just there lies not only the -possibility but the absolute assurance of “disappointment” in them, -and consequent “pain” for ourselves. - -If we knew our friends for what they really are, and were willing that -they should be themselves, we could not possibly be disappointed in -them. We really insist upon our friends being in “our own image and -likeness.” Just so the Hebrews, in the efforts to present God to the -world, made of him simply a man like themselves—big and strong, to be -sure, with sentiments of love and pity and justice, but with a lust of -anger and revenge which almost blotted out his tenderness. Many people -still cling to this idea of God, but they are mostly those whose love -is so full of self that even the Supreme Being must conform to their -standard or they cease to believe in him. - -The “disappointment” that so often follows marriage, even between -the fondest lovers, is mainly caused by this narrow or self-love. Most -married misery is due to each trying to improve the other instead of -himself. “Because I love him,” says the wife, “he should do as I ask -him, but he refuses. He does not love me as I love him. I am almost -broken-hearted with disappointment.” “Any wife who loved her husband -would find it a pleasure to be and to do what he asks. My wife does not -conform to my wishes, but insists upon doing as she herself prefers. -If a man is not the head of his own house, how is happiness possible? -Marriage is indeed a lottery, and I have drawn a blank,” says he. - -But there is one thing certain, if we find ourselves suffering through -our love in any relation of life, whether as husband or wife, mother, -daughter, lover, friend, we may be sure that it is because our love is -not broad enough; because we believe in ownership, or desire gratitude, -or are confident of our wisdom and ability to control the life of -another. In short, that we love self best. “Love suffereth long and -is kind; ... seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no -evil.” The largest love embraces, understands, and forgives everything, -and knows no disappointments and no end. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - -THE SPECTER OF DEATH - - -Often we are anxious and sleepless only because we are afraid of what -is not in itself frightful. Like the little child in the picture who -mounts the dark stairs in deadly terror of an imaginary bear, we are -afraid lest we should see a vague something that might terrify us still -more. - -But perhaps there is a real specter in our path? Let us attack the most -terrible foe; having overcome him, we shall find that the lesser ones -have no power over us. - -A man was once walking alone a lonely road on a dark, misty night, -fearing every sound and looking for danger. He had been told that the -road was haunted and this was the terror that possessed him. As he -neared the haunted spot, he saw a white form rise from the earth. It -was barely discernible through the mist as it waved thin arms and made -soft moaning sighs. His hair rose on his head, but his going forward -was imperative, so he took heart of grace, and determined to face his -adversary. - -“Spirit or human,” said he, “I shall settle you before I leave this -place to-night.” With this he dashed forward, and found that it was -merely a slender birch with white under-leaves upturned in the wind, as -the breeze sighed through its branches. - -The rest of the road held no terrors for him. The specter he had most -dreaded proved to be nothing at all. In conquering his first emotion of -fear he had vanquished all terror. - -Maybe we fear the possible death either of ourselves or of some other -dearer than ourselves. Are we afraid of that? Let us look calmly at it. -Changes have taken place, and are even now in progress in our bodies, -yet we do not fear them. For the most part we are even unconscious of -them: a change is not terrible in itself, no matter how great it is. -Death is but another change, one that has not yet come. - -A pious man once appealed in distress to the late Rev. Dr. John Hall: -he said he knew his soul was saved, but he was afraid of dying. Dr. -Hall asked him, “But you are not dying now, are you?” “No,” he -said, “but I know that I must die some day.” “Ah, well!” replied -the doctor, “we hardly need dying grace until our dying day.” “As -our day so shall our strength be”—the bravest soldier may be nervous -contemplating the battle, but in the action he finds not only courage -but exhilaration. So, if we learn to live from day to day, we may well -put off fear of death or dying until our dying day has come, and then -we may find that there is nothing to fear. For the present, what we -have to consider is life, and what it may mean. - -There are two ways of looking at life: one regards life as the changes -that take place in the body from birth to death. The body is always -changing, being almost all renewed at least every seven years. Old hair -is constantly falling out, to be replaced by new; we cut the excess -growth of the nails, and rarely stop to think that the nails we have -to-day are not the same nails we had a few weeks or months ago. We get -rid of dead skin, and our skin constantly renews itself, and so we feel -no worry if we cut or scratch it. We say quite complacently, “Oh! it -will heal up and new skin grow.” The whole body fades and is renewed. -It is not, then, the changes in the body that we fear. - -We accept this series of physical changes as physical life, for we -know that, if the changes stopped, life would stop also; but we must -also recognize them as death, for the beginning of each new stage -is the death of the previous stage. Thus death is steadily going on -in ourselves, at the same time that life continues, and we not only -have no fear of it, but are unconscious of the process: our body is -constantly passing from death to life, as well as from life to death, -and we are not afraid of that; in fact, we never give a thought to it. - -Even from the physical standpoint man need not spend his best years -fearing death. When we live so that death shall round out a long life, -we shall have lost all fear of it. When we say that a person did not -die a “natural death” we usually mean that he died suddenly and -violently. But death from disease is not “natural” either, and in as -far as we learn how to live aright, harmonizing the physical, mental, -and spiritual natures, realizing that the perishing body is not all of -us, we can avoid most of the fruitful sources of disease. As we learn -what true life is, and how natural the eventual dissolution of the body -is, we shall cease to tremble at it. - -Metchnikoff, the eminent philosopher and student who has devoted years -of study and research to the life and death of man, says: “When -diseases are suppressed, and the course of life regulated by scientific -hygiene, it is probable that death will come only at extreme old age. -When death comes in its natural place at the end of the normal cycle of -the physical life, it will be robbed of its terrors, and be accepted -gratefully as any other part of the cycle of life.” He thinks, in fact, -that the instinct of life may be replaced by an instinct of death. -“It is even possible,” he says, “that the approach of natural death -is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world.” Perhaps the most -striking evidence of the truth of this so far recorded is the case of -Brillat-Savarin’s aunt—who, at ninety-three, said to her famous nephew, -“If you ever reach my age you will find that one wants to die just -as one wants to sleep.” All of us know of cases where the very aged, -having lived their lives to the best of their perceptions, awaited -death willingly and almost joyfully. As Browning says, “Thou waitedst -age; wait death, nor be afraid.” Fear of the approach of death disturbs -us because we feel further possibilities of life. We do not want to -be cut off in the flower of our existence; we think of death, not as -a change of existence, but as the end of it, and we think there is no -sure way of avoiding that. All of us have felt the truth of Dickens’ -idea of the bells which toll almost gladly for the aged, but seem to -weep when the young die. We are sure we should not fear death, nor be -unwilling to die if we had the privilege of living to a “ripe old -age.” For time is not measured by the clock or by the calendar; those -measure only the revolutions of the earth and of the sun. Time is -measured by thought and act, and, more than all, by feeling. And we can -ordinarily prolong our own lives to the time when we shall willingly -and gladly lay them down. - -This willingness is by no means the same feeling that prompts the -useless and unmeaning exclamation, “Oh, I wish I were dead!” The -average person gets into such an unreasoning state over every little -happening that he cannot see any connection between the events in his -daily life. He becomes discouraged, and thinks for the moment that he -would like to quit it all. No matter how many years such an one has -lived, he has not attained a “ripe old age.” Ripeness has no part -in petty impatience; it implies mellowness, soundness, and general -wholesomeness of character. - -As man is learning more and more about his life, he is finding that -sickness, premature old age, and untimely death are, in a large -measure, due to his own misunderstanding of the purposes of life. It is -this misunderstanding that gives the mysterious air to life. We fear -the mysterious, for our ingrained habit of regarding things that we do -not yet understand as insoluble mysteries is a relic of the days when -savage man found mystery and danger in everything. - -So, if we are making ourselves unhappy, losing sleep, and suffering -physical and mental distress because of the possible approach of death, -we may dismiss that cause of worry. As soon as we begin to consider the -purposes of life and our relation to them, we shall naturally avoid -excesses in eating; live as hygienically as possible; harbor cleanly, -uplifting thoughts, helpful to others and to ourselves, and so reach -out spiritually for a fuller understanding of the purposes of all life. -And what we cease to fear for ourselves, we soon cease to fear for our -other selves. - -Living thus, we shall not fear death, but shall move toward it without -thinking of it, knowing that it is natural, merely the long sleep of -the objective consciousness. - - - Sleep till the end, true soul and sweet! - Nothing comes to thee new or strange. - Sleep full of rest from head to feet; - Lie still, dry dust, secure of change. - - TENNYSON. - - O’er each vain eye oblivious pinions wave, - And quench’d existence crouches in a grave. - What better name may Slumber’s bed become? - Night’s Sepulcher, the universal Home, - Where Weakness, Strength, Vice, Virtue, sunk supine, - Alike in naked helplessness recline; - Glad for a while to heave unconscious breath, - Yet wake to wrestle with the dread of death, - And shun, though day but dawns on ills increased, - That Sleep, the loveliest, since it dreams the least. - - BYRON. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - -A NATURAL CHANGE - - -Through generations, perhaps for hundreds of thousands of years, custom -has ordained grief for the dead, we have come to feel that it is a -proof of affection or of sensitiveness or a sort of virtue: we indulge -in the luxury of woe, we nurse our grief until, like a spoiled lap-dog, -it becomes a burden. But we know that the unselfish dead would only be -distressed at our grieving. - -When we look upon the change called death as no more mysterious than -any of the other changes in our bodily or mental development, which we -either welcome or are unconscious of, we shall lose our terror of it -either for ourselves or for others. - -Our terror for others is not really for those others so much as -for ourselves. The sense of “our great loss” is really a piece of -selfishness. For life cannot mean one thing for us and another for our -brother; as we see our own lives, so must we see the lives of those we -love. The purposes of life are the same for all men, for all men are in -the plan of the Spirit. - -If for any reason our brother has passed from our earthly cognizance, -we cannot say that we have really lost him. It is true that we do -not see him with our eyes or touch him with our hands, but we have a -remembrance of him in the form of a mental picture down to the minutest -details of how he looked and moved, and we also have a remembrance of -his spiritual character. - -For the character—that sum of the abilities of those we love—remains -with us after the physical form has passed away. We are affected by it -just as we were when the loved one lived. We can feel the appeal that -that character makes to us, its effect upon our thoughts and actions, -as strongly as if the absent one stood beside us and claimed our -attention. How, then, can we say he is lost? - -The dead whom we have loved hold us as securely as they did when they -were living; it is only that we do not see how. It has come within the -experience of many that the death of father, mother, or some dearly -loved one has led to the awakening of some wayward or misguided one who -seemed to be wasting all the opportunities of life. We know that it -was not the mere death which worked this seeming miracle. That simply -woke the dormant love in the one who had hitherto desired only his own -way. As soon as he became conscious of his love for the beloved one who -has passed out of his earthly life, he longed to be what his beloved -would have had him be, and so he turned his attention to using the -opportunities of life, to the end that he might grow and develop. Thus -in death the loved one held the wayward friend even more securely than -he ever had in life. - -We shall not fear death, even for those we love, when we have realized -that it is but a passing from life to life—just as the falling leaves -do not mean the annihilation of the life of the tree, but merely the -end of one phase of that life. Somewhere, some time, that which was -really our loved one will blossom again in the world’s experience, -and even now is continuing to live through its influence upon our -lives. “There is no death; what seems so is transition.” The bodily -companionship with all that it implies, that we have lost: yet, if our -beloved had gone to be Viceroy of India, we should miss him, but we -should not put on mourning for that, nor “grieve” that we had lost his -companionship. - -“But we could write and hear from him and so keep in touch with him.” -True: it is then for your own loss that you mourn. - -Nearly all the suffering that death causes us is for ourselves. It -is our feeling of helplessness, the emptiness of the earth that is -left, the changed world that we look at in the sleepless hours of the -night, or, when we awake in the morning, our pity for our own loss -and the seeming uselessness of what remains of our existence. This -consciousness of our loss numbs us so that we cannot get a realizing -sense of the joys of the spirit set free from the limitations of the -body. Our love is still so earthy that it demands fleshly as well as -spiritual communion. - -So real is our suffering when those we love best are torn from us that -for a time we are inconsolable. Philosophy, religion, the affectionate -ministrations of those about us, avail not to bind up the broken heart. -There is but one cure for such grief—to minister to others. Unselfish -devotion to a great cause—the cause of our fellows, whether in the mass -or individually—is a sovereign balm for a bleeding heart. - -When we understand life we know this, for we have learned that neither -in joy nor in sorrow can any man live to himself. Action of any sort -relieves tension and suffering. If we bottle up all our sympathy for -ourselves, it becomes so tainted with selfishness and narrowness that -it loses its healing qualities. But if we let that sympathy go out -freely to others, forgetting our “personal” needs, it blesses them and -blesses us. - -A friend of mine lost a son and daughter by drowning, just as they -had entered young manhood and womanhood, and for a time his grief -threatened to crush him. He found no relief until he had his attention -called to the sorrow of another who, through a train wreck, had lost -his only child. Although a stranger to this stricken father, he sought -him out and, because of his own double loss, was able to comfort him -as no one else could. Moreover, the restlessness went out of his own -heart; he realized his kinship with all sufferers as never before. - -There is a story in “The Light of Asia” that Buddha, to comfort a -mother broken-hearted over the death of her only child, sent her to get -black mustard seed from a house where death had never been. The mother -carried her dead babe about the village, and in each house she was -offered mustard seed, but each giver said, “Death has been here.” At -last she realized that she was not the only sufferer, that death was a -necessary accompaniment of life as shadow is a necessary accompaniment -of light. Her grief, she saw, was but a part of the common sorrow. The -recognition that either joy or sorrow is common to all increases the -healing sense of unity, it is a “touch of nature” that “makes the -whole world kin.” There is no wrong in our grieving, if it comforts us: -but to look thus each for himself dispassionately at the cause and the -nature of his grief, will surely give so clear a view of it that it -will no longer deprive us of sleep. - -Then why lose sleep worrying about what we know to be merely a change? - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - -THE DISTRUST OF LIFE - - Come Sleep, O Sleep! the certain knot of peace, - The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe: - The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release, - Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low. - - SIR PHILIP SIDNEY. - - -If there is no cause to fear death, even when one views life as purely -physical, there is still less cause to fear it when one holds the -second possible view of what life is—the view that life is the Unseen -Consciousness and is within one’s self. These are two opposing views; -it is only when we try to combine them that we find ourselves filled -with fears. When we reason about our bodily life, thinking of ourselves -as animals, and apply the conclusions to our lives as men, we find -confusion, uncertainty, and fear: for our minds reach conclusions that -our hearts tell us cannot be true. - -What man fears is not death—_as an animal_ he does not know or see -death. As long as a man is mainly animal he suffers only as an animal. -The deer that flees before the dogs is not afraid of death, for it is -not possible that it could conceive of death: that is possible only -to the reflecting and comparing mind. He fears the suffering that must -follow from an attack from creatures of superior strength and fierce -appetites. So man fears that his animal existence, which he does -know,—with all its changes,—may be painfully cut off. As a rational -being, man knows that death is only a natural and never-ending change. -He knows that life is only that which he recognizes as humanness in -himself when he meditates upon it. He says to himself, “I feel my -life, not as I have been or as I shall be, but I feel it thus: that -I am, that I never began anywhere, that I shall never end anywhere.” -According to this view, death does not exist. - -His animal view of life, as the changes in his body, differs so much -from the spiritual view of life as Unseen Consciousness, that he cannot -reconcile them. They lead to “warring in his members,” a conflict -between the limitations of the mind and the intuitions of the soul. -This causes fear. - -There is, of course, a merely physical shrinking from death, the result -of race inheritance. In the early days of our race, before man had -learned to control the forces of material life, those men or races of -men that did not love life, feared death and avoided it, made less -effort, and took less care of their lives, and, accordingly, soon -ceased to exist. Only the hardy survived. The fear of death helped to -preserve the race. - -But this inherited shrinking from death is not what tortures man. What -causes the uneasiness is rather that superstitious fear of death, -which is really fear of a life after the throes of death. We have -made this present life so unreasonable and so inconsistent with our -own nature that we feel as if any life after death must be just as -incomprehensible and inconsistent as this one, so we fear it. We fail -to see that all life goes on developing and improving, and so we think -our future life may be much worse than what we have now; then, like -Hamlet, we ask is it really “better to endure the ills we have than -fly to others that we know not of?” Because we hold these two views -of life, the animal’s view and the spirit’s view, we seem to hear two -voices crying in our hearts when we consider things: the voice of the -Body and the voice of the Soul. The Body says, “I shall cease to be, -I shall die, all that I set my life in shall die.” The Soul cries, -“I am, I cannot die, I ought not to die,” and, as if from still deeper -depths, comes an appalling whisper, “Yet I am dying.” (Tolstoy.) - -It is because of this contradiction that terror seizes the mind when -we think of the death of the flesh. Man has so long assumed that his -fleshly life is the same as himself that he cannot easily rid himself -of the idea. Yet, if a man lose a hand or an arm or a leg by accident, -he does not think that part of his consciousness or self is gone. He -knows that a part of his body—through which himself is made manifest -to other men—is gone, but he does not for a moment think that he, the -human being, is any less. And he is not. - -It is true that the automatic processes of his mind refuse for some -time to accept the loss of the members of his body, he misses that way -of expressing his will. But that is not so strange as it may at first -seem. All voluntary motion arises from desire, and is sent out from the -directing mind by means of the nerves to the part of the body fitted to -perform that motion. We are not conscious of sending an order to any -nerve center when we wish to put one foot before the other in walking -or to use our fingers in writing. - -Yet such an order is given, and the desire and the nerve center have -both learned from repeated experiences just how properly to direct that -message to the foot or to the tips of the fingers. If, for any reason, -we miscalculate, we find ourselves walking haltingly or stumblingly -along; or our fingers do not move the pencil fairly so as to get the -right results. So, too, when we have lost a foot or a hand, the nerve -centers send out their messages with the same force as before, but -the messages find no way of being delivered. But at no time does a -man think that he is less himself because of the missing member. For -myself and my body are not one and the same. _Myself_ is that which -lives in my body, and neither that body nor the years it exists in any -way determine the life of myself. This self of mine, which thinks and -feels, is older than recorded time; why, then, should we think that -it will end with the century? It would not be possible, within the -few years that the body exists, for the intelligence or consciousness -of the individual to begin at nothingness and attain the degree of -development of a human being. - -This self or consciousness is really the outcome of the impressions, -experiences, and conclusions of my ancestors for thousands upon -thousands of years back, and this self began to be shaped even by that -from which man sprang. It is continuous; just as it began before my -body was formed, so it must go on after the body ceases to exist; it -cannot be a mere part of the body which will change with it or end with -it. - -We do not know, as yet, how we shall continue to live after the body is -laid away: whether in the thoughts and feelings and deeds we have done -in the flesh; or in our unending, though unconscious, influence; or in -the lives of the children of our bodies or of our minds and hearts. -But we do know that the world will never be the same as if we had never -been here. We do know that what has existed through unnumbered ages -will not end in this. - -Life does not cease with sleep nor end with death. “I never was not,” -says the Bhagavad Gita, “nor shall I hereafter cease to be.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - -REST AND SLEEP - - O Happy Sleep! that bear’st upon thy breast - The blood-red poppy of enchanting rest. - - ADA LOUISE MARTIN. - - -One of the main purposes of sleep is to secure rest to men. But -intelligence will find rest in many other ways independent of sleep or -of promoting sleep. We are just beginning, under the leadership of such -people as Miss Eva Vescelius, to make a full use of music as a soother -of the nerves: yet, as long ago as the time of David, some persons knew -its value. Browning’s magnificent poem, “Saul,” recounts its force. - -As David exorcised Saul’s evil spirit by the skillful harp and voice, -so those who are studying the therapeutics of music are now helping -the physically and mentally ill. Miss Vescelius and those working with -her claim that “music is capable of great life-awakening energy.... -The use of music for healing the sick is therefore a natural use of a -natural power. Music, like medicine, has been divided into classes as -stimulants, sedatives, and narcotics. It is now admitted that music -can be so employed as to exercise a distinct psychological influence -upon the mind, the nerve centers and the circulatory system, and that -by the intelligent use of music many ills may be cured.” For almost all -of us “music hath charms to soothe.” Others again find in some form of -massage a sweet though artificial sedative; some even in the combing -of the hair, which is possibly connected with an electric effect, for -we know little definitely as yet of the principles of the possible -curative force of electricity. - -Others again rest by a mere mental change in their ordinary avocations. -My wife was once talking with Mr. Stiegler, a well-known riding teacher -in New York, and he said that he was in the saddle every day from six -or seven in the morning till eleven at night, with only short intervals -for meals. “It’s a hard life,” he said. - -“But Sundays?” the lady asked. - -“Oh, Sundays! I have Sundays to myself.” “And what do you do on -Sundays?” “Oh!” he said, “I take a ride in the Park.” The relief from -the strain of watching the pupils and their horses was rest to him. - -When Weston had won his first six days’ walk in Madison Square Garden, -he went out to take a walk on Fifth Avenue on the Sunday. - -To find harmony with our own natures, to act in accordance with our -natural or acquired tendencies, is rest. A peaceful surrounding is rest -in itself, though sleep may not be wooed. One may be rested by a walk -in a country lane, when a walk in the bustle of Broadway would only -tire him the more. - -And this peaceful surrounding may be interior just as well as exterior. -Mrs. Elizabeth Burns Ferm, who has a playhouse for children on the -East Side in New York, and does a great deal of other work, recently -said: “I could never accomplish what I do if I did not sleep so well. -That rests me completely. I do not dream nor stir. I drop into the -homogeneous, forgetting myself and becoming just a part of life. In -this way I rest.” The oldest books show that, ever since there have -been any records of man, he has been seeking happiness and rest, yet he -has not attained either happiness or rest. But the seeking has helped -in his growth upward and progress has been his reward. As Browning says: - - “Progress is man’s distinguishing mark alone; - Not God’s; not the beasts’: He is; they are; - Man partly is and wholly hopes to be.” - -Even though man seeks in wrong directions, he is sure to move onward -so long as he continues to seek, for, if we sufficiently desire any -goal, we shall eventually find it. “What d’ye lack? quoth God,” -says Emerson, “take it and pay the price.” Jesus put the same thing -in another form. Said he, “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and -ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Those who -misunderstand life and its purposes apply this only to what are called -religious matters, but those who see farther into life know that it -applies in every way. It all depends upon what we feel that we lack. If -we feel we lack pleasure, or happiness, or rest, we seek them along the -lines we think they may be found. And we pay the price that is asked. -We cannot avoid this so long as cause and effect follow each other. - -If we seek happiness through selfish gratifications, we pay the price -of disappointment and pain, if we are at all enlightened. Of course, if -a man lives the life of the animal merely, cutting himself off from any -recognition of the claims of his fellows, he may get all the happiness -he can understand through self-seeking. But the price he pays is that -he is not able to understand or to appreciate more than this lesser -happiness. As Walter Scott says: - - “For him no minstrel raptures swell. - Proud though his title, high his fame, - Boundless his wealth as wish can claim; - Despite those titles, power and pelf, - The wretch, concentered all in self, - Living shall forfeit fair renown, - And, doubly dying, shall go down - To the vile dust from whence he sprung, - Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.” - -This is the price he pays. - -If we seek happiness through the happiness of all; if we forget self, -understanding that all are One, seeking that wisdom which comes only -from seeing all life as one, we, in like measure, get the reward. - -Men, mere animal men, who understand nothing but self-seeking, may -speak evil of us, they probably will, but even that cannot “hurt” us. -We shall understand that such evil speaking is the best they know, and -that, therefore, it is not evil to their minds. Moreover, the further -premium to us will be a broader understanding, a deepening love, an -increase of happiness, an influx of peace, a pervading sense of rest, -and quiet sleep. - -This is a premium most of us would be willing to work for, did we but -see it. And we may see it if we will. If we ask of life that we get -into harmony with its purposes; if we seek diligently even into our own -hearts for those purposes; if we knock at the door of man’s full life, -we shall find our asking answered, our search rewarded, and the door -wide open. What a man desireth most, that, somehow, somewhere, shall be -gain. Desire creates function. - -And, when the soul has gained what it sought, we shall find beauties -and virtues hitherto unsuspected in every human being; we shall learn -that, above the turmoil and noise of our rushing, jarring, modern -civilization, we can hear the morning stars sing together for joy, the -music of the spheres, that which shall yet soothe man’s fear and teach -him to find restful sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - -THE NEED OF REST - - The bliss of an unbroken sleep. - - THOS. W. PARSONS. - - -To go in the wrong direction delays our journey and brings fatigue, but -that fatigue may teach us needed lessons. - -Man seeks happiness through outer things, hoping to find it in wealth, -excitement, travel, self-gratification, and in countless other ways -that the age-long experience of men have proved to be ineffectual; but -he usually forgets that the wellspring of happiness is within. Long -before Solomon had announced that “this also is vanity and vexation -of spirit,” men had observed that riches do not bring happiness; -that excitement wearies us, that travel is unsatisfying, and that -gratification of the senses ends in exhaustion. - -At last, in despair of satisfaction in the world, we have accepted -the teaching that there is no rest on this side of the grave. We have -even learned to glorify strain and the strenuous life as natural -and desirable. At best, men have thought of rest as something that -concerned the body, and have confounded it with sleep and inaction. - -If we think we have important work to do, we say, “We have no time -to rest,” as if any work would be laid upon us that ought to prevent -us having rest. Draught horses have been bred for centuries for the -sole purpose of work, yet a wise driver never overloads nor overworks -his horse. He sees that it is comfortably housed, well fed, and has -its needed rest. Shall we think that the Spirit of Life has less -consideration for man than man has for the horse? That were in effect -to say that man were greater and wiser than that which caused man, and -which man has spent the ages trying to understand. - -When we stop to think of this we can see how foolish it is, but we -seldom stop to think until something “happens” that stops us. We go -on from day to day thinking that we have no time to rest. This state -of mind, which leads to trouble, is possible only because we do not -understand what rest is, nor how easy it is to have it. We ordinarily -seek rest only after we have become exhausted. - -When we have wearied ourselves with worry, useless exertion, and -fretting, or with envy, hatred, or malice; when we have bent all our -energies to some low aim or selfish purpose; when we have broken nearly -all of Nature’s laws and are called upon to pay the penalty, we seek -a physician. A man sets a shifting standard of wealth as his goal, -and strains to attain it; he eats improperly and in great haste, his -thoughts filled with the problems of the market; he is forever on the -alert for any advantage that he may take of his fellows; he cannot -endure to have another reap an advantage that is denied him; he is -envious of every bit of success that, passing him by, goes to another; -he makes of his life one fierce round of money-getting. Then, perhaps -before attaining his goal, perhaps after reaching it, he discovers -himself a physical wreck, and hastens to his physician, seeking -external means to cure that which has its root in internal conditions; -asking the man of drugs to “minister to a mind diseased.” To the -nervous, worried, hurried person, from whatever cause, the physician’s -advice is generally the same—“Take a complete rest,” meaning thereby -that all work be given up and inaction take the place of activity. When -circumstances allow it, we try to follow this advice, but it usually -results in boredom and impatience at the lost time; when circumstances -do not allow the inactivity, we get discouraged and complain of life -as a series of mysterious, unjust happenings. The physician’s advice -proves a mockery and we become listless and discouraged. - -We hardly ever seek our rest from moment to moment; for we continue -to look upon it as something we shall find after our work is done. The -laborer, the merchant, and the professional man think of the end of -the day as resting-time, just as the busy housewife does. It matters -not how much we may love our work, we expect to be exhausted by our -efforts before the day is over. We feel hurried, anxious, fretted, and -overworked all day long, and comfort ourselves with the prospect of -rest at night. And all the time we might rest and never find the day so -short as to cause worry, nor the hours so long nor the work so hard as -to tire us. - -It is only when we are burdened with distracting cares that we get -tired by what is a joy to us. The true artist wants no eight-hour day; -he laments only that daylight fades so soon. When we are doing only -what we love to do, and doing it well, we run and are not weary, we -walk and do not faint. - -Of late years the trainers of athletes have recognized this—they think -it more important to keep the men buoyant and fresh than to increase -the muscles at the risk of bringing them “stale” to the day of -contest. They insist that the men shall not exhaust themselves at any -time before the race. - -Exhaustion shows either that we have been doing the wrong thing or -doing it wrong, and kindly Nature reproves us with the loss of Sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - -SAVING OF EFFORT - - Rocked in the cradle of the deep - I lay me down in peace to sleep. - - EMMA WILLARD. - - -The unsatisfied longing for rest in all mankind will be attributed to -different causes according to the way we look at life. The physical or -animal man desires rest because of the relief it will bring to nerves -and muscles wearied by the strain of activities; he feels that to relax -will bring him some ease and that relaxation will help him to forget -the bodily weariness. Recovering from weariness or pain is a pleasure -in itself. The sigh of relief is really a sigh of pleasure. - -When the mind reigns, it instinctively recognizes that rest would -restore the balance disturbed by feverish exertions. Our whole lives -seem passed in a struggle to attain something, and the law of rhythm, -which is the law of action and reaction, requires that, after struggle, -effort should cease. One implies the other; neither effort nor true -rest can continue steadily. Effort is the breaking of rest; shadow is -only the relative absence of light. - -It is contrast that makes sensations; the shadow serves to make the -light brighter; the night makes the day more fair; and noon makes the -night darker. Tennyson recognized this in the line, “Sorrow’s crown of -sorrow is remembering happier things.” He might have said, with equal -truth, that the present joy has a warmer flush because of forgotten -pain. - -Wagner understood that, and so we find crash and seeming inharmony -so often a prelude to the softest, tenderest strains. The mind first -wearies of monotony, even of harmony, and then ceases to be able to -perceive it. Wagner saw this, and introduced clashing sound that -seems like discord until we feel its connection with the emotion and -the context of the piece. These relieve the emotions and throw the -harmonies into relief. Says Hobbes: to have one sensation and to have -it continually would be to have none. - -The mental man feels and knows all this, and to him rest becomes -necessary to restore that balance of things that contrast suggests—rest -after effort, peace after turmoil. - -The spiritual man goes still deeper into true conditions in his longing -for rest. Rest carries with it the idea of attainment. He who has -attained has peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto -you.” The unity of all three desires—that of the body, that of the -mind, and that of the spirit—cannot fail to strike the thinker. To -cease to strain is the keynote of ease. Why? Because man sees, however -dimly, that agonizing, like antagonizing, is really futile, and that -the only thing that is necessary is to put one’s self in harmony with -the Universe. - -Herbert Spencer has shown that grace of movement consists in the -economy of effort, in doing every act with the least possible waste -of power. The same thought is the basis of the teaching of the great -Delsarte. As Ruskin says: “Is not the evidence of ease on the very -front of all the greatest works in existence? Do they not say plainly -to us, not ‘there has been a great effort here,’ but ‘there has been -a great power here’? It is not the weariness of mortality, but the -strength of divinity, which we have to recognize in all things; and -this is just what we now never recognize, but think that we shall do -great things by the help of iron bars and perspiration. Alas! we shall -do nothing that way, but lose some pounds of our own weight.” The best -way to attain anything is to move towards it with the least possible -jarring or friction. In every struggle we lose force, because we are -sure to make unnecessary motions. Men do not learn this from their -daily work as unconsciously as they once did, because machinery has -so largely displaced handwork. But, even in using machinery, he is the -best workman who has learned to run his machine and get good results -with the least expenditure of physical effort. Such a workman remains -fresh for a longer period, and accomplishes more in a given time. The -machine itself is constructed upon the principle of saving effort—it -cuts out all unnecessary motion and reduces friction as much as -possible. - -If you watch a skilled typesetter at his case, you will find that -apparently he is never in a rush. The beginner, especially if he is one -of the more nervous type, looks anxious, pauses with hand fluttering -above the case while he considers in which box he will find the letter -he seeks; then, when he has made a decision, he will pounce upon it -and deposit it in the stick with breathless haste. Not so the seasoned -compositor. There is no haste, no fluttering, no waste motion. His hand -goes unerringly to the box where he will find the letter he wants, in -a twinkling it is in place in the stick, and another letter disposed -of in the same way, and you are scarcely conscious of motion. The -perfect workman is he who has learned to accomplish most with the least -expenditure of effort. It is toward this perfection that Frederick -W. Taylor and others are striving in the new “Business Efficiency.” -Every day we are surprised to learn that what _we_ gained by hard -struggle has been gained with scarcely an effort by another. It does -not always make us happy to learn it. We often feel as if we had been -tricked, and we think that effort spent in what we now see was not the -most effective way, was wasted. This leads us sometimes to persist in a -mistaken course, because we are unwilling to believe that we have lost -so much time and missed so much result. But no effort is ever wasted: -it is only by the effort to do well that we can learn to do better. - -Nothing is commoner than to hear our friends say, “I don’t sleep—the -work is so hard and exacting I get dead tired and then toss about -all night.” But it is not the work, rather it is the worker that is -exacting. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX - -ANTAGONISM - - Lord of the Darkness, Master of the Sun, - Strip me of all my strenuous life has won, - But let Sleep’s sweet oblivion o’er me sweep, - Closing Night’s leering eyes—oh, give me sleep! - - ANONYMOUS. - - -Though you want rest, peace, sleep—the opposites of strife—yet people -will oppose you and want you to go their impossible ways. That need -not arouse opposition, nor break your rest, nor disturb the even tenor -of your way. One disadvantage of allowing ourselves to be disturbed is -that we cannot be angry with one person without being angry with all -about us. Or at least the harmony of our relation is broken, because, -despite our effort, we cannot succeed in separating ourselves from our -brothers. The next time you are angry or impatient with someone who has -opposed you, take note how it affects your tone and your feeling toward -those who are innocent of any offense. - -One such investigation into our own condition when annoyed will help -to cure us of being angry; for there is no use in trying to correct -all the mistakes or worrying over the neglects of others, even of the -children of our own bodies. Other people, “the same as us,” have to -learn by their mistakes, and often do learn by some success that we -considered manifestly impossible. - -As we could not be wisdom and conscience to the whole world, Providence -has kindly given us enough to do in taking care of our own actions. - -When Mosenthal was organist at Calvary Church, the brides used to give -him directions about just what pieces they wanted played at their -weddings; Mosenthal would say, “Ah! that is a beautiful selection,” -or “A magnificent march!” As he said, “I listen to all the lovely -ladies’ orders—then I play what I think best—and it always goes all -right.” He did not make rows by trying to convince excited girls -that the “Mikado” would not be just the thing for the church, or -to persuade nice mammas without musical education that “Traumerei” -would not do for a wedding. It was not necessary to lie, only to give -what approval could be given and then to “gae his ain gait.” Most -people are not really much set in their own ways, they only seem to -be. They have an idea (or they think they have one—an idea is a rare -and precious possession) and they want to “get it off.” Let them; why -should you make the explosion dangerous by confining it? Maybe they -were only trying to argue with themselves, and, having got rid of the -idea, they are content, if their self-love is not roused in defense of -it. Like the codfish which deposits her eggs and has no more care about -them, they are quite content to leave the results to Nature. - -There was a tract called the “Oiled Feather,” which was very popular -in England forty years ago. Sam, a wagoner, has a bottle of oil with -a feather stuck in the cork, and, when a barn-door sticks or harness -creaks or a king-bolt binds, instead of using force, he always brings -out his oil bottle and feather. His friend has not learned the -usefulness of gentle methods and gets into all sorts of trouble, until -he sees that the Oiled Feather principle applies to horses and to -people and to difficulties, as well as to things. - -“Est modus in rebus”—which means that “there is a way in things” just -as much as in people: get into key with it and all will go smoothly. -Did you ever try to split trap-rock with a hammer? You may batter all -day at one side and you will only knock off chips, spoil your hammer, -and hurt your hands: but, when you have found the right spot, a tap -knocks it in pieces. That tap is the “open sesame” to which alone the -stone will yield. You may storm at it all day with your “open millet” -or “open wheat,” but its heart can be reached only by its own word. So -the stony heart of the world can be broken only by the Master Word of -Love. - -Now, if you have made what is said in Chapter XXVII your own, you do -not need all this; for you know that, as long as you arouse antagonism -in others, you can be annoyed and irritated by others, but not one -moment longer. The punching-bag can neither dent nor be dented: if it -is so made that it injures no one, it turns out that no one injures it, -no matter how roughly he strikes it. - -When your lovelight shines in darkness, not only will your own path be -bright, but you will be a guide and a comforter to others, and they -will follow you. - - - - -CHAPTER XL - -STRUGGLE IN THE FAMILY - - How happy is that balm to wretches, sleep! - - BEAUMONT. - - -If all that we have learned were that some persons “naturally” work -harder than others to achieve anything, we might say that this was -unavoidable; and there would be a degree of truth in it. It is true -that the intelligence of some people is so sluggish that they learn -little from experience. They continue to work towards any end in the -same way that they have always worked, wasting both strength and time. -For them there is nothing but repeated experiences and patient guidance -until they learn to apply their knowledge practically. - -But the intelligent man learns that, often where he has worked in -the hardest possible way, he has had the most unsatisfactory return -for his effort. The good housekeeper, for instance, wishes above all -things to make her family comfortable; she has inherited a feeling of -the requirements of healthy living, and decides that she must have a -scrupulously clean house to protect her loved ones from the dangers of -germs and microbes. - -So she sweeps, scrubs, cleans from morning until night; carefully -removes every trace of dust, follows her family with dust-pan and -brush, and at least looks reproachfully at the offender who does not -remove every trace of street or garden dirt from his shoes before -entering the house. She cleans so hard that she forgets that the real -object of cleaning is to make her family safe and comfortable. They may -be safe, but they are a long way from being comfortable, and she knows -no more comfort than they; cleanliness has become a fetich with her, -and some day, perhaps, she comes to her senses, finding herself chasing -the motes in a sunbeam, lest by chance they should rest upon her sacred -furniture. - -If she then sits down to take stock of things, she finds that husband -and children almost dread to come home. However serene and happy they -may be before reaching the garden gate, or the apartment door, they -then become nervous and distrait. They look themselves over, to be -sure that nothing is amiss, for “mother is so particular.” An anxious -expression settles upon their faces, for, with their best endeavors, -they may have overlooked something that mother’s trained and suspicious -eye may note. The joy of life abates, and a sort of painful hush falls -upon things. - -The average child cannot see that this condition grows out of -misdirected love and care; he sees no connection between it and his -well-being, but, if he thinks of it at all, he concludes that “the -house” counts for more with mother than anything else. Husband and -children unconsciously come to regard her as mainly a housekeeper, with -interests bounded by the four walls of the home. The very gifts they -make her are of a useful nature—“something for the house”—as if the -“house” were some special thing in her personal life but meant nothing -to them. - -When the hungry heart of this woman pains her, she resents the -condition that she herself has created, but does not see the correct -remedy. Her husband and children have put her out of their inner lives; -they take their pleasures away from home, they find their confidantes -among outside friends. Who should share their thoughts and their -pleasures? she asks. Who has worked day and night for their comfort -and happiness as she has? And the chances are that she considers them -ungrateful and herself a martyr, when all the time she herself builds -the barrier between them and herself by striving to make them happy -in her way. That it is not their way, and so could not be in harmony -with the natural trend of things, does not once occur to her. As the -French say, “Madam costs herself too much.” She has not learned, and -may never learn, that the only way to make others happy is to love them -sincerely and unselfishly enough to allow them to be happy in their -own way. - -Sometimes it is the father who destroys the joy of home. A many good -men think that their duty is done when they provide food, clothes, -shelter, and education for their children, and insist upon obedience -from them. They are so busy attending to these things that they have no -time to get acquainted with their children, to know or be known by them. - -There is too much truth in the newspaper joke on the suburbanite. A -mother found her little boy crying bitterly on the doorstep quite early -on a Monday morning. - -“What is the matter, Freddie?” she asked, anxiously. - -“Why,” sobbed the child, “I was just running down the street when the -man who stops here on Sundays spanked me and sent me home.” There are -many children who have no cause to welcome “the man who stops here on -Sundays,” even though he may be counted “a good father.” Very often -he “takes a nap,” and all noise must cease for his benefit; or, he -cannot read his Sunday paper while they are playing about. He speaks -testily to his wife, blaming her that she does not quiet the children. -“They have all the week to play,” he complains, “I should think they -could keep quiet on Sunday. It is the only day I have to rest, and you -ought to see that I am not disturbed.” And the mother, who hasn’t even -Sunday to rest, quiets the children in the only way she knows, and -everybody is wretched. - -As fast as the children grow up they leave home gladly for college -or business, and, though they respect and fear “the Head of the -Family,” they have no real love for him; they never consult him on -their intimate, personal worries or problems, and he many times carries -a sore heart behind his seemingly stern manner. He wonders why his -children are so ungrateful, when he has spent his whole life toiling -for them. In his bitter moments he may even call them monsters of -ingratitude; forgetting, as Dickens says, that he is really looking for -“monsters of gratitude.” These parents, like everyone else, have it in -their power to attract to themselves the affection and the surroundings -that they need, and to create a center of repose even in the midst of -strife; rest we may attain even amid turmoil; but true repose means -that quiet shall spread from us to others. - - - - -CHAPTER XLI - -UNNATURAL LAWS - - So many Gods, so many creeds, - So many paths that wind and wind, - When just the art of being kind - Is all this sad world needs. - - ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. - - -But the harmony of the home does not depend upon the parents alone. If -it did, it would forever disprove the statement that it is only by a -working together of all parts of any organization that its real purpose -may be accomplished. A clock is intended to tell the time, and its -mechanism is so constructed that, by its working together, the hands -and chime will mark the hours. But, if we could imagine the hands of -the clock refusing to move in the direction that the springs, wheels, -and pendulum required, and insisting upon going their own way, the -usefulness of the clock would be destroyed. - -So, in the matter of family harmony, it may be merely some self-willed -son or daughter, even a child, that causes the discord. And he is not -necessarily a “bad” child, either. He may be endowed with special -gifts, and be particularly adapted to give joy to those about him. He -loves his parents, his brothers and sisters, and also that intangible -“home” that counts for so much in life—yet, because he loves his “own -way” more than all else, he makes “home” impossible. He is so sure -of his infallible judgment that he opposes every suggestion that does -not come from himself; he offers free advice on every possible and -impossible occasion; he “takes sides” on every question that arises, -and considers any opposition as a personal attack or affront. He is -not conscious of these or of any other faults, yet every remark, every -act is tested by its possible reference to himself. He looms so large -in his own foreground that he cannot see how he could be unimportant -to anybody’s life or thought. He broods over fancied wrongs and thinks -himself the most ill-used of mortals. Everybody is unhappy where he is, -and he is most unhappy of all. - -For it is a well-established fact, one which we may find proved every -day both in our own experience and the experience of other people, -that he who makes another unhappy generally makes himself still more -wretched. - -If our experience shows us any exceptions to this rule, it is, after -all, only in seeming. He who can make another unhappy and not be -conscious of it, is among those whom Epictetus calls blind in that -knowledge which distinguisheth right from wrong. He has not felt his -close relation, or, indeed, any relation to his fellows. He cannot -know any of the joys of fellowship, and he will not find the pleasure -he expects even in his own pursuits. For it matters little, so far as -seeing is concerned, whether a man be born blind, or whether he keeps -his eyes tightly bandaged all his days. In either case he gets none of -the sensations of pleasure that come from being able and willing to -see. If we persist in having “our own way,” we must pay the price. -Most of the miseries of life are caused by failure to get in harmony -with the laws of life. This is as simple and self-evident as walking up -the street. If we persist in keeping to the left on a busy sidewalk, -we shall be jostled and pushed until we are sore and out of breath and -make but little headway withal. But, if we are careful to walk with -the crowd going in our direction, if we remember always to keep to the -right, we shall find it easy to get along even at the “rush” hour. -Those who do not observe this rule of harmonious progress not only find -walking on a busy street hard work, but they also make it harder for -others. One man walking the wrong way may compel twenty more to violate -the sidewalk customs to overcome his opposition. But, when everyone -observes the rule, it leads to a saving of time and temper and makes -life safer for all who are in the crowd. - -Generally speaking, we recognize no law but that of our own will, which -is by no means the same thing as the far-wider law of our being. We -cannot separate our lives from the greater life. While we follow the -law of our own will, self-will, we never know real happiness or rest. -Like many another man-made law, our antagonistic wills are a perversion -of the natural law which governs our lives. - - -SLEEP’S CONQUEST - - Invisible armies come, we know not whence, - And like a still, insinuating tide - Encompass us about on every side, - Imprisoning each weary outpost sense, - Till thought is taken, sleeping in his tents! - Yet now the conquerer with lofty pride - Becomes our guardian, with us doth abide - And plans all night our wondrous recompense. - He takes away the weary, worn-out day, - And brings to-morrow—bride without a stain; - Gives us fresh liberty, a chance to mend; - Life, hope, and friends enhanced with fresh array. - Then when we fail he conquers us again, - Paroling us each day until the end. - - CHARLES H. CRANDALL. - -(Courtesy of Harper & Brothers.) - - - - -CHAPTER XLII - -THE NATURAL LAW - - -But what is the law of our being? It is harmony, peace, rest. We have -but to look at the workings of our own marvelous physical bodies to -perceive that law. The more we study the human body, the more we wonder -at its mechanism. Yet every part of this intricate machinery, in -harmony with each other part, finds its own work, unless man, through -his misunderstanding, throws it out of order. - -Perhaps the strongest proof of the naturally harmonious working of the -body is found in the responsive distress or disease which result from -the wrong use of any one function. It is not necessary to cut the heart -itself to injure it. To sever an artery anywhere will interfere with -the perfection of the heart’s work as effectively as a direct injury to -the heart. To bring bad news may stop its action forever. - -It is not necessary to strike the head to cause a headache; that will -follow if we abuse the stomach, or live so that the liver becomes -deranged. We get these results because of the perfect harmony in which -all the parts of the body work when we conform to the law of our -being. The pain is a kindly monitor, warning us that we have violated -some law and bidding us get into line once more. It is always wise to -heed such warning, gratefully. - -Suppose that a man has a cellar which is so dark and damp and dirty -that he hates to go into it, and tries to forget it. But it is flooded -in a storm, and he is forced to go down to examine it, and then finds -that the wall is unsafe, and must be supported, else the house may -fall. Will he not say, “It was well that the flood came that took me -down into the depths, so that I might find what was endangering my -property and the lives of my family?” And if, in addition, he not only -reinforces and buttresses the wall, but also lets in the light and -cleans up the cellar, he will actually remove out of his life what was -always a disagreeable and neglected task. He will add to the value of -his property, and have besides a security in his house that he would -never have had but for the “accident.” So we, if we heed the first -pain that tells us we have violated the law of harmony in our physical -body, may be led into a better and truer understanding of ourselves -than ever before. - -If the law of the physical body is harmony, peace, rest, it must be -true that the law of the intelligence and the law of the spirit are the -same. If it were not so, there would be constant warring between the -three natures—physical, intellectual, and emotional—and happiness and -rest would be impossible. - -Harmony, peace, rest are the blessings that all men crave, even when -they do not understand their own desires. To say that peace and rest -are inherently impossible of attainment is to say that we are formed -with desires that tantalize and torment us, as a mirage tantalizes the -traveler dying of thirst in the desert, with no hope of satisfying -those desires. It is in effect to say that a cruel monster governs this -world and takes delight in our suffering. - -He who tries with apparent disregard of harmony to enforce his own will -is, after all, striving in his blind and hopeless way for harmony. -He thinks that to make his will supreme would bring peace, and so he -tries to have his own way: that accounts for much tyranny, especially -domestic tyranny. - -That so few do attain happiness and rest in their lives is because of -this misunderstanding of life rather than from any inability to gain -happiness and rest. We allow trifles to distract us from our real -purpose. We feel ourselves so pressed and oppressed by petty cares that -we cannot find time during the day to do all that we feel we must do. -It would be well for us to follow Pitt’s rule, to do our part in the -world instead of trying to run it. - -If that rule worked in his high and responsible position, it would -probably work in our less important places. Most of us spend our -strength for that which is naught, largely because we do not examine -the nature of the “duty” which presents itself to us. We should -probably find that our duties are not worth doing, or else that another -could do them as well. - -Rest brings sleep more than sleep brings rest. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII - -“LETTING GO” - - In sleep’s sweet fetters bound. - - LORD NEAVES. - - -A frequent cause of suffering among men and women is their idea -that they are necessary to the running of things. Usually they find -themselves mistaken. The head of a firm was once warned by a physician -that he must take a rest to avert a breakdown, but the man declared -it to be an impossibility for him to get away from the office for -even a week. He gripped his business so tight that he could not let -go, nor could he see that others could do it as well as he could. In -such a state of mind the doctor’s warning added another worry, fear -for himself,—so at last the predicted breakdown came. He had reached -the point where he had to let go, for his grip, both physical and -mental, was gone. For six months he could not concern himself with -business affairs, the necessity of fighting for life and renewed health -occupying all his faculties. He refused to let himself think of the -outcome, but put his attention upon getting well. - -When he returned to his business, with his mind braced to stand any -disasters that he might discover, he was astonished to find everything -in perfect condition, and that his assistant had even corrected the -errors he had himself made in the last weeks of overworked body and -fagged brain. It was at first a blow to his pride that he was not -essential to the success of his own business, but, as he realized how -big a price he had paid to learn this simple lesson, he made a decision -that showed how far he had advanced beyond his former condition. - -Turning to his assistant, he said: “Smith, as you can carry on this -business so well, I shall take three months’ vacation every year, and -have no more expensive breakdowns; and, as I want you to continue -to carry it on as well while I am away, you would better take three -months’ vacation every year, too, so there shall be no breakdowns for -you.” He had really learned two lessons in one—what things were not -worth doing, and what things could be done by somebody else. He still -had left “the things that were quite enough for any man to attempt.” -No man is really indispensable to any undertaking, however much it may -seem so to him. When James Alexander controlled the Equitable Life -Assurance Society, he made it his rule to discharge anybody who seemed -to be indispensable. His reason for this was that, the longer such a -man was retained, the more indispensable he would become, until the -association would be in danger of going to smash if anything happened -to that one man. Common prudence dictated the advisability of getting -rid of him while the company could manage to get along somehow without -him. - -There was once a Dutchman who was of much the same opinion as Mr. -Alexander. His manager applied for an increase of salary. - -“I t’ink I buys you bretty dear, alretty, Hans.” “Yes,” said Hans, -“I get a good salary, but then I am worth it. I know everything and do -everything about the business; in fact, you couldn’t get along without -me.” “Ach, ish dot so? Vell; vat I do if you vas deat, Hans?” “Oh, -well! if I were dead, you’d have to get along without me.” “Ach!” -replied the Dutchman, slowly, “den, Hans, I t’inks we gonsiders you -deat.” It is well to think sometimes of how nicely the world got along -before we came to it, and how likely it is to do just as well after we -have left it. If, when we are rushing around, weighed down by anxiety -and a feeling of our own importance, we should “consider ourselves -dead” for a few moments, we might find that the fever of life had -subsided. - -We should have to admit that, judging from the past, the world would -not even slip a cog if we were to pass from it. And even if we were -ready to claim that no one heretofore had been so important, and no -one could ever again be so necessary, even then it were the part of -wisdom to cease hurrying and worrying. For, as the human frame can be -exhausted by overwork and overworry, it behooves the indispensable -person to preserve himself as long as possible, so as to save the world -from the catastrophe of his loss. The very thing he aims to do—save the -world—he defeats by his anxiety and haste. - -Proper prudence tends to prevent trouble, not to prevent worry. No -amount of precaution and care will cure worry. In fact, the prudence -and care help to fix the thought on all the mischances, however -improbable or impossible, that may be imagined. - -Elaborate precautions often defeat themselves, like a corporal who kept -all his squad out as pickets till they were cut off one by one. - -I once saw a family going off to the country, five “masters” and -three servants, eight hand-packages, coachman, footman, and an extra -servant, and the family doctor to get them off. The cautious doctor got -the tickets days before, and even got checks for the trunks. An extra -trunk, taken at the last hour to hold some extra things that might be -needed, upset all that arranging. - -The doctor went to the baggage-room in the gray dawn to get that -precautionary trunk checked: after a long discussion about the -place, he arranged to meet the family at the railway news-stand. The -caretaker was shown once more how to work the burglar alarm, from -which a necessary knob came off in the nervous hand of the Master of -Cares—“telephone for the electrician” but at last the blinds were -carefully pulled down, the house shut up and committed to Providence -and the caretaker, and the family and its familiars arrived at the -station nearly an hour before train-time, “getting off so nicely.” The -Genius of Forethought sent out a pair of scouts to find the doctor. -They returned, to report that there were three news-stands, but the -doctor was not at any of them. - -Then this Genius of Care went himself with one of the scouts, a long -and hurried walk to the baggage-room,—not there. - -Meanwhile, the doctor, who had stayed to see the trunks off, had found -the main body with its camp-followers and light baggage. All stood -in the station near a news-stand and waited for the return of the -expedition, till the doctor got impatient as train-time approached and -went off to find the Head of the House, who arrived in a flurry, having -lost his own head a few minutes after he had gone with the tickets. - -At last, after the pilgrimage from the ticket-gate down to the -parlor-car, they are in the train, all safe, thank God; but the Genius -of Care did not sleep that night “on account of the worry and fuss -of getting off.” That was not the doctor’s fault. Like Martha, he had -made his own punishment the same as the rest of us by being “_careful_ -about many things.” I remember an Irish servant who was shown one of -our big banks with its huge window-bars, to make it safe. “Sure,” -she said, “what’s the good of them things? The thieves is inside and -not out.” Worry is inside and not out, and Sleep, like the Kingdom of -Heaven, is not taken by force. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIV - -REST IN TRUTH - - The timely dew of sleep. - - MILTON. - - -It is not our work that wears us, but the way we take it. So long as -we think of rest as meaning only inactivity, just so long will the -activities of life exhaust us. Goethe said: - - “Rest is not quitting the busy career, - Rest is fitting oneself for one’s sphere.” - -When we do that, we find rest. But we may ask what is one’s sphere and -how may one fit one’s self for it? If we wish to answer that truly, -we must be willing to have some common misconceptions brushed away. -The sphere of any individual is limited only by the possibilities of -his own body, mind, and spirit. Our sphere is not a small circle of -activities whose boundaries any man may mark. It widens as our inner -nature expands, and what was the horizon line yesterday will be but -a tiny hillock near at hand to-morrow. It includes all that has been -achieved, and all that may be attained by the race. - -The best standard of our life is not only what the race as a whole -has achieved in the way of development, but the highest and best that -any person has yet taught or lived; this is the true measure of man’s -sphere to-day. Ordinarily, we talk of man’s sphere and woman’s sphere -as if there were a clear line of separation between them, and each were -continued in its own little space. This could not be, for, so long as -men and women have the same three natures—bodily, mental, spiritual—so -long as we have similar needs, aims, and aspirations, the larger sphere -of man, whether male or female, is the same, and is bounded only by the -possibilities of the life of all three natures. - -To fit one’s self for such a sphere should bring rest while we are -doing it, because that fitting means becoming harmonious with the -purposes of the larger life; and rest is simply harmony, at-one-ness -with the Universe. - -The possibilities of the life of all three natures are inexhaustible. -We have never touched the limit of even the physical man. Man at one -time had only his hands for tools, and so was limited in his powers. -But he used his mind to increase the power of his hands, and reached -out for sticks and stones to help him. In time his thought devised -implements that increased his physical power a thousandfold, until now -he has harnessed not only steam, but the very currents of the air, and -is making himself all-powerful. - -He does not wholly understand the forces he tries to control, but he -studies them, experiments upon them, and makes servants of them as far -as he has grasped their laws. Had he insisted upon considering his mind -and his physical powers as entirely separate and refused to use them -together, he might still have claws for hands, and might still be a -mere burrower in the earth. Moreover, his mind would not have developed -as it has. Steam and electricity might have aroused his curiosity, but -he would not have known how to make them to do his will. - -Further, if man had been able to keep his intellect apart from his -spirit, he would not have developed the qualities that lift him above -the more intelligent animals. Sympathy and justice and love would not -have come into his relations with his fellow-men. - -These moral feelings expressed in our bodies, our minds, and our hearts -are some of the possibilities of the life of all three natures, and -to endeavor to know and harmonize them, thus “fitting one’s self for -one’s sphere,” would bring us the happiness that follows action and the -rest that flows from selfless purpose or harmony. - -If we consider what the true object of life is, we cannot help trying -to see the connection between the three natures of man. It does not -seem possible that the life of any thinking being was intended to be a -purposeless jarring jumble, or, as poor Stephen Blackpool said, “a’ a -muddle.” We find such harmony in the life of the material world that -we may expect to find a similar harmony in the life of man. So soon as -we discover this, we see also that there must be harmony between the -life of the material world and the life of man, and further harmony -between both the material and the human life, and the Source of all -life. Seeing this, and living it, is fitting ourselves for our sphere, -preparing ourselves to take our destined places in the Universe as Men -and Women. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV - -THE SPAN OF LIFE - - We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life - Is rounded with a sleep. - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -Only a generation ago it was the custom for men and women to begin -to grow old at about forty-five. A person of fifty was always called -“old,” and a man was expected to be decrepit at sixty, a woman much -earlier. It is not wonderful that such men begrudged the time spent in -sleep. - -When I was a boy, we used shamelessly to print books in big type, -indorsed “For the Aged,” on the theory that everyone must be nearly -blind at maturity. Even now Dr. George F. Stevens thinks that everyone -“ought” to wear glasses after forty, notwithstanding that many -Christian Scientists and Mental Scientists discard them long after that -age. - -There is as much truth as wit in the saying that “A man is as old as -he feels, a woman as old as she says she is.” We used to insist upon -every year being counted and noted, too, in dress, occupation, and -general demeanor. But we have changed all this—even natty dress now -common to older people shows it—but the change has come about slowly, -and there are still many who think that people of sixty should give -up all active life and prepare to “grow old gracefully,” that is, to -drop willingly into senility. Those who are willing so to slip into -uselessness quietly, need much sleep; but even for them the sleep is -not a waste of time, but an aid to length of days. - -There has been a great deal too much willingness to let go of active -life, because of the idea that “threescore years and ten” was the -natural limit of man’s life, and that to live beyond seventy-five was -to live upon “borrowed time.” There is a sort of tickle for the mental -palate in that expression “borrowed time,” but there is no substance -in it, if we will but examine it. How can there be “borrowed” time and -from whom is it borrowed? - -Life is not a thing that begins to-day and ends to-morrow. So far as -we know, it has neither beginning nor end. It is beyond our power to -picture a limit to all life. Well, if life has neither beginning nor -end, if it has no limits, and if time is merely the unit by which we -measure seasons, why should there be a limit to what we can use of it, -and how could a continued use of it be called “borrowing”? - -In the earlier days of the race, when all progress was made through -might, and war settled every question, when a man’s “work” meant -chasing over the hills, when men fared hard, and knew little of Nature; -when fear was the supreme emotion—it is probable that seventy years -represented a long life. To escape all the chances of death from -accident and ignorance for so long a time was an achievement, and, in -this way, doubtless, seventy years came to be regarded as the natural -period of man’s physical existence. - -But with our increasing knowledge, with the extension of means for -making life easier, with our conquest of Nature, there is no excuse for -limiting ourselves or our fellows to the same short span. Consequently -man’s life began to extend over a longer and longer period as the risks -of living were diminished by civilization. War became a less common -condition; the very inventions for making war more destructive of life -helped to make people consider whether disputes could not be more -wisely settled. The next step was a natural outcome of that reasoning. -The latest wars have had more casualties and less fatalities; partly -because the effort has been to incapacitate the fighting-men rather -than to kill them off. We have begun to see dimly, at least, that the -taking of life does not settle any question. This leads to a greater -respect for life, and from respect to preservation is an easy step. - -The intelligent man to-day does not make his whole life a mere struggle -to exist for his “allotted span.” Rather, he aims to preserve and -prolong his life by exertion and, even more, by repose. He has learned -that, while it is true that “not enjoyment and not sorrow is our -destined end or way,” yet to enjoy, in the sense of understanding life -and living, is to live so that “each to-morrow find us farther than -to-day.” To enjoy life is to use it wisely; to get the most out of it -that will make for happiness and development. It will not help to that -end to worry or lose sleep, because man’s span of life is short. Love -with your whole heart, and live according to reason, and you will win -the prize of sleep, and happiness and length of days shall be added -thereunto. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI - -WASTE STEAM - - -If there is one thing more than another for which Americans are noted, -it is “nervous energy.” To this we attribute our notable achievements -in science, industry, and literature. To this energy, also, or rather -to the misuse of it, may be attributed the dyspepsia, the nervous -headaches, the general “breakdowns,” and the suicides so much more -prevalent of late years. - -An abundant supply of nervous energy is one of the blessings of life, -it denotes almost unlimited capacity for work and enjoyment. It is the -steam that drives the engine; and which, under the control of a skilled -engineer, pulls the train upgrade as well as on the level. It is only -through ignorance or carelessness that the engine is allowed to run -wild, and destroys that which it was meant to convey safely. - -So with the people who “go to pieces nervously.” There has been an -unskilled hand on the lever. Through ignorance or carelessness, the -nervous energy has been badly handled, and the force that should convey -us safely through life has caused our destruction. We should be as -careful with our minds as with our machines. - -When we find ourselves getting nervous and worried, sleepless, “blue,” -or dyspeptic; or showing any of the numerous signs of misdirected -energy, such as short temper or headaches, we should take a day off -to examine the engine. It is time well spent, as we may thereby learn -something that will avert a complete breakdown. - -If we find that we are not overeating, overworking, or overworrying; -not feeling animosity, nor suffering from an excessive idea of personal -importance—if, in fact, there are no fears gnawing our heartstrings nor -any other large and well-defined cause of trouble, we may well look -closer for small causes. “The foxes—the little foxes that spoil the -vines.” - -There are often disturbing causes that we fail to notice as disturbing. -For instance, disorder about us, the habit of stirring everything up -and throwing everything around when we set to work. The confusion -communicates itself to our feelings, besides which the uncertainty as -to where we have put what we want next upsets our nerves. - -It is a good plan, when we find ourselves “rattled” or not working -easily, to stop and clear things up, put everything in order. It is -marvelous how often that will smooth out the creases both in face and -temper and make the world look pleasant again. - -If that itself proves to be a certain strain or an annoyance, leave the -whole thing and go out for a while, or take a nap, or even smoke, if -you do not feel that smoking hurts you. Anything that will distract the -attention from the seemingly annoying circumstances will relieve the -pressure on overwrought nerves and allow the system to regain its poise. - -At this point it will sometimes serve to put into practice the rule -that William Pitt, Prime Minister of Great Britain, laid down for -himself: When overwhelmed with official duties, he divided his work -into three parts—that which was not worth doing, that which would do -itself, and that which was quite enough for any man to attempt. Make a -list of all the things you have to do, then go over that list and make -it into three. Pick out first the things that could be left undone, -because not really worth the effort they require. Having settled them, -you will find your load already lightened. - -Next select those things that you want to do, but which somebody else -could do just as well. Make that list carefully. It is the hardest -one of the three. It is comparatively easy to decide that a thing we -may wish to do is not worth the effort it will cost, but it is quite -another matter to admit that somebody else could do those things just -as well. - -And there is a reason for this feeling apart from mere ordinary -conceit, although it may only be a more subtle form of -conceit—self-approbativeness, as the phrenologists call it. It has its -rise in our belief that, while our way of doing that particular thing -may be no better than another’s way, yet it is “different,” and we -long to see the result of that different way. Nevertheless, it may be -that the best good of all concerned requires that somebody else do that -thing, and our nervous restlessness is merely a warning for us to omit -doing it ourselves. - -Then, in the things left on the original list, we shall find all that -one person should undertake, and we shall do them with a zest and ease -that could not have been ours working in any other way. For myself, -when all else fails, and none of these devices does away with the -feeling of being pushed by my work, I close my desk and go for a walk. -If soothed, I return in an hour or two and take up my work easily; -otherwise, I leave it all until another day; it saves time in the end. -Circumstances prevent many persons from doing that: but we can do it, -in greater or less degree, far oftener than we think. - -It is always advisable to stop long enough to find out what is the -matter. If a good engineer finds his engine running hard, he examines -it to finds the trouble. If your watch goes irregularly, you take it -to an expert to find the cause of irregularity. Why should we be less -careful with our minds? - -What is needed is simply obedience to the laws of Nature that we know, -but the case may be one for the physical culturist, for the mental -therapeutist, for the moral teacher, or even for the alienist. Where -common sense fails or is wanting, we should consult an expert before it -is too late. (See Appendix A.) - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII - -UNDERSTANDING - - Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber; - Thou hast no figures and no fantasies, - Which busy care draws in the brains of men; - Therefore thou sleep’st so sound. - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -All unrest and uneasiness, all impatience and disharmony are due to -some misunderstanding of life and its unity, of its unchanging and -unchangeable laws. Froebel’s recognition of this principle created his -idea of education as growth by exercise, the greatest definition of -training that has yet been given to the world. He says that education -consists in relating the individual life to the external life, the -inner to the outer, or, in other words, it consists in getting the -individual into harmony with the whole of life. - -This is the substance of the doctrine of all the great thinkers of the -world, the essential oneness in the teachings of all the philosophers -of every race and of all the ages. Each gives expression to the special -side of this oneness that presented itself most strongly to him, but -on the plan of life they agree. - -Although many of the followers of these great teachers have been able -to see the beauty of their conceptions, few have been able to transmit -them as pure and bright as they received them. It is by no means easy -to avoid interpreting what we hear in a merely personal way. Seldom -do the “hearers of the Word” have the humility “of the broken and -empty vessel,” so well expressed in a hymn at one time popular among -revivalists: - - “Empty, that He might fill me - As forth to His service I go; - Broken, that so unhindered - His life through me might flow.” - -Instead of that, we have tried to make the truth fit our ideas of -“personal” life, when we should have made our “personal” life fit the -truth. - -One cannot conceive of the Universe growing weary, of infinity becoming -exhausted, because material science has shown us that harmonious -laws govern all life. Scientists have been able to state laws that -experience has shown to be unfailingly true. For example, take the -heavenly bodies: through the study and comparison of their motions, -astronomers have stated laws that apply to all that is known of them, -and which illustrate the perfection of the solar system. To-day, if -some asteroid is discovered which seems to move in opposition to known -laws, no one supposes that the laws are wrong. So impossible is any -haphazard occurrence in the solar system that astronomers know that -any disturbance simply shows some existence or activity not hitherto -observed. They do not doubt the unchangeable universal nature of the -laws; but they recognize that only lack of knowledge prevents our -understanding the relation of what we see to the laws that govern it, -and they bend every effort to the solution of the mystery. - -If we but look upon the occurrences of human life with the same -confidence, there is no cause for worry and uneasiness. Why should -man chafe? Because of those who do ill? “Fret not thyself because of -evildoers,” for they, too, have their uses. Every man is in the plan -of God. It may be that he is here simply to show us something that -we should not otherwise have seen. Had not someone done the ill and -made the results known, many men might have made like mistakes and the -consequences have been much worse than they are. Says Ernest Crosby: - - “I thank the kind round-shouldered men - And treat them with respect - For teaching me to raise my chin - And hold myself erect.” - -No man can tell how much more he owes to the things that he would -have made different had he shaped his own life, than to the things he -regards as good. - -Most advances that we accomplish are forced upon us by circumstances -with which we are discontented, and our happiness consists in -recognizing that there is, in effect, no such thing as misfortune. -There is no chance in the world: everything is the result of Energy; -nothing ever happens by accident. I said once to a woman standing -beside the coffin of her husband, trying to comfort her and trying -to teach myself, “You know, this did not happen by chance.” “No,” -she said, “I know that; if one chance got loose, it would wreck the -world.” So it would. - -You toss up a coin and it seems to you to be chance whether it comes -down heads or tails. It isn’t chance at all. If one thing happened by -chance, you would know that it was the end of natural law. Suppose -that the thing to be tossed were an iron plate, ten feet across by two -feet thick, then the engineer could figure out just how many pounds of -powder would turn it once and how many would turn it twice or three -times; and, if you told him when he had adjusted his charge that it -was chance which side would come up, he would say that you did not -understand dynamics. He knows that there is no chance about it; that -the number of turns depends exactly upon the amount of force, and how -it is applied. So it is with the tossing of the penny; it may seem to -be chance to us because we cannot measure or perceive the causes, but -its fall is as directly and fixedly due to causes as the sinking of an -ocean-liner. - -It is not likely that Charles Dickens would have chosen the hard -childhood he had if he could have arranged his own life, but there is -little room to doubt that much of his understanding and sympathy, much -of the power that made him the novelist of the masses, was due to those -experiences. Even though he may never have seen during his life how -necessary those experiences were, nor accepted them philosophically, -that did not alter their use. The work of the “evildoers” in giving -Socrates hemlock to drink did not destroy Socrates’ usefulness; the -death by the cross did not check the spread of the good news the -Nazarene brought to man. - -Men have always stoned the prophets and killed those who would bring -deliverance. This is an expression of the conservatism which is the -balance-wheel of the race: if it were not for that, the leaders of the -people would get so far in advance as to be clear out of sight. But the -prophecies have been fulfilled, and, step by step, deliverance has been -won. Moreover, whom one generation destroyed, succeeding generations -have honored; it is impossible to get the rear rank in line with the -vanguard. But wherein has evil triumphed or the law of good been set -aside? - -In the study of history we see the persistent progress of the race. -However slow the march, it has always been from darkness into light, -from low aims and small ideas to higher purposes and larger thoughts. -Each nation has contributed something to the sum of that progress. Not -only have they had glimpses at their best of better things, but even at -their worst they have caused other nations to see and avoid like errors -or cruelties. In this way the civilized and the savage have both helped -to advance civilization. And, if the blind works of evildoers do not -triumph over the plans of Good, if they do not even hinder the working -of the law of universal Good, why should we fret ourselves because of -them? - -But the unrest may be caused by our lack of that worldly success which -we think would bring us happiness. Of course, if the real desire be -worldly success, and there is no other way in which we can learn that -it will not bring happiness, then we must attain worldly success. -To-day, this demands a resolute will, concentration, a steady nerve, -and a lack of human sympathy. It is difficult for us to see this in our -own case when we make worldly success our aim, but, if we examine the -career of any “successful” man, we shall see how true it is. - -Nothing is truer of modern business life than that the success of one -involves the failure or seeming failure of many. We have but to look -around at the few who are acclaimed by the world as successful business -men and the many who toil for a bare subsistence, to find the proof -of this. To succeed, a man must first resolve to succeed, and must -concentrate all his powers to that end. He must have iron nerves so -that unexpected good-or ill-fortune may not upset him, and he must so -steel his heart that he may not see the needs or hear the groans of his -suffering fellows, if to hear or heed would interfere with his purpose. - -After men have attained worldly success, they sometimes give liberally -to charity and public purposes. Nobody has yet revealed how much of -that giving is atonement for the half-remembered times when some heart -was hardened, some ear deafened, and some hand tight closed against the -cry of the needy. Some rich men unhappily become so hard of heart, so -bound by the habit of refusing, that giving becomes an impossibility. - -Now worry and unrest upset the nerve, disturb the concentration, and -keep alive at least one phase of human sympathy—that which we call -irritation. We do not usually regard irritation as an expression of -sympathy, but that is just what it is. Irritation towards our fellows -is an indication that we cannot rid ourselves of the knowledge that -they have claims upon us. It is an evidence that we do not understand -them, or that we are not in harmony with them. That may be because -their aims are so different from ours that they are a standing rebuke -to our selfishness, or because their aims are so similar to ours that -they become a threat to us. In either event they are forced upon our -attention, and we are unable to forget them. We are not able to crush -them ruthlessly if they stand in our way, for to do so causes us pain -and dissatisfaction, and prevents our joy in our success. Sometimes, -when the pain and dissatisfaction become keen enough, they may even -turn us from our purpose, and thus destroy our chance of worldly -success. - -Thus worry and unrest defeat the very thing we are aiming at, and -leave us out of harmony with the laws governing the accomplishment -of our purpose. Even in business and in matters of health, that rest -which comes from a cool, steady purpose, undisturbed by fretfulness or -impatience, is the main factor of success. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII - -THE SUPERSTITION OF FEAR - - Fear of Death thus dies in senseless sleep. - - BEAUMONT. - - -Primitive man feared thunder, and, being unable to explain it, made a -god of it, offered sacrifices to it in the hope of averting the harm it -might do. Fear has perverted many religions. What man feared he first -crouched before in helpless terror, and afterwards knelt before in -wonder and worship. In the early days of the race he looked upon every -new or strange thing with terror, because he did not understand its -connection with the things he knew. - -Man first knew himself as a physical creature with certain needs and -cravings that must be gratified if he were to live at all. He did not -at first realize that the presence of another person would make life -easier and more secure for him; rather, he feared that every other -would injure him. Later, as men formed themselves into groups, clans -and tribes, each recognized the interests of the immediate group as of -supreme importance, but feared the other groups. This was the origin -of “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the -land.” Those families that obeyed their natural leader, the patriarch, -held together and survived; the others were separated and destroyed. -The early records of the Jews are scarcely more than a chronicle of -the wars of a coherent race against various other tribes inhabiting -that part of Asia, together with the lessons to be drawn from its -experience. Even in the vast new continent of America, different tribes -of Indians roving its plains looked upon other tribes with distrust -and hatred, and made war upon them. There was plenty of land; animal -life abounded; there was nothing in the aims and pursuits of one tribe -that was necessarily injurious to any other, yet apprehension and the -superstition of enmity kept them apart. - -The world has not yet got rid of this old superstition. In this modern -Christian era there is scarcely a civilized nation which does not -keep itself in readiness to attack its neighbor. All the peace the -nations yet know is an armed peace, so that even when we cry, “Peace, -peace!” we know “there is no peace,” because man does not yet trust -his fellowman. He is fearful of him, not only as encroaching upon his -actual territory, but he resents his competition even in the making of -the tools and goods that civilized life demands. - -We erect tariff walls, that the people of other countries may not -easily sell to us the goods they make, forgetting that, even without -those walls, they could not sell their goods to us, if we did not want -them. For, in free buying and selling, the desire must be mutual, else -there will be no exchange. - -In all the relations of the most modern civilized society the effect of -this distrust, of one toward another, is plain to be seen. Even those -who devote their lives to preaching the doctrine of the gentle Nazarene -do not always grasp the full significance of that doctrine. The city -of Toledo, Ohio, is blessed with a mayor who has lost all distrust in -man (or perhaps he never learned it) and, in his efforts to administer -civic affairs on a basis of love and understanding, he is finding his -strongest opponents in some of the preachers of the community. Such is -the blinding effect of misunderstanding the unity of all life. - -It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise to the student of -present-day affairs that his ancestors were slow to learn about other -groups what their still earlier ancestors had learned of individuals. -As the circle of man’s interests enlarged, including more and more -fellow-creatures, he began to come more and more into harmonious -relations with the Universe. Out of his personal experience he began -to perceive the mutual interests and the underlying oneness of human -life, and, through that perception, some have now begun to realize the -oneness of all life. - -This is the road along which man must travel to reach harmony, and -harmony is rest. It is living in accord with the universal law which -regulates the growth and development of all things as well as their -activities. To the undeveloped savage the whole material universe, so -far as he could see it, was a jumble of inharmonious and unrelated -things—he saw no relation between the different bodies in the heavens -as they circled in their orbits; each created thing seemed to have its -separate existence, which had to be maintained without regard to any -other form of life. But science has shown us that the heavenly bodies, -however huge or remote, are all parts of one great system, under one -perfect law. We know now that, instead of the earth being the center of -the universe, round which all the stars, suns, moons, and other bodies -revolve, it is itself but a tiny unit in a tremendous system of systems. - -All of these bodies have been circling in their orbits for untold -millions of years, unaffected by the fact that no man knew of them. -It is not too much to expect that they will continue to perform their -circlings according to those same laws even after science has taught us -all it is possible to discover. Man may profit from his knowledge of -universal laws, but he cannot alter them. - -And yet the man of average intelligence even to-day feels that things -universal in relation to humanity and its needs are at “sixes and -sevens,” and that his anxiety and feverish activity are needed to alter -or better them. He still sees men as separate beings with interests -that clash. - -It is this failure to understand that every life is bound up for good -with all other lives which leads us to worry about our “personal” -affairs, and thus to miss the rest that clear understanding would -bring. - - - - -CHAPTER XLIX - -IMAGINARY FEARS - - O soft embalmer of the still midnight. - - KEATS. - - -When we learn to confine our attention to “the things that are quite -enough for any man to attempt,” we shall find that there is little real -ground for worry or fretting in our daily life. It is a fact that, -if our work wearies or exhausts us, either we are doing the wrong -thing or else doing it in the wrong way. For the Spirit of Life is -no taskmaster. It is we who make this world a daily grind. It is not -naturally a “vale of tears” nor a “wilderness of woe.” - - “Joy upon joy and gain upon gain - Are the destined rights of my birth,” - -and we may all have those rights if we claim them as our own. Worry -is a disease that some people enjoy as much as some others enjoy -invalidism. There are some people who can hardly speak and think of -anything but their physical ailments; they never recall the mornings -when they felt strong and vigorous, the nights they slept soundly, but -only the days when they had uncomfortable sensations of weakness or -distress, and the nights when sleep was somewhat broken. And you will -notice that they will say they “did not sleep well” when they mean -that they did not sleep much. We may always sleep _well_, even though -we do not sleep much. - -There are other people who, though they do not weary us with accounts -of their bodily symptoms, tell us always of their cares. They revel in -tales of distress which shall go to show how much more oppressed they -are than their fellows. They take their worries as the healthy farmer -takes his food, eagerly, and would be distinctly upset if anything -happened to interfere with their enjoyment of them. If they are going -somewhere, they worry lest it should rain, or lest something unforeseen -should happen to prevent the expedition. It is the same old story, they -want their “own way.” They cannot conceive of a disappointment being a -blessing in disguise; they know of nothing so hard to be borne as the -setting aside of a passing desire. - -For such as these life is full of “bitter disappointments”; cares and -worries naturally fall to their lot; the sun seldom shines for them, -and even when it does they think they can note the spots upon it,—while -the rain falls so heavily and so frequently that it makes runnels over -their whole plan of life, reducing it to a scene of desolation. And all -the time the sun is shining, and joys are awaiting them did they but -look in the right direction. They are “pulling the wrong string,” as -it were. A little child kept calling to his mother that he could not -find what he was seeking, because he could not “make the light come -on.” His mother wisely replied: “You are probably pulling the wrong -string, Harold. Pull the other.” The moment he did so the electric -light flooded the room, and the child found what he sought. It had lain -right to his hand all the time, but he did not know to pull the right -string. Our heart’s desire lies just as close to us. - -Many a person who is always having trouble, who is worried and uneasy, -longing for rest and comfort but never finding it; to whom “life is -a dreary puzzle scarcely worth the solving,” is simply “pulling the -wrong string,” the string of self-will, of separateness. His soul is -darkened by his refusal to turn on the light, and the shadow covers the -whole of his life. - -The darkness is filled with imaginary terrors. We people the corners -with hobgoblins that do not exist, and that in our hearts we know could -not exist. Little Bessie had for several nights cried out in terror -after she had been put to bed, so that her mother was compelled to go -to her. At first she would not say what had frightened her, but at -last the story came out. - -“I was thinking how frightened I should be if there was a bogey-man -in the closet and he should suddenly put his head out and make faces -at me.” “But, child,” said her mother, “you know there is no such -thing as a bogey-man, so he could not be in the closet, nor make faces -at you.” “Yes, mother, I know that,” answered the child, slowly; -“but, mother, _if_ there was a bogey-man, and he did get into my -closet, and if he did put out his head and make faces at me, wouldn’t -I be awfully frightened? Well, it’s _that_ that makes me scream.” And -often the thing that makes us “scream” has no more existence in fact -than Bessie’s bogey-man. We get to turning things over in our minds, -dwelling upon dire possibilities until they become actual to us, and we -get as much pain and suffering from them as we should if they were real. - -It would puzzle ourselves, if we gave the matter attention, to discover -why we are more given to worrying than to rejoicing, if it is not that -we misunderstand life and its purposes. - -Consider life just on its physical side, and we shall see, as the -Creator saw when he looked upon it, that it is all very good. There are -more sunny days in the year than stormy ones; there is more growing -time than decaying time, for spring, summer, and autumn comprise three -parts of the year, and growth continues through them all; the moon -shines always somewhere, and “the stars come nightly to the sky.” The -bright-colored blossoms show more than the somber-hued; more birds sing -sweetly than croak harshly, and even the croak melts into the symphony -as a needed note. The purely material world points to joy and gladness -rather than to sorrow and repining. - -Then, when we come to man, we find that he has more strength than -weakness, more health than sickness, more power than inability, else -man had not survived the ages. Moreover, man must have more capacity -for enjoyment than for sorrow, else he would abandon life in weariness, -or at best he would forget how to laugh; the mere animal does not -laugh, that is one of man’s accomplishments. - -Man has also more desire for knowledge than for ease, else he would -never have penetrated into the secrets and mysteries of Nature; man’s -strong aspirations surmount his groveling tendencies, else he had never -come up out of savagery into the light and development of kinship with -the high gods. - -Then, why should we give way to repining? All things point to the -apostolic truth that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh -in the morning.” And always the morning comes. Moreover, the darkest -night is seldom starless if we look up intently enough. If we blind our -eyes with tears, we cannot see the light even when the horizon is rosy -with the rising sun. Better by far is it to feel with Browning: - - “How good is man’s life, - The mere living! How fit to employ - All the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy.” - - - - -CHAPTER L - -ILL SUCCESS - - “And comfortress of Unsuccess - To wish the dead good-night.” - KIPLING’S “True Romance.” - - -If we aim at worldly success, thinking that thereby we shall be able to -do more for mankind and be more useful, we may defeat our own purpose -by worry and anxiety. The present moment is all that any man has in -which to come into agreement with his fellows. - -If for lack of understanding he spends that moment in worry and -unrest, he makes himself and everybody else more or less unhappy, -thereby destroys his own usefulness, and proves his unfitness to gain -success. But it may be that he is deceived as to his motive; he may -desire success really for the satisfaction of winning against his less -fortunate fellows. - -Why should we desire worldly success to enable us to help our fellows? -No amount of benevolence or philanthropy can atone for the selfishness, -inhumanity and the greed necessary to acquire great wealth under modern -conditions. The widow’s mite or the cup of cold water given from -moment to moment is of greater value than the millions bestowed upon -charity as a sop to one’s conscience, or as a pacifier of public clamor. - -There is a degree of satisfaction in giving _all_ that can never come -from giving a portion of superabundance. We never hear of a very rich -man giving all that he hath, over and above a comfortable, or even a -luxurious, living. His giving hardly requires the sacrifice of even a -whim. How can a man like Rockefeller, with an admitted income of nearly -a dollar every second, be generous? How much would he have to give in -order to feel it?—and what mischief would he not do in giving such a -sum! The “luxury of giving” can never be his, for that is the result -of giving at the expense of our daily desires. The widow who cast in -her mite enjoyed the luxury of giving, and many still give in that way. -This gift of somebody’s mite incited the giving of millions. - -But it is not possible that the gift of millions should bring the giver -much happiness, if it brings any. There is too much publicity and -display in such a gift; it is noised abroad from press and platform, -and creates a new distress in the mind of the giver. The giver knows -that unscrupulous, undeserving persons or causes will now lay siege -to a share of his wealth, because of the notoriety his great gift has -brought him. Some are so oppressed with appeals that they have to -appoint committees to give away the money. There must be about as much -satisfaction in that as in having a committee to kiss the women you -love. - -Besides this, great benefactions cause uneasiness, lest they be -misapplied or unwisely distributed, or lest the glory may be eclipsed -by some other millionaire giving a larger sum to a more popular cause. -Thus donations become a source of unrest and worriment, and the donor’s -last state is worse than his first. The giver of the mite is generally -unknown of the crowd, sometimes unknown even of the one to whom he -gives, so that his joy comes from the giving, and cannot be taken from -him. To him alone is it true that “the gift is to the giver” and that -“it is more blessed to give than to receive.” If there is no real joy -to be had from giving of great wealth, why should we desire to have it, -or fret ourselves that we do not win it? Neither to acquire wealth nor -to possess it can bring happiness or peace. We have seen how great is -the price we must pay to get great riches, and it is easy to see why -their possession cannot bring peace or happiness. - -Man has a limited number of wants, and there is an end even to whims. -When all of these have been satisfied, what is left? The ordinary man -must give time, skill, thought, and labor to satisfy his needs, and -from the effort he gets a large measure of joy and satisfaction. Even -if he never gets what he is after, the effort has given him pleasure, -strengthened his purpose, and developed his whole nature. But the -wealthy man is denied this natural satisfaction. He does not even -have to seek what he wants; servants do that for him; he speaks and -the thing is done. For him there is no joyous effort; no increase of -pleasure in the very delay of fulfillment; no sense of achievement when -he gets what he desires. For this reason he soon wearies, and, having -run the whole gamut of pleasures, and exhausted his idle fancies, he -becomes a prey to ennui, has no object in life, and finds no delight -in the days. It could not be otherwise. As an old servant in my family -once said, “If the rich were happy, we should know there was no God.” -“How hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven,” said -Jesus; meaning thereby that the possession of wealth destroys our -sympathy with our poorer brethren and prevents a man from seeing his -true relation to those who have it not; makes it difficult for him to -recognize his oneness with all mankind, and so cuts him off from that -heaven of love and peace on earth that can come only from agreement of -his own life with the life of others outside his circle. - -If we are worried or ill at ease for any other cause, such as -ill-health, disappointed affections, unsatisfied desires, or from any -of the innumerable causes to which we attribute our ill, we have but -to examine them to find that in every instance the underlying error is -the same. It is that we think of our separate interests, that we are -for self; that “me” has a deeper significance to our mind than “us” -that the “I” blots out the “thou.” All worry, all unrest comes from -self-seeking, from the feeling of separateness rather than of oneness; -from an inharmonious attitude towards life and its underlying verities. - -“Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” said the Teacher, “and all these -things”—material things, food and clothes that he had been speaking -of—“shall be added unto you.” Now God is love, and the kingdom of -God is universal love, the love that knows no separateness; therefore -let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Believe in -God. The man who seeks first the wide Universal Peace does not worry -nor fret. He has, by that very seeking, put himself in tune with the -Infinite, and he finds that the sounds which have seemed to him like -harsh discords are, to his listening ear, blended into harmony. He has -heard the “sweetest carol ever sung” and nothing can drown its melody. -With that song in his ears he can “run and never be wearied, he can -walk and not faint.” He loses his feverish impatience, for “he that -believeth shall not make haste”; he sees himself in every man and every -man in himself; he has found rest for his soul. - -When this peace reigns within, the seeming ills of life do not disturb -us. We are not conscious of ungratified desires, and in this lies the -truth of the promise—“all things shall be added unto you.” For, if man -is not conscious of any ungratified want or desire, then, though he be -poor in this world’s goods and entirely unknown, he is richer by far -than the multi-millionaire who is compelled to heap silver upon gold, -or the pushing politician whose thirst for fame can never be slaked. -He is in harmony with the Universe, he has allied himself with moral -gravitation, and, going with its force, he is upheld and supported, so -that he has rest now and is neither worried nor afraid. - - - - -CHAPTER LI - -SOCIAL UNREST - - Peace, peace, thou over-anxious, foolish heart; - Rest, ever-seeking soul; calm, mad desires; - Quiet, wild dreams—this is the time of sleep, - Hold her more close than life itself. Forget - All the excitements of the day, forget - All problems and discomforts. Let the night - Take you unto herself, her blessèd self, - Peace, peace, thou over-anxious, foolish heart; - Rest, ever-seeking soul; calm, mad desires; - Quiet, wild dreams—this is the time of sleep. - - LEOLYN LOUISE EVERETT. - - -Inquiry into the causes and the cure of sleeplessness leads us -inevitably to one conclusion: there must be peace of mind, harmonious -action and interaction of mind and body in order to command the most -refreshing sleep. A man may not know which of the many theories of -sleep is correct—indeed, he may not know that there are any theories -about it, but, if he lives a normal physical life and is at peace with -the world, he is likely to sleep well. - -Since health of body, mind, and soul is essential to our best -development, and since sleep, restful sleep, is essential to such -health, it would seem that such sleep is one of the things which -rightly belong to every individual. And, if to individuals, then to -groups of individuals, to nations, to the whole race. The race is -subject to the same influence as the individual, and, since the chief -cause of the unrest of individuals is their inharmonious relations -towards one another, so the chief cause of the unrest of the race is -its inherent discord. - -Underlying the antagonisms of men to men is the question of -economics—“the science of ... living well for the state, the -family, and the individual,” as the Standard Dictionary defines -it. While the question of how he shall sustain his mere physical -existence—obtain the food, clothes, and shelter so essential to -his maintenance—occupies all a man’s thought and energy, he does -not readily turn toward the consideration of his deeper life. He -feels that every man is his enemy, ready and willing to take from -him, either by superior sharpness, fraud, or force the opportunity -of supplying his needs. - -So long as conditions lead anyone to adopt this attitude towards his -fellows, he is not apt to give much time or thought to discovering -his proper relations toward them. Forces stronger than any number of -individuals, acting separately, may drive men into combinations— such -as labor organizations among the masses, or large corporations among -the privileged classes—until we find a sort of spurious co-operation -taking the place of individual effort. - -But this co-operation is based upon the necessity of combining to -oppose and crush, not upon the desire to avoid friction and bring about -harmonious relations between men. Wherever either labor or capital -organizes to protect itself from the oppression of the other and to -dictate terms to it, that other in its turn organizes to protect -itself and to crush the opposing power. Neither party to the struggle -sees its dependence upon the other. Capital forgets that labor called -it into existence, that without labor there had been no capital, and -that should labor cease capital would soon disappear. Labor does not -see that capital is its own product, drawn from the land and used to -enable men to produce more wealth. And neither sees that the object -of producing wealth is not wealth for its own sake, but that man may, -through its use, develop himself to an ever higher state. - -It is scarcely possible that men should see this under present economic -conditions; how, then, can it be possible for men to understand their -relations to one another or the advantages of harmony? - -And, if economic conditions destroy man’s relations to man, how much -more completely do they destroy man’s relation to the higher life, -to Nature or God? Even in his bitterest struggles with his fellows, -man recognizes that he and those who oppose him are alike victims -of circumstances and must fight. The resentment which he feels is -less toward individuals than to the circumstances which make them -antagonists when they should be coworkers, and he does not see that the -circumstances are of man’s own creating. - -So long as he regards these conditions as natural, ordained by some -power outside himself, he cannot be expected to feel drawn towards -closer relations with that power. While he has to watch his chance in -the battle of life, he can hardly see that to get in harmony with the -laws of the Universe, to recognize his oneness with all life, is to -leave struggle and unrest behind. If life is nothing but struggle, he -wonders how any attitude can destroy or obviate struggling. - -Viewed from his standpoint, he is right. If, as man progresses, the -desire to live well strengthens and deepens, and if this desire can be -gratified only by waging relentless war against men and conditions, -then no study of the relations of man to man or of man to life can -lead to anything but greater cunning and more destructive methods of -opposition. As the individual finds no way to fulfill his desires -without fighting his neighbor, so the nation learns of no way to -advance except through crushing other nations. There can rarely be -true internal peace for the individual and no true rest and healthy -growth for the nation while unjust economic conditions are maintained. - -Wherever an individual feels the pressure of economic conditions too -keenly he loses what little poise he may have had. He becomes restless -and sleepless and the whole tone of his mind and body is lowered. Where -the distress from such pressure becomes general, there the nation -loses tone; quarrels are readily picked with other nations, and war is -resorted to as a means of reducing population and of destroying all -forms of wealth, so that a new demand may be created and the economic -pressure for a time be lessened. These conditions recur again and -again at longer or shorter intervals, and always the same futile means -of meeting them is adopted. Man so little understands life that he -has not learned that harmony with the laws of the Universe underlies -his economic relations as well as his physical relations. If he knew -this, he would know that the distress and dissatisfaction common to -all nations could come only from the violation of natural laws, and he -would begin to search out those laws. Men for a long time held false -ideas of the laws of the solar system, and exhausted ingenious devices -and systems to explain its phenomena. Then they began to discover -underlying laws which explain phenomena more satisfactorily: some of -those laws were found, and our knowledge of the solar system to-day is -based upon these sure fundamentals. - -It is as possible to make sure of the laws governing our economic -conditions as of those that govern the solar system. They must lie at -the root of all things economic and must explain all phenomena that any -condition of society, whether the most primitive or the most complex, -can produce. Until these laws are discovered and applied the earth will -“turn, troubled in sleep,” and men may not know peace. - - - - -CHAPTER LII - -ECONOMIC REST - - Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep. - - SHAKESPEARE. - - -There are deep-lying causes of anxiety, unrest, and sleeplessness -that more or less affect us all: yet, eighteen hundred years ago, One -cried, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Not, to come eventually, or -to future peoples, but “the Kingdom is at hand.” We have looked over -a world filled with injustice, for the coming of the kingdom—but we -have not seen it. What is it that hides “the Kingdom at hand” from our -eyes? Is it not iniquity? What kind of iniquity? We once had chattel -slavery, which was denounced as “the sum of all villainies.” We still -have monopoly of the gift of God, which is the fundamental iniquity. -For every one of his children a loving father made ample provision -in the earth, but we have allowed a few to monopolize it all; some -nine out of every hundred own our earth, and we find that, under such -circumstances, the laws of God are impracticable; therefore, we say -“the Kingdom is not a real Kingdom—it is only in men’s minds, only in -some far-off imaginable day it may be in their hearts.” - -The kingdom of God is in our hearts, and, if to-day we will but allow -all our fellows to share in the bounty of Nature, the kingdom will be -around us also, here and now. - -For there is a divine order, a natural law, obedience to which brings -its own immediate rewards; disobedience to which involves its own -punishment. The first order of Nature is that men should derive their -subsistence from the land and the products of land, provided by an -all-wise Creator. From what else can we derive it? Does not everything -we need, from the wheat to the wheel of the watch, come from the earth? -By many hands, by many processes, through many stages, all forms of -wealth are obtained by labor from the land. Food, clothing, fuel, -machinery, buildings, capital are all results of men working on the -materials of the earth. So it is clear why, when we have allowed men to -be shut out from that earth, we find ourselves surrounded by poverty -and misery. - -Like all fundamental laws, the law of our economic relations is simple -and easily understood, even by children. It may be stated thus: food, -clothes, and shelter, being essential to the maintenance of human life, -all human creatures have equal need of and, therefore, equal right to -access to the source of food, clothes, and shelter. This source is the -earth, and the only method known whereby the earth may be made to yield -food, clothes, and shelter is by the application of labor to land. -For, no matter what picture we conjure up, whether it be of the farmer -tilling the soil, the carpenter building a house, the factory operative -weaving cloth, the engineer driving the locomotive that draws the -produce to markets—there we find labor. And, if we try to imagine any -of these forms of labor as cut off from land, we shall find our very -concept of labor and of life wiped out. - -Everything necessary to life, whether it be the life of the individual, -the nation, or of the whole race, can be produced by the combination -of land and labor. Anything that restricts or hampers the application -of labor to land leads to suffering on the part of those deprived of -this access. When the government of a new country wants to increase -population, it offers free land to settlers. It does not say, “If you -will come to this country, the government will build mills, factories, -stores, offices, banks, and churches for you”; it says rather, “Here is -land, come and use it; build for yourselves out of its materials.” All -other forms of prosperity flow from the application of labor to land, -and, therefore, it is sufficient to give to men free access to natural -opportunities. If the government of a country owned all the land -of that country, it could increase, restrict, or otherwise regulate -population, and better or worsen the condition of that population by -the way in which it granted or withheld the land under its control. - -This is in effect what government has done. It first bettered -conditions by allowing free access to land, and then worsened them -by allowing a few to make the land their private property; this -appropriation of the land carries with it the power to hold it out of -use, thus depriving all men of their equal right to the use of the -earth, the source of supply for all men’s wants. Instead of these -favored few being made to pay those deprived of the land an equivalent -for the privilege enjoyed, the disinherited many are compelled to pay a -premium to the landholder for the opportunity to labor. - -When there is a lockout, is it not the pressure of want that brings -the men back, hat in hand, to the factory door? If one could go to the -outskirts of this town to cultivate a bit of the unused land, could he -not hold out till he got all that his labor was worth? And, when he and -his fellows are offered less, if they could but get at the unused mines -and quarries and coalfields and factory sites, and vacant lots, they -would not need to seek an employer at all—they could get credit, if -needed, and produce for themselves the capital which they now produce -for others and employ themselves in doing it. - -So many evils flow from the fundamental wrong of shutting up the earth, -that rest, the peace of mind and body that makes for refreshing sleep, -is to many impossible. - -And who that understands would wish it otherwise? Were the power of -rest and peace universal now, it would be a denial of the very cause -of rest,—the proper understanding of man’s relations to humanity and -to life. Until man has adjusted his economic contrivances to the -underlying laws of a true Social Science, he cannot have national or -racial rest. The material science, biology, is proving this ethical -truth. Recently Dr. Woods Hutchinson has shown that it does not take -even three generations to make a high-class man a “thoroughbred,” as -he terms it. If good food, light, air, proper clothing, and wholesome -recreation were extended to the masses, each generation would produce -its own “thoroughbreds” from the “common people.” He says: “Men -not only can but do get to be as able, as useful, and as desirable -citizens for the community, in every possible regard, in one generation -as they will ever get or are capable of becoming. Give the unspoiled, -warm-hearted mass of humanity a fair living chance—good food, fresh -air, sunshine, decent homes, no overwork, plenty of healthful -amusements—and you will reap a far larger crop not merely of happiness, -of justice, and of well-being, but also of geniuses, of great men and -of all leaders and illuminators than any nation can possibly utilize.” - -Until the privilege-created aristocracy of other countries and -plutocracy of this country get off the backs of the people and cease -to exploit them by monopolies, there can be no complete and permanent -rest, for the “mania for owning things” possesses the rich, and the -fear of want makes restlessness for the poor. The burden-bearing masses -have not yet seen the cause of their burden, even though they feel its -intolerable weight at times and make efforts to throw it off. All this -deepens their unrest. - -The very oneness of all life will put sound sleep and true rest ever -beyond the general reach until all are given equal opportunity in -Nature’s great gift to man, the Earth. - -Then the worker, free of the taxes of rent and monopoly, free of -cut-throat competition forced by monopoly, would have some leisure -in which to use his brains and cultivate his affections; and -liberty—moral, intellectual, and economic—would be here. - -Was it not something like this which Jesus had in mind when he said -“the Kingdom of God is at hand”? Did not he say that obedience to -the laws of the Universe would bring their own immediate and immense -reward? The kingdom and the peace of God is within our reach, did we -but realize it. - - - - -CHAPTER LIII - -“IF HE SLEEP, HE SHALL DO WELL” - - Oh! thou best comforter of that sad heart - Whom Fortune’s spite assails; come, gentle sleep, - The weary mourner soothe. - - MRS. TIGHE. - - -We believe in a ruling Principle of Order in the Universe, in -accordance with which everything lives and moves—planets, plants, and -man. - -We call this “God,” “the Spirit,” the “Nature of Things,” or by some -other name, but we find that, in crystal, vegetable, or animal, it -always works: and we see that it tends forever toward a more harmonious -arrangement and better relations of the whole system. - -There are seeming lapses, where we cannot yet see, in this instance or -in that, how it will work out; but in the arrangement of the stars, -the growth of knowledge through experience, and in the history of -man, we see in the broad view that it does so work out well. Probably -Mary, certainly the disciples, thought at the time that the death of -Jesus was a horrible mistake and misfortune. Now we see that it was -“needful that this one man should die for all the people” and that to -him, even then, it was no misfortune. The sacrifice of one for many -is a great principle of life. The development of the earth from chaos -to fruitfulness, the development of man from brutality to the rule of -mind, the development of ourselves from single selfishness to the wider -love, shows that there is a beneficent Force and that “all things work -together for good.” If each of us considers himself alone, as having -separate interests, this truth will be obscured; but when we recognize -that each of us is a part of the whole, as the tongue is a part of the -body, we see that no part can be favored without injuring the entire -system. - -If we unduly gratify the taste, the tongue is the very first to show -that the stomach is “out of order,” and this disharmony is felt in the -whole body. - -Sometimes we have done wrong, or have seen others do wrong apparently -with profit; but the wider view will always show that the way of the -transgressor is as hard as his heart, that the wicked man is in truth -the fool. We know that any attempt that man makes to disturb the right -order for the sake of any separate interest must react upon himself, -destroying his own happiness as well as the happiness of those about -him. - -Similarly we see that the prophet, the cultivator, the inventor, the -martyr, the benevolent man, each doing what he is inspired to do, is -working just as much for all mankind as for himself, that he cannot -reap the benefit except as others share it. For our good, we are joined -together in one connected whole, so that no man liveth, or so much as -dieth, to himself. - -We see how the Spirit makes “even the wrath of men to praise him” that -the tyranny of a king was necessary to drive out colonists to proclaim -liberty, and the fierce rivalry of nations in armament is needed to -usher in a Court of International Peace. Since that is so, since we -know that in great or universal affairs the eternal purposes cannot be -interfered with, why should we think that it fails to work in our own -little interests? - -We see beautiful, symmetrical shells and well-adapted organs in -creatures so small that we know of their existence only through -high-power microscopes. In them we find the same rule of law, the same -adaptation to supreme ends that we find in the measureless suns and in -the measureless souls of men. - -Accordingly, when what seems evil “happens,” as we say, to us, upon -what principle can we conclude that this is an exception, that in this -case something has occurred that ought not to have occurred? If one -thing went wrong in the divine intent, it would show a limit to the -rule of Good. We know that there can be no such limit. - -It is not fatalism to believe that the same holy order rules over us, -for each of us and each of our efforts is a part of the divine plan, -and a means of carrying it out. We should strive for those things that -seem to us desirable and good; although we may not have success, as -we call it, so kind is the constitution of things that the effort to -direct things right dulls the pain of finding that the event shapes -itself in a way that we do not like. - -We are threatened, perhaps, with what seems a horrible disaster: why, -the very derivation of the word disaster refers to the influence which -the stars are supposed to have upon our destinies. Some power there is -that controls those destinies, in spite of our human limitations of -time and space. Who would take the job, though he had the power, of -controlling even the material world, arranging the growth of plants, -the rise and fall of nations, the birth and waning of the stars? - -Yet we do wish to assume just such Omnipotence and Omniscience in our -personal affairs; to say that this possession must not, shall not slip -from me, this one must not die. And, if this that is so dear does go -away, then in that one instance, because it concerns us, we refuse to -admit that that instance is no exception to the rule of Love, or to -recognize the kind watchfulness of Him that, keeping Israel, slumbers -not nor sleeps. - -And yet the loss hurts, and the fear of it hurts still more, with a -pain that seems past endurance—it hurts, and for ages long it has been -necessary that we should have just such pain in order that we may make -the efforts that contribute our part to the progress of the world. - -But some of us do not in our hearts believe in a beneficent Order of -the Universe. We think that some persons may seize what they want, -regardless of others, and yet no evil come to them. Even if that be -so, still it is wise to act so as to gain the most happiness and, -therefore, to accommodate ourselves to the Nature of Things. - -If we could but leave out the unreasonable self-pity and get into our -hearts, as knowledge that is a part of ourselves, this understanding -of the goodness and the loving kindness of God, we should be as gods -ourselves, seeing the end from the beginning and recognizing that, -success or failure, loss or gain, life or death, the times are in his -hands, and it is all very good. And our hearts should not be troubled, -nor our rest disturbed. - - - - -CHAPTER LIV - -CONCLUSION - - When the shining day doth die, - Sweet is sleep. - - DORA READ GOODALE. - - -We have finished our long inquiry, and it has brought us to thoughts -and perhaps to conclusions for which we did not look. Such is the -leading of the Spirit, into ways that we know not of. - - “So read I this—and as I try - To write it clear again - I find a second finger lie - Above mine on the pen.” - -Much of the ground we have merely passed over, it may be hurriedly, but -we have seen a promised land of Peace, and, wherever the soles of our -feet have trodden, the land shall be given to us and to our children -for an inheritance—if we will. - -Now, once again, dear reader—dear, for, in striving and in helping each -other to get a clear view of these important matters, we become dear to -each other—try these things. - -If you have read and merely approved or disapproved, you will get -little good from the reading. You remember the pathetically comic story -of the little boy who was asked if his father was a Christian: - -“Yes,” he said, “pa is a Christian; but he does not work much at it.” -That man might more hopefully have been an infidel. You must put all -that you can accept into practice if it is to be of any use. - -We have found that what we call body and mind and soul are so closely -bound together that no one of them can be well or ill independently of -the others. We divide them in our thought and speech; but we cannot -find any line of separation. Every state joins on to the next one: -mineral and vegetable and animal are composed of the same elements -which pass from one state to another. The silex and the lime are taken -up to make the wheat hard, we eat wheat and these elements pass into -our bones, and, when our bodies return to Mother Earth, the rootlets -take them up again to run the round once more. - -So the body and mind and soul are all one Life. There are no divisions -in Nature. The form differs, but the essence is uniform. We classify -for the sake of convenience and of clear statement. As Sir Oliver -Lodge says, in “The Survival of Man”—“Boundaries and classifications -must be recognized as human artifices, but for practical purposes -distinctions are necessary”; but the philosopher never loses sight of -the fundamental fact that each animal, flying-fish and whale, seal and -polar bear, bat and bird, can be classified only by seizing on some -acquired characteristic, such as the temperature of the blood, the -method of birth, or the structure of the bones. These mark the animal -as belonging to an order. - -We see, then, that all are One, different manifestations of the -Universal Life, which must be understood and treated as a whole to see -and avail ourselves of the Universal Harmony. Accordingly we find that -we must work with Nature if she is to bring forth abundantly, of bodily -or of spiritual things, to satisfy our desires. Only in the sweat of -our faces do we absorb the full comfort and strength of the bread of -life. - -Whatever you have willingly received, willingly give to others. Only -when you cast the seed, this your mental bread, upon the fertilizing -waters, shall it return to you in the harvest after many days. - - * * * * * - -What I have written, I have written as much for myself as for you: if -it were not so, it would be useless both to you and to me. We must go -up each for himself and take the strongholds of our own Ignorance and -Distrust and Fear. Let no one think that he can get life by merely -reading these words of life. - -Try these things for yourself—teach these things to your other selves; -breathe them in and live them out. Open your mind and enlarge your -heart so that the Spirit may be able to bless you and keep you with -him, and to be kind to you, and to lift up the Light of his countenance -upon you and give you - - - PEACE. - - - - -APPENDICES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY - - -Some matters of interest mainly to students of sleep phenomena have -been mentioned in the text and put in these appendices. In this way the -general reader is saved the trouble of skipping in the body of the text. - -Appendix “A” contains some medical information on the subject of -Insomnia and sleep-inducing drugs. - -Appendix “B” and “C” have been translated from the Latin by A. T. -Craig especially for use in “The Gift of Sleep.” They are of value -chiefly as showing the attitude of the ancients towards this natural -function. - -Appendix “D” gives some provisional conclusions based on a -Questionnaire on Sleep. The returns are as yet incomplete. - - - - -APPENDIX A - - -The “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine” (1892), giving the -terms used in medical psychology with the symptoms, treatment, and -pathology of insanity. Two vols. Edited by D. Hack Tuke, M.D., LL.D., -Examiner in Mental Psychology in the University of London; lecturer on -Psychological Medicine, etc., says: - -LOSS OF SLEEP AS A CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE OF INSANITY: Insomnia is the -indication of a morbid condition. It is also, when prolonged, something -more. Loss of sleep may frequently be a cause, or one of several -causes, of mental disorder. To remove it is therefore of the greatest -consequence in the early treatment of the insane. _In a large number of -instances it is doubtless the consequence and not the cause of mental -trouble._ The agony of mind associated with melancholia, or the rapid -flow of ideas in acute mania, may render sleep an almost unattainable -boon, and in these cases it requires great discrimination to decide -when, if at all, to administer hypnotics. (P. 1173.) - -REMEDIES KNOWN AS SOMNIFACIENTS, SOPORIFICS, HYPNOTICS, AND NARCOTICS: -At the outset we must put the question, Is there a distinction between -hypnotics and narcotics? Dujardin-Beaumetz answers in the affirmative. -He holds that for the drug to be hypnotic it must imitate the natural -condition of sleep by effecting a lowered intra-cranial pressure, and -that drugs which, though bringing about unconsciousness, do not lower -cerebral pressure, or which increase it, cannot claim to be hypnotics. -On this line he separates chloral as a hypnotic from opium as a -narcotic ... in the different forms of artificial or drugged sleep it -is probable that these two factors—quantity of blood, including blood -pressure, and quality of blood, do each play a part. (P. 1129.) - -Medical science has been able so far to do little for sleeplessness, -except to call it “Insomnia.” INSOMNIA: Loss of sleep has been -classified under various heads by writers on wakefulness. Thus -German-Sée has made no less than nine divisions: - -a—dolorous insomnia. - -b—digestive. - -c—cardiac and dyspnoeal insomnia. - -d—cerebros-spinal, neurotic insomnia comprising lesions of encephalon, -general paralysis, acute and chronic mania, hysteria, hypochondriasis. - -e—psychic insomnia (emotional and sensational). - -f—insomnia of cerebral and physical fatigue. - -g—genito-urinary insomnia. - -h—febrile, infectious, autotoxic insomnia. - -i—toxic insomnia (coffee, tea, alcohol).[10] - -[10] Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine,” vol. i., p. 703. - -Among the causes of insomnia those of a predisposing character are the -female sex, old age, nervous temperament, intellectual pursuits. - -Of exciting causes may be enumerated organic or functional diseases -of the brain, worry, anxiety, grief, and bodily pain; noise, if not -monotonous, fever, coffee, tea, etc. - -Among the insane, insomnia is one of the most frequent symptoms, -except in chronic dementia. In melancholia it is the most distressing -accompaniment of the disorder, and is especially marked in the early -morning. - -A careful analysis of the conditions or causes of insomnia has -been made by Dr. Folsom (U. S.). The principal ones may be briefly -enumerated as follows: Habit, reflex causes, as indigestion, -genito-urinary disorders; autotoxic causes, as gout, lithæmia, -syphilis, habitual constipation; anæmia, vaso-motor changes, -neurasthenia, hallucinations of sight or hearing, astigmatism—the -strain of the eye which in health may be unnoticed, producing “in -states of debility, headache, dizziness, spasmodic muscular action or -wakefulness” and the neurotic temperament.[11] - -[11] Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine,” vol. i., pp. 703-4. - - - - -APPENDIX B - -ABSTRACT FROM ARTICLE: “LUMINOUS SLEEP” By P. ARUNOCHALAM - - -Deep sleep is a sleep of darkness, that is, the sleep of the nerves, -and the utter relaxation of the body. Its refreshment is due to absence -of thought. - -Is there a sleep of light, a luminous sleep, in which, while there is -absence of thought, there is not darkness and oblivion, but perfect -consciousness? To suppose this did not seem irrational to the Greeks. -(An instance is cited of the abstracted moods of Socrates, Sympos: -174-5.) (Further citations of this eccentricity of Socrates are in: The -Tamil Sage; Charmides; Phaedrus; The Republic; also Tennyson, “The -Ancient Sage.”) - -This reality, sleep that is a sort of abstraction from the bodily -condition, is pure consciousness of spirit, “Luminous sleep,” an -intellectual and spiritual condition as contrasted with physical sleep. -To the general aspects of the genius and life of Ancient Greece, -to its philosophy of the reality of pure abstraction, of absolute -knowledge and the possibility of attaining it, such a theory would seem -reasonable. - -Dr. Jowett is cited as maintaining that pure abstraction is mere -negation. - - - - -APPENDIX C - -THESE CLASSICAL, THOUGH ENTIRELY A PRIORI, THEORIES OF SLEEP ARE NOT -WITHOUT INTEREST - -SLEEP AND WAKING - -By GIOVANNI ARGENTERIO (A.D. 1556) - - -PREFACE - -That it may well be difficult to explain the nature, differences, -causes, and importance of sleep and waking, I think is made clear -enough by the fact that concerning them there is great doubt and -dissension among the highest philosophers and physicians. For Galen, -when he questioned what sleep was, and what waking, decided at length -that he could not be certain in what order of phenomena to classify -them. Aristotle indeed, in his definitions of sleep and waking, -arranges them in different places. Judging from selected books of all -authors, no one, in my opinion, has been able to enumerate the general -differences of sleep and waking by any certain method. Alcmœn thinks -sleep is produced when the blood in the veins flows back and becomes -congested. Empedocles believes it to arise from the chilling of heat -in the blood. Diogenes states that sleep is induced by the blood -pushing to the inner cavities of the body the air that is introduced -into bodies. Plato and the Stoics taught that it arose of itself by -the letting go of the spirit (or the releasing of the breath) and the -consequent relaxation. - -It is needless to refute the cause which Aristotle gives for sleep, -and Galen for waking. They do not accord. The one thinks the true -cause arises and has its seat in the heart,—the other in the brain. On -account of which disagreement, great contention has been excited among -more recent philosophers and physicians, as to which view to adhere -to. Some attribute one significance, others another to these things. -And so, because of the great difficulty introduced, there is nothing -relative to the matter which is not in the deepest obscurity and doubt. -A knowledge of this thing is, nevertheless, most useful, even if come -upon by any other fortunate means, and not only through the knowledge -of the doctors; by such means, for instance, as through the study of -the general arts; for if it is joyful to philosophize, and to happen -upon the hidden and abstruse things in the secret places of nature,—who -would not find great pleasure in learning the causes of the sleeping -and waking of creatures, why now they take long, now short sleeps; -why at one time it is difficult to capture sleep,—at another time -impossible to dispel it? - -We wonder how at one moment sleep leads to waking; how waking and -sleeping mutually succeed each other; why diverse things serve to -explain each other, as sleep, waking,—and waking, sleep. - -Sometimes these, sleep and waking, are injurious,—at other times -beneficial. For sleep and also waking bring forth diseases, intensify -them; both equally drive them away, soothe sorrows and likewise -intensify them; by one and the other alike, morbid causes are often -destroyed more effectually than by any other remedy; indeed, in -conjunction with the benefit of these (sleep and waking), concoctions, -food, purgatives, and finally all the functions of the different parts -of the body may be exercised to the best advantage; nor is it possible, -indeed, for a creature to live, or to maintain his life, without sleep -and waking. - -There is no action of the body or mind which has greater values to the -body, nothing which supplies more reliable signs for discerning bodily -ills, and showing how to be rid of them. - -Of which things, indeed, the investigation and knowledge is -most useful, and not without pleasure to those who delight in -the understanding of things; that is what Aristotle, prince of -philosophers, notices, when he writes his whole book concerning sleep -and waking,—and often elsewhere at random in his writings. Not the -less does Hippocrates notice them in his citations, for he wrote most -sayings on the subject, so many that I omit them; and there are many -in other books, of which a definite impression does not remain in my -memory. But as I have said, when all, or certainly most writers on this -subject may be perplexed with regard to these things, and involved in -many difficulties, no one ought to condemn me, if, after them, and many -men, I presume to write on this subject. - - -CHAPTER I - -BY WHAT CAUSES AND MEANS SLEEP AND WAKING ARE PRODUCED, ACCORDING TO -THE OPINION OF ARISTOTLE - -To refute the opinion of the philosophers concerning the causes of -sleep and waking, I think superfluous; because, with Aristotle’s views -surviving now many centuries, no authority among these other writers -may be greater than his; and because the ignorant premises of the -others makes all discussion of them become inane. - -Because of this I think I should be excused for introducing the opinion -of Aristotle among all the philosophers, that is, for choosing it -from among them, for if we show it to be equally probable with the -others which we presume to refute, it will be because, unlike them, it -extinguishes them by its own plausibility. - -Aristotle thinks sleep to be produced by a vapor generated by the heat -energy in food, the fumes of which, rising to the brain, are there -converted into moisture by the coldness of the brain itself, because, -as he says, cold is felt at the contact just as rain is known to be -made from vapor in contact with cold air; which moisture or humor, -by force of gravity, is pushed downward, descends through the veins, -drives the heat from the heart, and makes that cold also; whence, the -cold spreading about, sleep, he says, generally arises. - -This moisture, or humor,—ought to be warm, he writes; when it is cold, -sleep will not be produced,—just as those affected with sleepiness -show that their systems are in warm and at the same time humid -condition; and children, who have abundance of this warm moisture, -sleep the most; whence he states that this sleep chill has in fact its -causes at the outset in this very warmth. These things he discusses -partly in the book on “Sleep and Waking,” partly in the second of -“The Parts of Animals,” and in “Problems.” I am not able to judge -concerning the first matter, the idea of giving a single cause of -sleep. For, according to this author, waking brings sleep;[12] since -even animals, by means of waking and exercising their functions are -known to become quiet and sleep, and it is said by him, that since -animals become helpless in sleep, this helplessness is produced by the -excess of waking that precedes it. - -[12] It appears that Argenterio thinks Aristotle inconsistent in his -proposition here. - -But not in waking, in food, or in this reason of generated vapor, -is it possible to place the cause of sleep. Exercise produces this -very effect. For through labor, deep and sweetest sleep falls upon -the creatures; and this not on account of vapors rising from food, -nor on account of a natural moisture, so much as by the violent -exercise of the body. Foods that are cold or dried, as the hull of -the mandrake,—taken into the body, induce sleep; which therefore is -not accomplished because these foods give rise to vapors, since they -would rather banish the vapors by their dryness; nor would these foods -supply to the head what vapor is generated, since, repelled by the -cold of such substances being taken into the body, the moisture would -be repelled and chilled, and prevent the vapor from being carried to -the brain. This would be so, as he says, only if the generation of -vapors, and their ascent arose from the heating of this natural humor -or moisture. - - * * * * * - -Other chapters of interest in Argenterio’s “Sleep and Waking” are: - - CHAPTER II: What may bring sleep, and by what method, according to - Galen. - - CHAPTER III: The causes producing sleep, which are thought true. - - CHAPTER XI: In what way sleep may be produced from natural heat. - - CHAPTER XIII: Concerning natural causes of Sleep and Waking. - - CHAPTER XIV: Concerning unnatural causes of Sleep and Waking. - - CHAPTER XVII: Of causes of long and short sleep. - - - - -APPENDIX D - -QUESTIONNAIRE ON SLEEP - - -In order to get the facts about SLEEP we sent a question sheet to -a large number of persons selected by classes. We began with a -thousand professors in order to get suggestions which might make the -investigation more useful. The following request was sent out: - - -PLEASE FILL OUT AND RETURN— - -We shall be glad to supply additional copies of this slip upon -request—we desire the largest number of replies possible and it is -hoped the scientific interest of the subject will lead you to aid us in -procuring them. - - Age Weight Height Health - - Married? - - Do you sleep well? - - How many waking hours in bed? - - How many hours’ sleep on an average, and at what - times? - - What do you consider sufficient for yourself? - - Any difference during vacations? - - Do you use any means or devices for inducing sleep? - - Similar observations on members of your family, if - any? - - Are your dreams usually rational or fantastic, pleasant - or unpleasant? - - Do you have nightmare? - - Are you given to worry? - - Does physical, especially agricultural, work relieve - this? - - Do you take artificial exercise, or does your work involve - exercise? - - Appetite good? Simple diet or - elaborate? - - Is the “sleep of the laboring man sweet” in reality? - - Name - - Profession - - Address - -No scientifically complete tabulation and study of data has yet been -made on SLEEP. - -Moffat, Yard & Company is publishing a book entitled “The Gift of -Sleep,” by Bolton Hall. For the purpose of this book it is desired -to obtain full information concerning the amount of sleep needed -by individuals in different walks of life, the circumstances under -which the soundest and most restful sleep is obtained, and the amount -necessary for individuals. - -You will confer a great favor if you will fill out this sheet and -return to the publisher. - - Yours very truly, - MOFFAT, YARD & COMPANY, - 31 East Seventeenth Street, - New York. - - -ADDITIONAL REMARKS - -At the date of going to press we have not received answers sufficient -in number to warrant very definite statements in regard to sleep and -dreams. A thorough report must be reserved for a later edition. Nor was -the time sufficient for the very considerable labor of examining and -tabulating the replies. It appears, however, that about one person in -thirty regards himself as a poor sleeper, and only two others in thirty -will say they sleep only fairly well. About three persons out of five -report that they spend no time in wakefulness in bed; the remaining -two persons spend from fifteen minutes to five or six hours each, the -average among this group being one hour and ten minutes per person per -night. Among professors in our leading universities the prevailing hour -for retiring is between 10 and 11 o’clock; four-fifths of this group -say they retire either at 10, 10.30, or 11 o’clock; but this class of -people retire on the average about one-half hour later than persons of -the other classes from whom we have received replies. - -The average duration of sleep is, roughly, seven and one-half hours. -One-third of all replies gave eight hours as the length of sleep; and -the professors are inclined to sleep a slightly longer period than -those in the other occupations taken together. - -The age of the individuals seemed to have no effect on the averages -of the daily amount of time spent in sleep. Persons under the age of -forty differed in no marked degree from persons over forty either in -length of sleep or frequency of dreaming. There is general agreement -on the point that they get just enough sleep, and that vacations make -only a slight increase. The data is not yet sufficient to justify a -conclusion as to the average time of sleep at different ages. - -In reference to dreams, about 15 per cent. report that they do not -dream, and about 30 per cent. say they dream “rarely,” “seldom,” or -“occasionally.” We are disposed to question these returns on the ground -that they give an impression that dreams are less frequent than they -really are. The investigations of most experimenters who have made -special studies of dreams seem rather to show that the number of our -dream-experiences grows as soon as we give our attention to them, just -as, on a clear night, a hasty glance at the sky may reveal many stars, -but a steady gaze reveals very many more. - -Our returns are interesting as to the character of the dreams. The -favorite adjective used to describe dreams was “rational.” A lesser -number of persons said their dreams were “pleasant,” less still -that they were “fantastic.” Three times as many persons describe -their dreams as pleasant than those who describe them as generally -unpleasant. Either Professor Freud’s conclusion is correct, that we -tend to forget unpleasant experiences more readily than pleasant ones, -or else the dreams really afforded more pleasurable than they did -disagreeable feelings. The most typical combination used to describe -the nature of the individual’s dream-life was that it was “rational -and pleasant.” Less than one-third of all the answerers confessed to -having ever experienced nightmare. - -It should be observed that thus far we have encountered a group of -replies from persons who, as a group, are remarkably healthy, normal, -and fairly free from worry. Particularly, worry does not seem to be a -vice of professors, as only 8 per cent. confess to it. About 17 per -cent. of them say they need more physical exercise than they get, which -is mostly walking. There is also a gratifying unanimity as to good -appetite, simple diet, and absence of need for artificial means of -inducing sleep. - - - - -APPENDIX E - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - -It is surprising how little has been written about Sleep, and what a -small part of what has been written is worth reading. Perhaps the best -book, certainly the most exhaustive, is Marie Manacéïne’s “Sleep,” -which contains a full but disorderly Bibliography. - -Except in the case of American works, which might easily have escaped -Marie Manacéïne’s attention, I have not tried to go further back than -that Bibliography, as she was most industrious in research; I have only -cut out from her list what seemed the more obsolete or needless works. -But with the help of A. T. Craig and others, I have carried it, as far -as may be, down to date. - - -Bibliography Selected from that Given in “Sleep” (Manacéïne). - - ABERCROMBIE: Inquiries Concerning the Intellectual Powers, p. 283 et - seq., 1840. - - BAILLARGER: De l’influence de l’état intermédiare à la veille et au - sommeil sur la production et la marche des hallucinations. _Annales - Médico-psychologiques_, 1845, tome vi. - - BICHAT: Sur la Mort et la Vie. Paris. - - BRIERRE DE BOISMONT: Etude médico-légales sur les hallucinations et - les illusions. _Annales d’hygiène publique et de médicin légale_, - 1861, tome xvi. - - BROADBENT: Insomnia, _Lancet_, April, 1887. - - BURNHAM, W. H.: Memory, Historically and Experimentally Considered. - Part III, Paramnesia, _Amer. Jour. of Psychol._, May, 1889. - - BYFORD: On the Physiology of Exercise. _Amer. Jour. of the Med. - Sciences_, 1855, No. 59. - - On the Physiology of Repose or Sleep. _Amer. Jour. of the Med. - Sciences_, April, 1856. - -CATLIN: Shut Your Mouth, 1870. - -CONDILLAC: Essai sur l’origine des connaisances humaines, Sect. I, -chapter ix. - -CRICHTON-BROWNE, J.: Dreamy Mental States. _Lancet_, 1895, No. 3749. - -DELBOEUF: Le Sommeil et les Rêves. - -DE SANCTIS AND NEYROZ: Experimental Investigations Concerning the Depth -of Sleep. _Psychol. Rev._, vol. ix, pp. 254-282. 1902. - -DUFAY: La notion de la personalité. - -DURHAM: The Physiology of Sleep. - - _Guy’s Hospital Reports_, vol. vi, 1860. - - _Psychol. Jour._, vol. v, p. 74 et seq. - -ERRERA, LEO: Sur le Mécanisme du Sommeil. Brussels, 1895. - -FAZIO: Sul Sonno naturale, studio teoretico sperimentale, _Il -Morgagni_, 1874. - -FRÖLICH: Ueber den Schlaf, Berlin, 1799. - -FUCKER: Light of Nature Pursued, 1805, vol. i. - -GREENWOOD, FRED: Imagination in Dreams, and their Study, 1894. - -HAMMOND: On Wakefulness, 1866, 1873. - - Sleep and Its Derangements. - - A Treatise on Insanity, p. 115 et seq. Philadelphia, 1869. - -HARTMANN: Philosophy of the Unconscious. - -HENNE: Du Sommeil Naturel. - -HERBART: Sämtliche Werke, Bd. V., p. 541 et seq. - -HOWELL: A Contribution to the Theory of Sleep, _Jour. of Exper. Med._, -1897. - -JUDÉE: De l’état de rêve. _Gazette des Hôspitaux_, 1856. - -LANGE: Geschichte des Materialismus, 1875. (English trans. by E. C. -Thomas, 1881.) - -LEMOINE: Du sommeil au point de vue physiologique et psychologique, -1855. - -LIÉBAULT: Du sommeil et des états analogues, 1866. - -MAUDESLEY: Body and Will, 1883. - -MEYER, BRUNO: Aus der Æsthetischen Pädagogik. - -MOORE, C. A.: On Going to Sleep, 1871. - -NAGEL: Der natürliche und künstliche Schlaf, 1872. - -NUDOW: Versuch einer Theorie des Schlafes, Königsberg, 1791, p. 129 et -seq. - -PATRICK AND GILBERT: On the Effects of Loss of Sleep, _Psych. Rev._, -Sept., 1896. - -PAULHAN, A.: De l’activité de l’esprit dans le rêve, _Revue Philos._, -Nov., 1894, p. 546. - -PLATTNER: Von dem Schlaf der Kinder, welcher durch das Einwiegen -hervorgebracht wird (1740). - -PIERROT: De l’insomnie, 1869. - -RADESTOCK: Schlaf und Traum, 1879. - - (In _Rev. Philos._), April, 1897: La rapidite de la pensée dans le - rêve. - - Le sommeil et la cérébration inconsciente. - -SANCTIS, SANTE DE: I Sogni e il Sonno; I Sogni nei Deliquenti, -_Archivio di Psichiatria_, 1896, vol. vi. - - Emozioni e Sogni. _Dritter Internationale Congress C Psychol._, - Munich, 1897, p. 348. - -SCHERNER: Das Leben des Traumes, 1861. - -SCHUBERT: Geschichte der Seele, p. 420 et seq. - -SERGUÉJEFF: Physiol. de la Veille et du Sommeil, t. i. and ii., 1890. - -SIEBECK: Das Traumleben der Seele. - -STEWART, DUGALD: Handbook of the Philosophy of the Human Mind. - -STRÜMPELL: Die Natur und Entstehung der Träume. - -SULLY, J.: The Human Mind, vol. ii. - - Illusions, International Scientific Series. - - Dream, (Article) Encyclop. Brit. - - The Dream as a Revelation, _Fortnightly Rev._, March, 1893. - -SYMONDS, J. A.: Sleep and Dreams, 1851. - -TARCHANOFF: Observations sur le sommeil normal. _Atti dell’ XI -Congresso Med._, Roma, 1894, vol. ii. - -VERITY: Subject and Object as Connected with our Double Brain, 1872. - -VOLKELT: Die Traum-Phantasie, 1875. - -WALSH: On Sleep, _Lancet_, 1846, vol. ii., p. 181. - -WEYGANDT: Entstehung der Träume, 1893. - -WIGAN, A. L.: The Duality of Mind, 1844. - -WILKS, SAMUEL: On the Nature of Dreams, _Med. Mag._, Feb., 1894. - - On Overwork, The _Lancet_, June 26, 1875. - - -ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY - - ACKLAND, THEODORE DYKE: Circular letters relating to hours of sleep - necessary for schoolboys (particularly in English public schools), - 1905. - - ALSBERG, MORITZ: Die protoplasmatische Bewegung der - Nervenzellenfortsätze in ihren Beziehungen zum Schlaf. _Deutsche - Gesellsch. f. Anthrop._ - - Ethnol. u. Urgeschichte, _Correspondenzblatt_, vol. xxxii, pp. 2-8, - München, 1901. - - ANASTAY, E.: L’origine biologique du Sommeil et de l’hypnose, - _Archives de Psychol._, Paris, 1908, vol. viii, pp. 63-76. - - ARGENTERIO (GIOVANNI): De somno et vigilia, libri duo, in quibus - continentur duae tractationes de calido nativo et de spiritibus. - (Florentiae, 1556.) - - ARUNACHALAM, P.: Luminous Sleep, _Westminster Rev._, vol. clviii, pp. - 566-574, London, 1902. - - BERGER, E., and LOEWY, ROBERT: L’état des yeux pendant le sommeil et - de la théorie du sommeil. _Jour. de l’anatomie et de la physiologie_, - Paris, 1898, vol. xxxiv, pp. 364-418. - - BIGELOW, JOHN: The Mystery of Sleep. Harper & Bros., New York, 1903 - (2nd edition). - - BINNS, EDWARD: The Anatomy of Sleep, or the Art of Producing Sound and - Refreshing Slumber at Will. London, 1842. - - BRUSH, C. E., JR., and FAYERWEATHER, R.: Observations on the Changes - in Blood Pressure During Normal Sleep. _Amer. Jour. of Physiol._, vol. - v, pp. 199-210, 1901. - - CALKINS, MARY W.: Statistics of Dreams, _Amer. Jour. Psychol._, vol. - v, pp. 311-343. 1893. Investigation of over 500 dreams showing the - relative frequency of different sorts of sense imagery. - - CLAPARÈDE, EDOUARD: La fonction du sommeil, _Riv. d. sci._, Bologna, - 1907, vol. ii, pp. 143-160. - - CORNING, J. LEONARD: Brain-rest, Being a Disquisition on the Curative - Properties of Prolonged Sleep. New York, Putnams, 1885. - - DEMOOR, JEAN: La plasticité des neurones le mécanisme du sommeil, - _Bull. de la Soc. d’anthropologie de Bruxelles_, vol. xv, pp. 70-83. - - DONALDSON, H. H.: The Growth of the Brain, chapter xvi, p. 309. - Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1897. - - ELLIS, HAVELOCK: The Stuff that Dreams are Made of. _Pop. Sci. - Monthly_, 1899, pp. 721-735. Man and Woman, chapter xii. 1894. - - FISHER, IRVING: Report on National Vitality, Govt. Printing Office, - Washington, D. C. 1909. - - FOSGATE, B.: Sleep Psychologically Considered with Reference to - Sensation and Memory. New York, 1850. - - FOSTER, HENRY HUBBARD: The Necessity of a New Standpoint in Sleep - Theories. _Amer. Jour. of Psychol._, vol. xii, pp. 145-177, 1901. - - FRENSBURG, DR. J.: Schlaf und Traum. Article in: _Sammlung_ (R. - Virchow und Fr. v. Holkendorff), 20th Series, Bk. 466, Berlin, 1885. - - FREUD, S.: Die Traumdeutung. Leipsic, 1909. - - GEMELLI, AGNOSTINO: Fatti ed ipotesi nello studio del sonno. _Rivista - di fisica mat. e sci. Nat._, vol. xiv, pp. 48-77, Pavia, 1906. - - HALL, W. W.: Sleep—or: The Hygiene of the Night. First edition 1861, - New York (5 or 6 editions), one edition 1870, published by Hurd and - Houghton, New York. - - HEUBEL, E.: _Pflüger’s Archiv_, xiv, S. 186. - - JASTROW, J.: The Subconscious, Chapter on Dream-consciousness, pp. - 175-265. 1906. - - JUDD, C. H.: _Psychology_, Pt. I., Chapter xiv, pp. 337 et seq. Giving - a clear account of sleep in relation to other states of consciousness, - 1907. - - KOHLSCHUTTER: Messungen der Festigkeit des Schlafes, _Zeitschrift für - rationelle Medicin_, 1863; Mechanik des Schlafes, _Zeitsch. f. r. M._, - 1869. (His results are very similar to those of Michelson in Art. - Tiefe des Schlafes.) - - LAFITTE, JEAN PAUL: Pourquoi dormons nous? (_Rev. d. mois_, vol. ii, - Année 1, No. 10, pp. 461-475.) - - MACNISH, ROBERT: The Philosophy of Sleep. London, 1838. - - MANACÉÏNE, M. DE: Sleep. Walter Scott Ltd., London, 1897. (The - Contemp. Sc. Series.) - - MICHAELIS, ADOLF ALFRED, 1854: Der Schlaf nach seiner Bedeutung für - den gesunden und kranken Menschen. Eine physiologisch-pathologische - Abhandlung. Leipzig, 1894. - - MICHELSON, EDWARD: Untersuchungen über die Tiefe des Schlafes, - _Psycholog. Arbeiten_, vol. ii, pp. 81-117. Leipzig, 1899. - - MOLL, A.: Hypnotism. Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1909. - - MORTIMER, GRANVILLE J.: Sleep and Sleeplessness. S. E. Cassino, 1881. - Boston. D. Bogue, London. - - OPPENHEIMER, Z.: Zur Physiol. des Schlafes. _Archives f. Anatomie u. - Physiol._ 1902, Leipzig. - - PARISH, E.: Hallucinations and Illusions. Scribner’s Sons. New York, - 1897. - - PHILIP, A. P. W.: An Inquiry Into the Nature of Sleep and Death. - London, 1834. - - PICTON, NINA: The Panorama of Sleep; or Soul and Symbol. Philosophic - Co., New York, 1903. - - PIERON, HENRI: La Polygenèse des états de sommeil (Assoc. française p. - l’avancement de sci. Compte rendu pt. 2). Notes et mém. Paris, 1908, - Sess. 36 (1907), pp. 672-678. - - PILEZ, ALEXANDRE: Quelques contributions à la psychol. du - sommeil chez les sains d’esprit et chez les aliénés. _Annales - médico-psychologiques._ Sér. 8, vol. ix, pp. 66-75. Paris, 1899. - - La Plasticité des Neurones et la mécanisme du Sommeil. _Bull. de la - Soc. d’Anthrop. de Bruxelles_, vol. xv, 1896-7. - - POWELL, REV. LYMAN PIERCE: The Art of Natural Sleep,—with different - directions for the wholesome cure of sleeplessness. G. P. Putnam’s - Sons, 1908. - - PREYER, W.: Ueber die Ursache des Schlafes. 1877. - - ROSENBAUM, E.: Warum müssen wir schlafen? - Eine neue Theorie des Schlafes. Berlin, O. Hirschwald, 1892. - - SCHLEICH, KARL LUDWIG: Schlaf und Traum. _Die Zukunft_, Jahrg. 8, vol. - xxix, pp. 14-27. Berlin, 1899. - - SCHULTZ, PAUL: Schlaf und Ermüdung, _Deutsche Rev._, Jahrg. 24, vol. - iii, pp. 81-92. Stuttgart, 1899. - - SIDIS, BORIS: An Experimental Study of Sleep. Badger, Boston, 1909. - - STILES, PERCY G.: Theories of Sleep, _Pop. Sci. Monthly_, vol. lxiii, - pp. 432-438. New York, 1903. - - STRÜMPELL, A.: _Pflüger’s Archiv_, xv, S. 573. Contains an account of - Caspar Hauser, mentioned on p. 78 of this book. - - SURBLED: Les Théories du Sommeil, _Rev. d. questions scientif._, Sér. - 2, vol. xviii (1900), pp. 40-78. - - TAYLOR, J. MADISON: Sleep and Its Regulation, _Pop. Sci. Monthly_, vol. - lxvii, pp. 409-422. New York, 1905. - - TUKE, D. HACK: Articles on “Sleep” and “Dreaming” in _Dict. of - Psychological Medicine_, 1892. - - WEYER, EDWARD M.: “Dreams,” in _Forum_, May, 1911. - - WEYGANDT, WILHELM: Experimentelle Beiträge zur Psychologie des - Schlafes, _Zeitschr. für Psychol. und Physiol. d. Sinnesorgane_, vol. - xxxix, pp. 1-41. Leipzig, 1905. - - WUNDT, W.: Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie, cap. xix, Schlaf - und Traum. - - -SOME OTHER BOOKS AND MONOGRAPHS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF “THE -GIFT OF SLEEP.” - -CAMP, CARL D.: Morbid Sleepiness, _Jour. Abnormal -Psychology_, 1907. - -ELWIN, FOUNTAIN HASTINGS: Mens Corporis. - -FLETCHER, HORACE: The A. B. Z. of Our Nutrition. - -GRANVILLE, MORTIMER: Sleep and Sleeplessness. - -HAMMOND, W. A.: Sleep and Its Derangements. - -HASKELL, N. W.: Perfect Health: How to Get It and How to Keep It, by -One Who Has It. - -METCHNIKOFF: The Nature of Man. - The Prolongation of Life. - -MCCARTHY, D. J.: Narcolepsy, _Amer. Jour. Medical Science_, 1900. - -QUACKENBOS, JOHN D., A.M., M.D.: Hypnotism in Mental and Moral Culture. - -ROWLAND, ELEANOR H.: A Case of Visual Sensations During Sleep, _Jour. -of Philosophical, Psychological, and Scientific Methods_. - -SCHOLZ, F.: Sleep and Dreams. - -THOMPSON, SIR HENRY, M.D.: Diet in Relation to Age and Activity. - -UPSON, DR.: Insomnia and Nerve Strain. - -WORCESTER, MCCOMB, AND CORIAT: Religion and Medicine. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP *** - -***** This file should be named 64138-0.txt or 64138-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - https://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/1/3/64138/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold;'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The psychology of sleep, by Bolton Hall</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The psychology of sleep</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Bolton Hall</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 26, 2020 [eBook #64138]</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Turgut Dincer, Les Galloway and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</div> -<div style='margin-top:2em;margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP ***</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h3>Transcriber’s Notes</h3> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations -in hyphenation and accents and all other spelling and -punctuation remains unchanged.</p> - -<p>The quotation from Ballad of Reading Gaol, (Chapter VIII) has been -corrected from</p> -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">And Sleep will not lie down but walks</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And wild-eyed cries to time.</div> -<p>to</p> - <div class="verse indent0">And Sleep will not lie down but walks</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Wild-eyed and cries to time.</div> -</div> -</div></div> - -<p>The cover was prepared by the transcriber and is placed in the -public domain.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter illowp52" id="frontispiece" style="max-width: 52.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt="" /> - <div class="caption">BOLTON HALL<br /> “THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP”</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"></div> - - -<h1> -THE PSYCHOLOGY OF<br /> -SLEEP</h1> - -<p class="center p2"><small>BY</small></p> -<p class="center">BOLTON HALL, M.A.<br /> -<span class="xs"> -Author of “Three Acres and Liberty,” “Things as They Are,” -“Free America,” etc. </span></p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="xs">With an Introduction<br /> -BY</span></p> -<p class="center">EDWARD MOFFAT WEYER, Ph.D.<br /> -<span class="xs">Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Jefferson -College</span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter illowp53" id="titlea" style="max-width: 4.5em;"> - <img src="images/titlea.jpg" alt="Publishers" /> -</div> - - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap"><small>New York</small></span><br /> -MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY<br /> -1917</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="center"> -<small>Copyright, 1911, by<br /> -MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY<br /> -<span class="smcap">New York</span><br /> -<br /> -<i>All rights reserved</i><br /> -Published October, 1911</small></p> - - -<p class="center"><span class="xs"> -THE QUINN & BODEN CO. PRESS<br /> -RAHWAY, N. J.</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="center"> -TO THE MEMORY OF</p> -<p class="center"> -THE REVEREND DR. JOHN HALL</p> -<p class="center"> -WHO PREACHED FROM THE WORD<br /> -WHAT I TEACH FROM THE WORLD</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>vii</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION</h2> -</div> - - -<p>At the request of the author, I have read this -book in proof sheets, and, from the point of -view of one interested in psychology, I have -suggested many amendments which have all, I -think, been adopted.</p> - -<p>As will be seen by the intelligent reader, the -best sleep involves more than a normal body; it -involves healthy thought and the application to -our daily lives of the moral principles laid down -by our great spiritual teachers.</p> - -<p>The cure of sleeplessness has hitherto been -left largely to the physician, who is not always -a specialist on that subject and who will welcome -a treatise that will enable his patient to -co-operate with his restorative measures. Mr. -Hall has already shown in <i class="cite">Three Acres and -Liberty</i> and in <i class="cite">The Garden Yard</i> his ability to -put into clear, popular language and readable -form scientific truths that non-scientific people -need to know and wish to learn.</p> - -<p>The proper management of our own bodies is -even more essential to our happiness and well<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_viii"></a>viii</span>-being -than the proper management of the land, -and I hope that this book will be no less welcome -to students and physicians than to the -great mass who for lack of knowledge or of -attention do not wholly avail themselves of the -freely offered gift of sleep.</p> - -<p>The book may be useful to many who find it -difficult to harmonize their lives with their surroundings, -and may bring to many a happier -view of the ways of God to man.</p> - -<p class="psig"> -<span class="smcap">Edward Moffat Weyer</span>,</p> -<p class="atrib"> -<small>Washington and Jefferson College.</small></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ix"></a>ix</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - -<table class="small" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2">CHAPTER</td> -<td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">I</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">1</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">II</a></td> -<td class="tdl">HOW MUCH SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">5</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">III</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE TIME OF SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">11</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">IV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">WHAT SLEEP MAY MEAN</td> -<td class="tdr">15</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">V</a></td> -<td class="tdl">HOW TO GO TO SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">20</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">VI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SLEEP IS NATURAL</td> -<td class="tdr">26</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">VII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE DUPLEX MIND</td> -<td class="tdr">30</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">VIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">WAKEFULNESS</td> -<td class="tdr">36</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">IX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SIMPLE CAUSES OF WAKEFULNESS</td> -<td class="tdr">40</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">X</a></td> -<td class="tdl">“LIGHT” SLEEPERS</td> -<td class="tdr">47</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">XI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE GIFTS OF WAKEFULNESS</td> -<td class="tdr">51</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">XII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE PURPOSE OF SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">58</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">XIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE SLEEP OF THE INVALID</td> -<td class="tdr">62</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">XIV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF PAIN</td> -<td class="tdr">66</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">XV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">OPIATES</td> -<td class="tdr">73</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">XVI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">78</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">XVII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">MORE DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">84</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">XVIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">STILL FURTHER DEVICES</td> -<td class="tdr">88</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">XIX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">HYPNOTIC SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">94</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">XX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">“PERCHANCE TO DREAM”</td> -<td class="tdr">101</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">XXI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">NATURAL LIVING</td> -<td class="tdr">108</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">XXII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">FRESH AIR AND REFRESHING SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">113</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">XXIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE BREATH OF LIFE</td> -<td class="tdr">117<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_x"></a>x</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">XXIV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">EATING AND SLEEPING</td> -<td class="tdr">124</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">XXV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SLEEPING AND EATING</td> -<td class="tdr">128</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">XXVI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SOME MODERN THEORIES OF SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">133</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">XXVII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">EARLY THEORIES OF SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">138</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">XXVIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">MORE THEORIES</td> -<td class="tdr">142</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">XXIX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">STILL MORE THEORIES</td> -<td class="tdr">147</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">XXX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">WE LEARN TO DO BY DOING</td> -<td class="tdr">153</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">XXXI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">VAIN REGRETS</td> -<td class="tdr">156</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXII">XXXII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE LOVE THAT IS PEACE</td> -<td class="tdr">162</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">XXXIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE SPECTER OF DEATH</td> -<td class="tdr">167</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">XXXIV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">A NATURAL CHANGE</td> -<td class="tdr">175</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXV">XXXV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE DISTRUST OF LIFE</td> -<td class="tdr">180</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVI">XXXVI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">REST AND SLEEP</td> -<td class="tdr">186</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVII">XXXVII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE NEED OF REST</td> -<td class="tdr">192</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVIII">XXXVIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SAVING OF EFFORT</td> -<td class="tdr">196</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIX">XXXIX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">ANTAGONISM</td> -<td class="tdr">201</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XL">XL</a></td> -<td class="tdl">STRUGGLE IN THE FAMILY</td> -<td class="tdr">205</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLI">XLI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">UNNATURAL LAWS</td> -<td class="tdr">210</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLII">XLII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE NATURAL LAW</td> -<td class="tdr">215</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIII">XLIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">“LETTING GO”</td> -<td class="tdr">219</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIV">XLIV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">REST IN TRUTH</td> -<td class="tdr">225</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLV">XLV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE SPAN OF LIFE</td> -<td class="tdr">229</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVI">XLVI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">WASTE STEAM</td> -<td class="tdr">233</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVII">XLVII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">UNDERSTANDING</td> -<td class="tdr">238</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVIII">XLVIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">THE SUPERSTITION OF FEAR</td> -<td class="tdr">246</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIX">XLIX</a></td> -<td class="tdl">IMAGINARY FEARS</td> -<td class="tdr">251</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_L">L</a></td> -<td class="tdl">ILL SUCCESS</td> -<td class="tdr">257</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_LI">LI</a></td> -<td class="tdl">SOCIAL UNREST</td> -<td class="tdr">263</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_LII">LII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">ECONOMIC REST</td> -<td class="tdl">269<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xi"></a>xi</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_LIII">LIII</a></td> -<td class="tdl">“IF HE SLEEP HE SHALL DO WELL”</td> -<td class="tdr">275</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#CHAPTER_LIV">LIV</a></td> -<td class="tdl">CONCLUSION</td> -<td class="tdr">280</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDICES_AND_BIBLIOGRAPHY">APPENDICES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY</a></td> -<td class="tdr">284</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX_A">APPENDIX A</a></td> -<td class="tdr">285</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX_B">APPENDIX B</a></td> -<td class="tdr">287</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX_C">APPENDIX C</a></td> -<td class="tdr">288</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX_D">APPENDIX D</a></td> -<td class="tdr">293</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl" colspan="2"><a href="#APPENDIX_E">APPENDIX E</a></td> -<td class="tdr">297</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xii"></a>xii<br /><a id="Page_xiii"></a>xiii</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOREWORD">FOREWORD</h2> -</div> - - -<p>This book is intended no less for those who -do sleep well than for those who do not. It is -just as important to be able to teach others -to act well as to be able to do so ourselves. -To teach we must analyze and comprehend our -own action and its motives: for being able to -do a thing well is far different from being able -to teach it. In order to teach anything we must -know how we do it and why others cannot do it. -We never know anything thoroughly until we -have tried to teach it to another.</p> - -<p>Many persons sleep well only because they -are still, like little children and animals, in the -unreflective stage of life. That is the stage of -the Natural Man, and it is good in itself; but -later the mental life awakes, when consciousness -of one’s self begins, and examination of -one’s own desires develops. If not rightly understood -or if not at least accepted, that development -brings anxiety, unrest and disturbance -of sleep, and breaks the harmony of the whole -nature.</p> - -<p>The highest stage of development is the spiritual, -the all-conscious state which includes and -harmonizes the other two. In that we do not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xiv"></a>xiv</span> -lose the ready, overflowing enjoyment of our -bodily exercises and functions; rather they are -intensified; the physical and the mental are -united in the complete life.</p> - -<p>In order to attain this harmony we must -examine the means that we and others use to -gain rest and peace; some of these are instinctive -and some prudential, and we must perceive -why it is that these means work or fail to work -in different cases. When, with all our getting, -we have gotten this understanding, then, and not -till then, all action becomes natural and joyful, -for then we understand it all, and follow -willingly the leading of the Spirit that is in -Man.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xv"></a>xv</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Care-charmer Sleep, son of the sable Night,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Brother to Death, in silent darkness born.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Samuel Daniel.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>1</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br /> - -<small>SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Sancho Panza says: “Now, blessings light on him -who first invented sleep! Sleep which covers a man -all over, thoughts and all, like a cloak; and is meat -for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the -cold, and cold for the hot. Sleep is the current coin -that purchases all the pleasures of the world cheap, -and the balance that sets the king and shepherd, the -fool and the wise man, even.”—“Don Quixote.”</p></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Sleeping</span> is the one thing that everyone -practices almost daily all his life, and that, -nevertheless, hardly anyone does as well as -when he began. We have improved in our -walking, talking, eating, seeing, and in other -acts of skill and habit; but, in spite of our experience, -few of us have improved in sleeping: -the best sleepers only “sleep like a child.” -It must be that we do not do it wisely, else -we should by this time do it well.</p> - -<p>Even the race of mankind as a whole does -not seem to be able to use sleep, to summon it, -or to control it any better than primitive man -did. We talk much of the need of sleep, and -sagely discuss its benefits, but we know neither<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>2</span> -how to use the faculty of sleep to the best advantage -nor how to cultivate it.</p> - -<p>Yet for ages men have studied the mystery of -sleep. We have acquired many interesting -facts concerning its variation, and have formulated -a number of theories concerning its cause -and advantages; nevertheless, science has given -us little real knowledge of sleep, and less mastery -over it.</p> - -<p>Mankind has had idols ever since consciousness -began. Advancing knowledge has changed -the nature and number of the idols, but it has -not destroyed them. The idol of the present -age is “Science,” and men worship it in the -degree that it seems to fit their needs. They -forget that Science is merely the knowledge of -things and persons, arranged and classified, so -as to make it available. In its nature it is -fallible, for some new phase discovered to-day -may show that yesterday’s conclusion was -formed from a theory which itself was based -on a mistaken premise. Man has caught a -glimpse of something that resembled truth, has -stated it, reasoned about it, and finally either -established its authority or disproved it utterly -through the discovery of the real thing he was -seeking. Either result was progress, because -man grows, as Browning says, “through catching -at mistake as midway help, till he reach -fact indeed.” -So there is no need to be disturbed by the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>3</span> -conflicting opinions of men of science touching -the purpose or method of sleep. Even the rejected -theories have added to the sum of our -knowledge, and the field for investigation is -still open to all who are faithful in noting and -comparing the manifestations of Nature, which -the scientists call phenomena.</p> - -<p>Most of what we call science has to do with -physical or material things. Consequently, we -find scientists dealing mainly with what may be -called tangible phenomena, those which may be -measured or weighed or held in the hand or, at -least, pinned down by pressure of thumb or -finger.</p> - -<p>Material Science’s estimate of man is largely -gauged by</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Things done, that took the eye and had the price;</div> - <div class="verse indent4">O’er which, from level stand,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">The low world laid its hand,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Found straightway to its mind, could value in a trice.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>This is the almost inevitable result of looking -upon life as purely material or physical. -We must view life as physical, but not physical -only; as mental, but not mental only; as spiritual, -but not spiritual only.</p> - -<p>In studying sleep and its attendant phenomena -all these things must be taken into consideration. -So slight a thing as fancy may -profoundly influence our acts; fancies not attributable -to any material source, so fleeting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>4</span> -and evanescent that the clumsy net of language -cannot hold them, may induce sleep or destroy -sleep.</p> - -<p>A review of the theories and conclusions of -physicians, both scientific and unscientific, as -well as of others who have found the study of -sleep of absorbing importance, will find a place -in our examination of this vital function of -organisms.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>5</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> - -<small>HOW MUCH SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Six hours in sleep, in law’s grave study six,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Four spend in prayer, the rest on Nature fix.</div> - <div class="verse indent22">(Translation.) <span class="smcap">Sir Edward Coke.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Man</span> is the highest expression yet discovered -of the “living organism,” and sleep -has always taken more of his time than any -other function. Marie de Manacéïne of St. -Petersburg, in her great book called “Sleep,” says: “The weaker the consciousness is, the -more easily it is fatigued and in need of sleep; -an energetic consciousness, on the contrary, is -contented with periods of sleep that are shorter, -less deep, and less frequent.” -Although the consciousness of the race has -developed and strengthened enormously, and is -steadily strengthening itself, the old-fashioned -idea that one-third of our time should be spent -in sleep holds the average mind as strongly as -ever. We insist upon it for the young, impress -it upon everybody, and look distrustfully upon -him who is so daring and unreasonable as to -say that he requires less than eight hours of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>6</span> -sleep. When an idea is intrenched in the mind -it is next to impossible to drive it out by reason -or even by repetition.</p> - -<p>It is the popular belief that Alfred the -Great—who is also Alfred the Wise and Alfred -the Good (being dead so long)—divided -time into three equal parts, and taught that one -part should be given to sleep. If he had said -this, it would not follow that it is the last and -wisest word on the best way to divide our -time, but he did not say it. What he said -was that one-third of each day should be given -to sleep, diet and exercise: that is, that a man -should devote eight hours to sleeping, eating -and whatever form of exercise or recreation he -desired.</p> - -<p>There is nothing to show that Alfred spent -even six hours in sleep, although there is plenty -of proof that he recognized the difference between -rest and sleep, for he gave the second -division of the day—eight hours—to study and -to reflection, while the remaining eight hours -were to be for business. In those days kings -worked hard. Sir Henry Sumner Maine says -that the list of places where King John held -court shows that even he was as active as any -commercial traveler nowadays. (“Early Law -and Custom,” p. 183.)</p> - -<p>But the superstition that Alfred recommended -eight hours for sleep will not down, -and no amount of argument or proof will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>7</span> -change the opinion of the average man on this -point. “Our forefathers slept eight hours,” they say; “so should we.” We forget that -probably the rushlight and the candle had much -to do with the long hours of sleep in olden -times. As artificial light has improved, sleeping-time -has been shortened.</p> - -<p>There is an old English quatrain which runs:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Nature requires five,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Custom gives seven,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Laziness takes nine</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And wickedness eleven.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>But sleep is a natural need, and, like any -other natural need, varies in degree in different -persons. Dogs, cats and other animals -generally sleep more than we do, and their -young ones sleep still more. Generally speaking, -the infant, whose mental powers have -barely awakened, who is, so far as we can tell, -merely a human animal, needs more sleep than -it will ever need again in its existence. In this -great need of sleep the human animal resembles -other animals.</p> - -<p>It frequently happens that, as a man waxes -older, he requires less and less sleep than in -his growing and most active years. But old -people who have outlived their mental life come -to a time when they sleep and perform merely -the physical functions like the infant; so also<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>8</span> -with those whose energy so far exceeds their -physical strength that the mere effort of living -exhausts them. This condition may be in part -due to overstrain of the powers of youth and -middle age, but it also follows the fixed idea -that years diminish strength and lessen energy. -It is easy to fall into this notion, for it accords -so well with the general idea that rest must -come only after the period of activity, whether -that period be a day or a lifetime.</p> - -<p>All of us have had periods when we have -needed fewer than our average hours of sleep. -People who sleep out of doors or in thoroughly -ventilated rooms, under warm but light clothing, -find that they need less sleep than when they -occupy poorly ventilated rooms and wrap -themselves in heavy, unhygienic clothing. Fresh -discoveries are being made almost daily by -those who give intelligent consideration to these -things.</p> - -<p>Even babies differ in their need of sleep. I -know one healthy, happy, beautiful baby who -has never slept the average sixteen hours -that babies are supposed to need. This child -is now between three and four years of age, -and has never gone to sleep before nine or half-past -nine at night. Her parents had the common -idea of long hours of sleep for infants, -and the child had a hard struggle for a while -to convince them that she had no such need: -such struggles are often called “naughtiness.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>9</span> She was regularly put to bed at seven o’clock, -and all the usual devices for enticing a baby -to sleep were practiced. Sometimes she was -left severely alone, sometimes she had gentle -lullabies sung to her, but, whether alone or in -company, this particular baby played and enjoyed -herself until between nine and nine-thirty, -when she quietly dropped to sleep. She awoke -as early as the average baby wakes, happy -and refreshed, and her parents finally learned -that there is no sleeping rule that has no -exceptions, whether applied to infants or -adults.</p> - -<p>Drowsiness is a sign that we ought to sleep, -just as hunger is a sign that we ought to eat. -Natural wakefulness means that we ought not -to sleep. The child tries to obey the promptings -of nature, but we think these promptings -are wrong, if not wicked, and force him into -all sorts of bad habits. Says Michelet, “No -consecrated absurdity could have stood its -ground if the man had not silenced the objections -of the child.” -We are slowly learning that there is no -need or function of the body or of the mind -that is exactly the same in all individuals, -or that is always the same even in the same -individual.</p> - -<p>But, in spite of this dawning knowledge, we -still view with alarm any disregard of the rule, -either in ourselves or another; so true it is, as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>10</span> -Thomas Paine says, that “It is a faculty of the -human mind to become what it contemplates.” We have looked upon ourselves as having certain, -unvarying, imperative needs until we have -almost become subject to them.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>11</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> - -<small>THE TIME OF SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“Women, like children, require more sleep normally -than men, but ‘Macfarlane states that they -can better bear the loss of sleep, and most physicians -will agree with him.’”</p> -<p class="atrib"> -<span class="smcap">H. Campbell.</span> -</p></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> amount of sleep, like the amount of -food, required by an individual varies -greatly, depending largely upon the conditions -at the time. Edison, for instance, can go days -without sleep when engrossed in some invention, -and he has been quoted as saying that -people sleep too much, four hours daily being -quite sufficient.</p> - -<p>In answer to my inquiry, Mr. Edison’s secretary -wrote, “Mr. Edison directs me to write -you that the statement is correct, that for -thirty years he did not get four hours of sleep -per day.” Evidently, experience taught him -that an average of four hours per day, if taken -rightly and at the right time, is enough for -him. He keeps a couch in his workroom so as -to sleep when he is sleepy. He does not need -a clock to tell him when to go to bed, any more -than you need a thermometer to tell you when -to pull up the blankets.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>12</span></p> - -<p>Edison is not alone in his views on sleep. He -made extensive experiments with the two hundred -workers in his own factory which convinced -him and most of them that the majority -slept much too long. The hands seem to have -entered willingly into the trials: perhaps their -personal regard for him influenced their conclusions. -Napoleon Bonaparte and Frederick -of Prussia were both satisfied with four hours -of sleep,<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> while Bishop Taylor was of opinion -that three hours was sufficient for any man’s -needs, and Richard Baxter, who wrote “The -Saints’ Rest,” thought four hours the proper -measure.</p> - -<p>Paul Leicester Ford, who was never a strong -person, once told me that he found four hours’ -sleep enough for all purposes. He did not wish -to be understood as saying that four hours’ -rest was enough, but four hours’ sleep. He was -one of the few who understood the difference -between sleep and rest. He frequently rested; -his favorite practice being to lie back in a big -armchair with a book, and forget the surrounding -conditions. The book created a different -set of sensations, which, combined with the -pause in physical activity, brought a sense of -rest to the frail body. He frequently got his -four hours of sleep curled up in the big chair, -and was then able to go on with the work which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>13</span> -in a few short years made him famous. The -wife of the late George T. Angell of Boston -testifies that for years he seldom slept four -hours a night, having found that, for him, more -was unnecessary; but, of course, it does not follow -that no more is necessary for anyone.</p> - -<p>These are not unusual instances, but rather -typical cases. History and biography are full -of such; each of us can probably mention one -or more persons among his own acquaintance -who can do well with less than the usual eight -hours of sleep, but we have looked upon them -as exceptions and perhaps have prophesied that -they will feel the evil results later, if not now. -We usually select ourselves as the standard for -all other persons, or perhaps it is more correct -to say that we are prone to select one stage of -our own development as a standard, and try to -compel even our growing self to conform to that -stage. When the crab outgrows his shell it -sloughs off, and, so far as we know, he offers -no objection, but takes the new shell, which answers -his needs better. But we, who consider -ourselves infinitely superior to the crab, try to -compel ourselves to keep within the bounds -of old thoughts, early habits, and outgrown customs -after we no longer need them. When we -are unfortunate enough to succeed, we rejoice -at our cramped souls as the Chinese woman -prides herself upon her crushed, cramped, misshapen -foot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>14</span></p> - -<p>The amount of sleep that suited you last year -may not suit you to-day. You may really be -getting better sleep and so needing less of it: -or you may have to make up by quantity for a -poorer quality. The test is that, if you are -sleepy in waking hours, you need better sleep or -more of it. If you are wakeful in sleeping -hours, you need less sleep or else you are not -getting the right kind. Good sleep is a habit, -a natural habit as distinguished from an acquired -habit, and when we learn to take it naturally, -and in natural amount, we get a great -deal more from it. It is fair to assume that -purely natural habits, which continue from age -to age through all stages of human progress, -are essential to human welfare. Otherwise they -would drop away from us as many useless -physical parts have dropped. If you stop to -think of this, you know that it is so; the man -in the street and the girl at the ribbon counter -do not know, so there is more excuse for them -if they misunderstand. It may be that they -usually sleep better than you do, and so do not -need to know it.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>15</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> - -<small>WHAT SLEEP MAY MEAN</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">O Sleep, we are beholden to thee, Sleep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thou bearest angels to us in the night,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Saints out of heaven with palms.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Jean Ingelow.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> know so little about sleep, positively, -that anyone may assume one thing or -another about it, so long as what he assumes -accords with what we do know positively.</p> - -<p>It has been surmised that, during sleep, the -subconscious mind is busy with the day’s impressions -of the objective mind,<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> fitting and relating -them to past experiences, the sum of -which makes up the man himself. The subconscious -mind is, in a sense, man’s attitude to life. -It receives suggestions more easily than the objective -mind receives them, and has more effect -upon man’s understanding of life. If our last -conscious thought is a loving thought toward -all living things, we have aided the latent mind -in its effort to get in tune with the infinite -harmony of life. Alice Herring Christopher,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>16</span> -the metaphysician, once told me that every -night as she drops off to sleep she says to herself -that she is going to have a lovely time, -and as a consequence she does; and that, on -waking, she tries to realize how delightful her -sleep has been.</p> - -<p>There is an old saying that, when a baby -smiles in its sleep, it is because the angels are -whispering to it, and, if we kept ourselves -in communion with the substance of things, -“angels” might bring us sweet messages, too. -They surely will, if we drop to sleep as lovingly -and peacefully as a little child.</p> - -<p>Another friend of mine, who has the faculty -of wearing herself out with the excitement of -each day’s experiences, is learning to offset this -unnecessary drain upon her strength by suggesting -to herself each night, “I shall wake -rested and refreshed in the morning.” By -this means she is gaining in nervous poise, and -averting the numerous “break-downs” from -which she used to suffer. Having made this -much progress,—which brings her “not far -from the kingdom,”—it only remains for her -to make the full claim for the fulfillment of the -promise, “Ye shall find rest to your souls,” to -secure it.</p> - -<p>For the most part, men still regard sleep as -a symbol of death, that time when we shall know -nothing of what goes on about us; when, according -to general belief, we no longer grow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>17</span> -or enjoy. We exclaim with Hesiod, “Sleep—the -Brother of Death and the Son of Night!” -But the new idea of sleep as a growing time is -overcoming that old idea of sleep as death, and -is beginning to rob even the great change itself -of its terrors. We are beginning to see -that sleep does not interfere with the activity -of the mind, but simply gives it an opportunity -to digest and absorb impressions. In the same -way it may be that death does not interfere -with the activity of the real man, but may afford -him an opportunity to get the full meaning -of the experiences he had while sojourning in -the objective world.</p> - -<p>As it is not conceivable that life began with -our individual appearance in this world, so it is -not likely that it will end when our individual -consciousness ceases. The sum of what we have -learned and of what we have done must go on, -else all the learning and the doing would be for -naught. So this thing which was “I”—and -will continue to be the sum of that “I,” no -matter whether I am conscious of it or not—will -use and absorb all that has been thought -or done in the body, and accept or reject its -results.</p> - -<p>It will all count in that next experience, and -help us to be, as Browning says:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent4">“Fearless and unperplexed</div> - <div class="verse indent4">When I wage battle next,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">What weapons to select, what armor to endue.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>18</span></p> -<p>The sum of our experiences added to the sum -of all that have gone before will help us to understand -life better when and wherever we are -again conscious of it, just as the experiences of -each day help us to live the next day better. In -the active, waking world the perceptive mind -receives impressions which the reflective mind -stores up and brings to bear upon our daily life -and thought, thus developing greater consciousness -in the individual; so the interruption of -all physical activity may be necessary to the -further development of the real and intangible -man.</p> - -<p>As one awakes each morning from a night’s -sleep a new man, physically and mentally, although -not necessarily aware of any change, -so may our awakening be from the last sleep -that men call death. It may be that we shall -arise to new experiences, or perhaps to further -development in a world that we cannot touch -with our hands. But in either case we may not -doubt that the awakening will be good, for all -life is good. For, after all, we should know -none of the joys of living if we had not tried -them. Life is consciousness, and hardly one -of us would prefer never to have lived; to have -had no share in that which has meant <i class="em">man</i>; -the growth and culmination of unnumbered -centuries. Life is one, a whole, and the -“slings and arrows” of daily worries and toil -are only an unimportant part of it. And, if it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>19</span> -is so good that we wish to stay here and hope -to enjoy it, if we can see how it has steadily improved -and beautified in the ages that have -passed, we cannot fail to see that all it may -yet become will also be good.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>20</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> - -<small>HOW TO GO TO SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="center">Sleep sweetly, tender heart in peace!<br /> -<span class="smcap">Tennyson.</span> -</p></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Man</span> craves sleep. If we know of a friend -who is suffering in body or mind we wish -him sleep; mothers soothe their pain-racked or -terrified children to sleep with every gentle art -known to them; if, for any reason, man is out -of harmony with his life as he sees it, he instinctively -turns to “Nature’s sweet restorer.” It is a sovereign balm for many ills, yet we seldom -recognize wherein its virtue lies. During -his waking hours man is frequently at odds -with his surroundings. He is out of tune with -the real things of life and is apt to mistake the -material side of his life for the whole of his -being. But when sleeping he is less hampered -with the impressions of the workaday world, -less resistant, and, therefore, more harmonious. -It is in this mental relaxation that the true -benefit of sleep consists.</p> - -<p>We have as yet no conception of the immense -import of suggestion to ourselves or others as -a cure for body or mind. Suggestions may<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>21</span> -often be made to a person sound asleep, but they -are most effective just at the time when the -reason and the will are losing control of the -mind, although consciousness has not yet lost -its grip.</p> - -<p>Accordingly it helps our growth to relax the -whole nature before going to sleep and to drop -into the mind the thought of peace and harmony; -the assurance that all is and must be -well. To do this is to get the best sort of -sleep, the sleep that binds us closer to our fellows -and makes us feel the oneness of all life. -This is the sleep from which we awake refreshed, -ready to take up the day’s duties cheerfully. -It is an old country saying, when a person -seems what is called “out of sorts” in the -morning, that “he got out on the wrong side -of the bed.” But it is much more likely that -he went to sleep in the wrong way: that is, in -an unloving frame of mind.</p> - -<p>“Let not the sun go down upon your wrath” has a wider significance than we usually realize. -As a matter of mere physical well-being, -if we have allowed the lack of knowledge or the -selfishness of our brother to annoy or irritate -us, it is well to wipe away all traces of that -irritation before lying down to rest. It is well, -when possible, to seek the “little one” we -have offended, through our own ignorance or -selfishness, and make our peace by confessing -the fault; while, if we are still self-centered<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>22</span> -enough to feel that our brother has dealt -harshly with us, we may remove all the sting by -thinking lovingly of him. As the soft answer -turneth away wrath, so the soft attitude turneth -out wrath, both from ourselves and from -him. Each day should complete itself. Sufficient -unto the day is the good and the evil -thereof, and to attempt to carry over the evil -through resentment until another day is but to -lay up trouble for ourselves.</p> - -<p>For, after all, it is lack of knowledge or understanding -that makes our brother unkind to -us or us to him. Each is doing the best he -can, being such a man as he is. Each of us has -still some of that separateness which makes us -regard our own interests as apart from other -interests, or hostile to them. What our brother -does, therefore, he does because it seems to -him the best thing for himself. As soon as he -sees that one cannot truly prosper at the expense -of another, because we are all one, he -will give up his stupid ways—as we shall give -up our stupid ways when we see that same -truth. Until then it is useless to be angry or -upset, for that is only to show that we, too, -are unable to see the oneness of all. As it is -bad for our brother that he is so blind, it were -more consistent that we should feel sorrow than -anger at his self-injury.</p> - -<p>Epictetus understood that, nineteen hundred -years ago, and we have not become so stupid<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>23</span> -as to deny it; we only forget. He saw that -there is only one kind of motive in all men—they -are moved by what they think is right and -best for themselves. Said he, “It is impossible -to judge one thing best for me and to seek -a different one, to judge one thing right and be -inclined towards another.” We all know this -about ourselves, but we do not see it so plainly -about others.</p> - -<p>If we felt this about all men, we should not -have “indignation with the multitude.” For -what are all their wrongdoings? Is it not that -they are “mistaken about the things that are -good and evil? Shall we then be indignant -with them, or shall we only pity them?... -Show them the error and we shall see how they -will cease from it when they really see it. But, -if they do not see the error, they have naught -better than the deceptive appearance of the -thing as it looks to them.” -For, argues Epictetus, “this man who errs -and is deceived concerning things of the greatest -moment is blinded, not in the vision that -distinguished black and white, but in the judgment -which distinguished Good and Evil.... -If it is the greatest misfortune to be deprived -of the greatest things, and the greatest thing -in every man is a <i class="em">Will</i> such as he ought to -have, and if one be deprived of this, why are -we still indignant with him?... We need not -be moved contrary to Nature by the evil deed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>24</span>s -of other men. Pity them rather, be not inclined -to offense and hatred.... When someone -may do us an injury or speak ill of us, -remember that he does it or speaks it, believing -that it is meet and best for him to do so. It -is not possible, then, that he can do the thing -that appears best to you, but the thing that -appears best to him. Wherefore, if good appears -evil to him, it is he that is injured, being -deceived. For, if anyone takes a true consequence -to be false, it is not the consequence that -is injured, but he is injured who is deceived. -Setting out, then, with these opinions, you will -bear a gentle mind toward any man who may -injure you. For, say on each occasion, ‘so it -appeared to him.’” -Forgive: and if you must blame somebody, -blame yourself—you can forgive yourself so -easily.</p> - -<p>So we shall find sleep more restful if we -leave behind us all the shortcomings of ourselves -and of our fellows, and approach that -season of seeming forgetfulness with love towards -all. Calm as an infant’s sleep will be -the slumber of the all-loving man, and for him -the new day will dawn with increased brightness; -his strength shall be renewed, and his -joy be more abundant.</p> - -<p>If we always lie down to sleep with this attitude, -regarding the darkness not merely as the -time when the physical man should rest, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>25</span> -also as a growing time for the spiritual man, -it will not be long before we adjust our daily -life to more harmonious relations with the universe. -The more lovingly we live, the sweeter -and sounder will be our slumber, for so it is -that “He giveth his beloved sleep.”</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>26</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> - -<small>SLEEP IS NATURAL</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="center">Sleep is the joy of life.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Wu Ting Fang.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Man</span> has not gone so far beyond the animal -stage of development as to have cast -aside all the weights that hinder him in his -further progress. He has considered three substantial -meals daily necessary to his health, and -if, for any reason, his system refused to take -that quantity of food, he has worried himself -almost into a fever over it. Or, he has consulted -a physician who has usually given him -a tonic; a tonic is something to stimulate the -jaded appetite, or compel the surfeited stomach -to do more work than it should.</p> - -<p>Recent research has shown that this overworking -of the digestive organs is a fruitful -source of physical disease, that it dulls the -mind and chills the spirit. Our loving Mother -Nature punishes each excess, because pain -quickest draws our attention to our wrongdoing. -The flesh strives with us as well as the -Spirit, for we reap in our own bodies the fruit -of our ways; still man looks everywhere but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>27</span> -within for advice and counsel. His feelings -may warn him that he is pursuing the wrong -course, but, until some authority has assured -him that he is doing wrong, he rarely pays heed -to his inner warnings.</p> - -<p>Gluttony is one of the evils which Nature tries -to save man from. The stomach rebels when -it is made to dispose of too much material, and -calls in the rest of the body to assist in making -a protest. The head aches, the heart works uneasily, -the liver and bowels become inactive, the -limbs grow heavy, and the whole abused man -is ill at ease. A bad breath is worse than an -evil spirit, and a bad digestion is a surer sign -of ill-doing than a bad conscience. Nature has -done her best to show the foolishness of overeating; -it is not her fault if man persists in this -course in spite of her warnings, but she takes -care that he pays the price of his wrongdoing, -sometimes in sleeplessness, often in even more -serious ways.</p> - -<p>Overeating has been the fashion for centuries. -We have thought that, the more we eat, -the stronger we should become, and mankind -has followed that fashion despite the ills that -it has caused, forgetting that it is what we digest, -not what we eat, that nourishes. The effects -of overeating are both direct and indirect. -The direct effects are those that dog the -heels of the offense. These effects, when acute, -have even caused death in a few hours or days,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>28</span> -as with King John and his “dish of lamprey -eels,” but some of the indirect effects are more -direful. Much of the use of alcoholic liquors -is due to overeating. When we have eaten too -much, and the digestive organs are so overloaded -that they cannot work, we take alcohol -in some form to stimulate them to greater action. -As we continue the wrong practice, it -requires more and more liquor to stimulate us, -usually ending in stupor, a parody of sleep. In -a short time that which we used to cure or offset -one evil has created a habit, in itself a -greater evil.</p> - -<p>It took us a long time to see the connection -between illness, drunkenness, and overeating. -We now know that drink becomes a habit and -after that a disease. If we look at mankind -in the mass, drunkenness appears plainly as the -result of two general causes, overstimulation of -the indulgent classes, and the malnutrition that -craves stimulants in the masses of the underfed.</p> - -<p>Like every other faculty, consciousness becomes -dulled through lack of exercise. It follows -that oversleeping inclines to dullness and -stupidity. Further, the body will readily accommodate -itself to the physiological conditions -that prevail during sleep, to a changed blood -circulation, and breathing. The oversleeping -may come to resemble the hibernation of some -animals. For those inclined to drowsiness or -to unnaturally long sleep, real interests in life<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>29</span> -are helpful, also amusements, pleasant society -in the evenings, and even tea and coffee or other -mild stimulants are useful.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, some people, at least, think they -suffer from insomnia, who in fact suffer from -going to bed too soon or lying abed too late—in -the struggle to sleep more than they need.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>30</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> - -<small>THE DUPLEX MIND</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Milton.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> must not forget that it is easy to miss -the good results of any natural function, -and, through misuse, get only poor results. -As in the matter of eating, we should get only -good from satisfying our hunger, but the acquired -habit of eating more than we need or -can digest does incalculable harm. In the same -way we may misuse sleep, and so lose its best -benefits.</p> - -<p>“Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of -care,” may be made, as Shakespeare says, a -repairing time as well as a resting time, for as -Iamblichus, the Neo-Platonic philosopher saw, -“The night-time of the body is the daytime of -the soul.” With some insight into the best uses -of this natural habit, Iamblichus further said -that, during sleep, “the nobler part of the soul -is united by abstraction to higher natures and -becomes a participant in the wisdom and foreknowledge -of the gods.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>31</span> -Dr. Thomas J. Hudson’s claim made a very -popular appeal, that there is a subjective mind -made up of our inner knowledge, our own intuitions -and mental processes. He alleged it -to be a part of our being that is able, in some -instances—as in the case of “lightning calculators,” of mind-readers and of some clairvoyants—to -perceive the relations of things without -reasoning them out, and to perceive the -fixed laws of Nature without the aid of the -senses.<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> He concluded that this mind or this -faculty of mind is an inheritance from experiences -and conclusions of the race in its upward -growth.</p> - -<p>Swedenborg also, who was at least a noted -scientist, divided the mind into the Interior, -corresponding to the subjective mind, and the -Exterior or reasoning memory.<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>The objective mind, as it may be called, -is what we all know as mind or intellect, that -part which deals with external objects, getting -its impressions and reaching its conclusions -from observation. It is differently affected in -different individuals by such purely physical -things as sight and hearing. For a proof of -this, ask any two persons who have seen and -heard and been affected by something you have -seen and felt, to describe its effect upon them, -and the mental picture they have of it. Not<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>32</span> -only will they not agree in detail with each -other, but you will find that neither has seen -it in the same way that you have.</p> - -<p>Modern science cannot accept the statement -that foreign, mysterious agencies control the -mind during sleep; but may not some such experience -as that which Iamblichus describes, -come to us in sleep by the spirit working, not -from without, but from within us? Our spiritual -nature is freed at night from the incessant -calls that beset us during the day. In the calm -that comes over it in the night-time the doors -of the storehouses of memory may stand wide -open before it, and it may lead perhaps a -broader, fuller life.</p> - -<p>Professor William James has shown that in -our waking hours, each of us is not so much -a single self as a cluster of separate selves—a -business self, social self, the material self, and -so on—all making up the man as his casual -acquaintances know him. Professor James -found that in every individual there is rivalry -and sometimes discord among these partial -selves. Now may it not be that in the -silence, these warring factions lose their identity -in a state of broader conscious life, and -merge themselves into a harmoniously acting -“Spiritual Me”?</p> - -<p>From the standpoint of this spiritual self, -then, the waking state shows only the objective -aspects of the mind. It is that understanding<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>33</span> -which shows us all men working, whether willingly -or unwillingly, for the common good, and -each receiving what he needs or has power to -use. It is a recognition that all men are comprehended -in the Spirit’s plan, that nothing -can be for the common harm; that even mistakes -work out for good, and that life gives -to each the experience from which he will get -most development and the power which he can -best use and relate to his whole life. From -the spiritual standpoint the subjective mind is -the indwelling life of the soul; and its growth -a matter of gradual self-attainment. At its -highest stage it is the realization of that which -we have in common with everyone—that understanding -and that consciousness of the law of -harmony which makes us love all mankind, and -live in communion with the love that is the -substance of all things. The separate self does -not appear at all on the horizon of such thought -and purpose.</p> - -<p>We have all had a consciousness of this love -at some time in our lives, no matter how the -cares of the world may have choked it out. It -was this consciousness that made a little boy -say, in a burst of happiness, “I love everything, -and everything loves me.” When we -“become like a little child” in this sense, we, -too, recognize the love that binds all life in -one.</p> - -<p>When we can harmonize these two—the sub<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>34</span>conscious, -that knows no separate self, with the -objective, that can see all men as one because -it sees all men as working for the same end—we -shall have rest and harmony instead of -worry, the insanity of the spiritual mind.</p> - -<p>The objective mind which is active during -waking hours, apparently rests during sleep; -the subconscious mind is ever busy. Like the -heart or the digestive organs, the subconscious -mind carries on its work during that break in -our usual consciousness which we call sleep. -How this is done we do not know, any more -than we know how the physical organs carry -on their work while we are wrapped in slumber -and unconscious of all about us. There are -very few, though, who have not had some proof -of the activity of the latent mind during sleep. -That somehow this under-mind does work in an -“uncanny” way—that is to say, in an unknown -way—is shown by the fact that most -persons can wake up at any hour that they fix -in their minds without being called and without -the abominable alarm clock.</p> - -<p>It is a common enough thing to hear people -say, “I do not know how I knew that; I never -remember hearing it; it just came to me.” Or, -“I tried and tried to think of that yesterday, -and could not, but, when I woke this morning, it -was the first thing that came to my mind.” Such incidents show that some process of which -we are not objectively conscious is going on all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>35</span> -the time; that no mental experience is destroyed -or wholly dissipated. The common wish is “to -sleep over” any perplexing matter. After a -good sleep our ideas are often better arranged -than when we fell asleep.</p> - -<p>I have a friend who drops all her problems -into her subconscious thought, refuses to be -“exercised in her mind” about them, and -leaves them for the latent mind to answer. So -long as she views them from the objective, conscious -point of view only, she finds herself -worrying and losing sleep. The sleep-won mind, -the “all-knowing Self,” as it were, is not -touched by worry, perhaps because, in communion -with the substance of all experience, it -perceives that there are few “problems” in -life, when she does not persist in regarding as a -“problem” each separate experience.</p> - -<p>We must learn to connect each experience -with what we know of our life up to that point -and with what we think it is meant to be. This -effort will often show us, or itself prove to be, -the key to the “problem.” -But it is only the scientific expert, one who -has a perfect conception of the workings of all -the parts of the frame, who can take one bone -and reconstruct from it the entire structure of -the extinct animal. That would be impossible -for the tyro, and most of us are tyros in the -science of living.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>36</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> - -<small>WAKEFULNESS</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">And Sleep will not lie down but walks</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Wild-eyed and cries to time.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">“Ballad of Reading Gaol.”</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Oscar Wilde.</span> </div> -</div> -</div></div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> fact that we confound rest and sleep -makes us regard wakefulness as an evil. -We go to bed to sleep, and, if sleep does not -come at once, we begin to fret and to toss and -we try by every means that we know to force -ourselves to sleep. We never accomplish anything -that way, because it is essentially opposed -to the nature of sleep. Sleep, to be refreshing, -must be complete relaxation of mind and body, -and that is not gained by striving. Natural -sleep is merely “letting go,” which is just what -so many find hard to do. The course is so simple -and plain that “the wayfaring man, though -a fool, <i class="em">need</i> not err therein,” but he often does -err in spite of its simplicity; and sometimes, -perhaps, even because of its simplicity.</p> - -<p>Naaman, captain of the host of Syria, went -to the Israelitish prophet, Elisha, to be cured -of his leprosy. As he was a great man with his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>37</span> -master, he expected some special ceremony done -for him. Imagine his surprise and wrath when -bidden to wash in the River Jordan.</p> - -<p>At first Naaman went away in a rage; such -advice ill-befitted his ideas of his needs. If it -were enough that he should bathe in a river, -why in Jordan? “Are not Abana and Pharpar, -rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters -of Israel?” Why not wash in them and -be clean? And Naaman turned and went away.</p> - -<p>But his servants questioned him and said: -“Had the prophet bid thee do some great -thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How -much rather then when he saith to thee ‘wash -and be clean’?” Then Naaman yielded and -was made whole.</p> - -<p>This story is a picture of our own ways. We -despise the remedy that is simple, and we feel -sure that, had it been some great thing, we -should have found it easier to do. We are unwilling -to accept simple, natural explanations -of our difficulties. We feel so because we think -so highly of ourselves. We forget that the -greatest things are often the simplest, and, if -the natural things are too hard for us to do, -it is because we lack that true greatness which -sees and welcomes directness.</p> - -<p>If man understood his life better, he would -cease to think of anything as an “accident” without a cause. He would know that nothing -can occur to him that does not signify some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>38</span>thing -to him in relation to his share in the plan -of the Universe. He would understand that so -simple a thing as whether or not he shall fall -asleep as soon as he lies down to rest, or -whether he shall find that “sleep has forsaken -his eyes and slumber his eyelids,” may be an -experience of great importance to him.</p> - -<p>Every incident of life is subject to law; yet -many of the most important functions of the -body are performed without any consciousness -of their relation and dependence one upon another: -as, for instance, breathing upon the circulation -of the blood, which in turn depends -upon the heart’s pumping, and that upon the -digestion, and that upon the food, and so on; -the same is true of mental activities, and must -be true of spiritual activities, for the same law -runs through all of life. The wakefulness -surely has some cause and some significance, -else it had not been.</p> - -<p>When something “goes wrong,” we are -forced to look into our case, and note the relation -of one state of mind or body to other -states. It is then, if ever, that we learn which -is cause and which is effect; how mistakes result -in pain and pain warns us of mistakes, and -how one necessarily follows the other. If it -were not for the pain that follows the violation -of some natural law, man might go on in -his unwise course until he had altogether destroyed -his physical body.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>39</span></p> - -<p>It is the pain from the burn on the tiny hand -that warns the infant not again to touch what -he is told is “hot.” If fire did not pain the -body, we might be destroyed by flames without -making any effort to escape. In fact, the chilliness -and numbness of the African “sleeping -sickness” often lead patients actually to burn -off their hands or feet in the effort to get warm. -It is quite possible that, if there were no pains -in child-birth, women would bear children continually -until they were themselves exhausted -or their progeny overran one another. It is -pain that tells us that a tooth is decayed, so -that even toothache may be a blessing.</p> - -<p>Therefore, if we are wise, instead of rebelling -against pain, we should accept it gratefully -as the helper and the possible preserver -of our lives, and we should accept the wakefulness -quietly as the sign of something that needs -correction, or else as an opportunity for quiet -thought and reflection.</p> - -<p>When we have found what is wrong, and do -our best to correct it, not only is the attention -drawn from the pain to the remedy, but the -effort to relieve it lessens the effect of the -suffering.<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>40</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> - -<small>SIMPLE CAUSES OF WAKEFULNESS</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">Where care lodges, sleep will never lie.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> all know the blessing of sleep, but it is -hard to show the sufferer that wakefulness -is useful.</p> - -<p>Wakefulness always has some cause, and, if -we truly wish to be cured of it, it will be well -to seek the cause rather than to grumble at the -wakefulness itself. It is not enough to know what -is the matter, we must find out why it is the -matter. To find the cause of any condition -simplifies matters; it makes the course we must -follow clearer. If the cause can be removed, -we should bend all our energies to removing it; -to paraphrase Stephen Pearl Andrews’ saying—we -are not to be subject to circumstances, -but rather to make ourselves center-stances. -But, if the matter be something over which we -have no control, there are two courses open to -us: the first is to accept the condition and adapt -ourselves to it; the second is to devise some -method by which we may gain control over it.</p> - -<p>A childish story<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> will illustrate this:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>41</span></p> -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Once there was a squirrel that did not like -its home, and it used to scold and find fault -with everything. Its papa squirrel had long -gray whiskers, so he was wise. He said to the -squirrel: “My dear, as you do not like your -home, there are three sensible things you could -do:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Leave it,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">or Change it,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">or Suit yourself to it.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Any one of these would help you in your -trouble.” -But the little squirrel said, “Oh! I do not -want to do any of those; I had rather sit on -the branch of a tree and scold.” -“Well,” said the papa squirrel, “if you -must do that, whenever you want to scold, just -go out on a branch and scold away at someone -you do not know.” -The little squirrel blushed so much that he -became a red squirrel, and you will notice that -to this day red squirrels do just that thing.</p></div> - -<p>Whatever course we pursue, we find something -to do in connection with the underlying -principle or cause; this <i class="em">doing</i> prevents us -from wasting energy and patience upon mere -effects. That is an advantage, for any action -relieves mental pain, and often relieves physical -pain, too. The victim writhes not only in -its effort to escape, but in the effort to express<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>42</span> -its feeling, to respond to the excited nerves, just -as we dance about or hop up and down when -we hit our finger with the hammer. We often -hear people deplore that their suffering is increased -because they can do nothing to remedy -the trouble. We frequently exclaim, “It would -be easier to bear, if only I could <i class="em">do</i> something.” A knowledge of what to do and how to do it -always helps toward peace of mind.</p> - -<p>When yellow fever was one of the “mysterious -dispensations of Providence,” men of science -fought only its symptoms, with very indifferent -success. The people in the district -where the fever broke out were panic-stricken; -those who could fled from the place; those who -were compelled to remain went about in fear of -their lives. Now that we believe that the bite -of an infected mosquito is the once “mysterious -dispensation,” we no longer allow the infection -to spread. Fear and unreason might -have continued to treat outbreaks and epidemics -of yellow fever for centuries to come without -lasting advantage to the plague-ridden -spots, but the knowledge of what to do and how -to do it has made yellow fever a preventable evil. -It has no terrors for an intelligent community.</p> - -<p>So with wakefulness. If we find ourselves -wakeful when we should be sleeping, the first -thing to do is to find the reason.</p> - -<p>Sometimes we cause our own sleeplessness -unsuspectingly, but none the less deliberately,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>43</span> -by the false requirements that we lay upon ourselves. -People often say, “I could not go to -sleep in a room like that.” If there is time -and opportunity to put the room in order, why -do it; but, if not, we can resolve, as the boys -say, to “forget it.” -Many a woman frets and disturbs herself -continually by putting things in what she considers -order, which things are no better for being -rearranged and which generally cannot stay in -order—endless pushing in of chairs and placing -pamphlets or books with the little ones on -top and the big ones at the bottom; a constant -and wearisome struggle to keep all the shades -in the house in a line. The labor of Sisyphus, -who had forever to roll a great stone up a sand -hill, would be restful compared with that. I -knew a man once who would be entirely upset, -and would upset all the people about him, if his -stockings that came from the wash were not -placed below those in the drawer so that they -would surely be used in rotation.</p> - -<p>Some persons cannot sleep after dawn if the -light shines on their faces, yet are so possessed -by the idea of order that they will not move -the bed, disarrange the furniture to make a -screen, or even sleep with their heads at the -foot of the bed.</p> - -<p>Another person insists always on being -waked up by the last person to come home in -order to be sure that the house was closed up.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>44</span> -Still another cannot go to sleep till he has balanced -up every cent of petty cash spent that -day.</p> - -<p>Many persons spend the most of their -thought and exhaust themselves over things -that are just as trivial and inconsequent as -these; though they seem important to them. -When anything has become such a habit, even -though reasonable in itself, that you cannot -sleep without it, you are paying too dear for -it and it is time to change it. There is danger -even in good habits—they may master us.</p> - -<p>It may be that we have had some stimulating -mental experience which has not yet relaxed its -grip upon our attention. In such case even -bodily weariness is apt to be forgotten, for, -after all, every physical sensation is dependent -upon some mental condition, whether fleeting -or permanent. It is this interdependence of -physical feeling and thought which makes it -possible to recall emotions of pain or sorrow, -of comfort or joy. The sight, the touch, or the -smell of certain things will bring back sensations -that once accompanied them, whether -those sensations be painful or pleasant.</p> - -<p>If the mind has been so stimulated that it -cannot relax, there is little likelihood that sleep -will come quickly, but we cannot relax by impatience. -Tossing and turning will not quiet the -mind; we must either accept the condition -calmly and follow out the train of thought that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>45</span> -has started or deliberately side-track the exciting -cause. This may be done by setting up a -counter activity in the mind along quieting -lines. For instance, if one had walked the -streets late on some such occasion as a New -Year’s Eve celebration in New York, and had -become stimulated by the lights and the crowds, -he might deliberately recall the most peaceful -day in the country that it had been his fortune -ever to know.</p> - -<p>A typical scene of this sort is a warm Sunday -in late spring, when all the usual activities of -country life have ceased; the air is heavy with -the scent of clover and field flowers, the apple -blossoms, and the thousand odors of the fresh -country field; the air moving so lazily that it -scarcely stirs the trees; the cow chewing the -meditative cud; the bees buzzing dreamily; the -very horses, standing under the shed of the little -white country church, whinnying softly to -each other, as knowing that a spell of peace is -over all, a spell that must not be broken; while -from the church itself comes the drone of the -preacher,—each little stir a part of the peace -that broods over the day. Think of some such -thing as that, recall it in all its details, and the -chances are that the drowsiness induced at the -time, whether one were of the congregation or -a mere onlooker, will again steal over the eyelids -and, before one is aware of any change, -he is well on the way to the land of dreams.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>46</span></p> - -<p>In the same way if one has read an exciting -book, or has seen a thrilling play, one may -either live them over until the feelings exhaust -themselves, because no longer new, or one -may deliberately divert one’s self from thinking -of them and devote the attention to more soothing -things. Either course removes all cause for -impatience with the fact of wakefulness and -leaves the mind quieted. This tends to drowsiness, -even if it does not really induce sleep.</p> - -<p>Sometimes it may help us if we rise and read -some quieting book, not “a thriller.” Such a -volume as Thoreau’s “Walden,” or that more -modern little volume, “Adventures in Contentment,” by David Grayson, or we may repeat -some soothing poem like Tennyson’s “Sweet -and Low,” or Burroughs’ “My Own Shall -Come to Me” and similar verses.</p> - -<p>Any of these will help to relax tension, and -put us in a more restful frame of mind, and, as -minds differ, so some persons will find books -and verses of other sorts to have the desired -effect upon them.</p> - -<p>When we cannot sleep, to rise, throw back -the bed-clothes so as to cool the bed, walk about -the room, go to the window and fill the lungs -with oxygen often tend to quiet the body and -mind. We must learn to know our own needs -and to find out each for himself what meets -them. To “know thyself” is only the first step -to control thyself.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>47</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> - -<small>“LIGHT” SLEEPERS</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">He sleeps well who knows not that he sleeps ill.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Publius Syrus</span> (42 <span class="allsmcap">B.C.</span>).</p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Someone</span> may say that such things as -stimulation of the mind are simple causes -of wakefulness, and so easily overcome that it -is hardly necessary to consider them; yet, simple -as they are, they frequently make the wakeful -one impatient. The more complex causes -are really as easily dealt with as these simple -ones, when once we have learned to control the -mind. Take, for instance, the complaining -“light sleeper” who cannot sleep if anybody -else makes a noise, or if anything out of the -ordinary occurs. He is in a steady state of -apprehension lest something will happen to -disturb his rest; and generally something does -happen. A baby cries, a dog barks, a heavily-laden -team lumbers by, an automobile honks, -a locomotive shrieks, or a steamer whistles, and -sleep forsakes him for the night.</p> - -<p>He pronounces anathema on the offending -cause; he pities himself for his sensitiveness,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>48</span> -at the same time that he almost despises his -fellows who are so “dead and unresponsive -that they can sleep through such a racket” he -suffers at the thought that he may get no more -sleep, yet he enjoys the prospect of rehearsing -to a sympathizing audience in the morning the -tortures of such a delicate organization as his. -This sort of sleeplessness is made up of so -many contributing causes that it is difficult for -any but the most perfectly honest man to decide -what makes him so susceptible to noise. -But it is undoubtedly true that some of these -causes are due to fear, to training, and, most -of all, to self-interest.</p> - -<p>It is always difficult to make the super-sensitive -person realize that his suffering is due -chiefly to self-consideration and a desire to control -others. It is an undue recognition of one’s -own claim upon the very circumstances of life -that makes one offer so many surfaces which -may be “hurt.” We may be disturbed in our -sleep by the ordinary pursuits of our fellows -because we have an exaggerated idea of the -importance of certain conditions that appeal to -us and make for our comfort. We wish to sleep -at a certain time, and we should like to regulate -all our neighbors so that they, too, should suspend -all activities at that same time. We accustom -ourselves to quiet; and then insist that -we cannot do without it.</p> - -<p>There is a story told of a man working in a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>49</span> -foundry who formed a part of two “shifts” of -workmen and betweenwhiles slept for some -hours in the foundry. When released from that -strain, he found that he could not sleep at home -because it was so quiet, and it became necessary -for the members of his family to unite in making -ringing, pounding noises to lull him to -slumber.</p> - -<p>It is a well-known fact that those who live -near the cataracts of the Nile cannot sleep if -they get beyond the sound of the pounding. -Soldiers, who are wearied after a hard day’s -march or fighting, will sleep soundly beside -twenty-four pounder guns steadily firing; or -even sleep on the march, their legs moving mechanically -though their senses are steeped in -sleep.</p> - -<p>Country people coming to the city are kept -awake by the unusual street noises, while city-dwellers, -accustomed to the roar of elevated -or subway trains, are unable to sleep in the -country because of the intense silence which -Nature’s noises often emphasize.</p> - -<p>Unreflecting man is a creature of habit: if -any change occurs in his routine, he finds it -difficult to adapt himself to it. He seldom -comes to understand that it is chiefly insistence -upon his own needs as apart from the needs -or interests of others that makes him require -certain conditions for sleeping. In either case -the cause of wakefulness is easily found; but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>50</span> -nobody other than the individual most concerned -can remove it.</p> - -<p>If we are living in selfish disharmony with our -fellows; if we are indulging feelings of envy, -malice, uncharitableness or hatred towards -those about us, we are not likely to sleep refreshingly. -All such emotions do more harm -to the one who feels them than to those against -whom they are directed. They may undermine -the health, destroy the mental poise, and blot -out the sense of kinship with mankind. The -Hebrews understood that so well that he who -would offer a sacrifice is reminded that, if he -have aught against his brother, he must leave -his gift at the altar and make his peace before -he can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God.</p> - -<p>If wakefulness be the result of impatience -with our brother, there is only one cure for it: -that is, to replace it with loving patience. It -is the lack of love, or the possession of very -narrow love, that causes us pain in our relations -with other people.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>51</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> - -<small>THE GIFTS OF WAKEFULNESS</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">“B<span class="smcap">ut,</span>” you say, “I am not full of uncharitableness -towards my fellows and I -am willing they should live their own lives; I -am greatly worried about my own affairs and -all my cares come trooping back to me as soon -as I lie down. I cannot sleep for worry.” -Yes; but is not that only another form of -selfishness? A subtle form, but none the less -disturbing. Moreover, it is shortsighted, as is -all selfishness, for it is a boomerang. If the -worry is about business, we shall need a clear -brain and a steady nerve to face the condition -that is causing the uneasiness; and worry at -night will not give us these. On the contrary, -it will destroy what remnant of poise we may -have.</p> - -<p>The solution of trouble is not found in worry. -Just recall how often you have said yourself, -or heard somebody say, “After all my worrying -it came out all right; it is strange that I -never once thought of that way.” Worry prevents -clear thinking, or, indeed, thinking of any -sort. We go around and around in a circle un<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>52</span>til -we grow giddy and faint with apprehension, -while all the time we might have peace if we -but looked at life aright, to see that, in the -words of the old Book, “it is all very good.” -When a mechanic is putting a machine together -and finds that the parts do not fit, that -they do not “go right” or harmonize, he will -reach one of two conclusions. Either the maker -did not know his business, and so did not make -the parts to fit, or else he, himself, is putting -them together in the wrong way. If he wants -to put that machine together so that it will -work well, he will look into the matter carefully, -examining each part, all the time keeping -in his mind a conception of the complete machine. -He will probably find that he has been -trying to fit two unrelated parts together, or has -reversed their position, misunderstood or only -partially understood their uses, or has done -something through carelessness that may easily -be corrected. Of course, if he is a stupid or -foolish workman, and not a skilled mechanic, he -may persist in his wrong course and fail to -get the machine into working order. But that -is not the fault of the maker, nor does it prove -that the machine would not do perfect work -if it were rightly understood and intelligently -controlled. So it is with the Cosmos, the orderly -world, which will go right for us if we -do our part right.</p> - -<p>The first step towards knowing how to get<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>53</span> -anything is to have a clear idea of what it is -that we want; for development is not thrust -upon us, nor dropped upon us by our parents. -It is desire that creates function; the creature -that wants to swim is the creature that learns -to swim; the bird that does not want to fly will -lose the power; before we can rise higher, we -must look higher.</p> - -<p>“When the ideal once alights in our streets,” says Edward Carpenter, “we may go home to -supper in peace, the rest will be seen to.” -But, if we enjoy worry as the countryman’s -wife “enjoys poor health,” we shall continue -to have it, for we always get what we most -want, if we set about it in the right way. And -if we do not want worry, we need not worry. -If the trouble is unavoidable or unchangeable, -it were wise to use our powers to adjust ourselves -to the inevitable. If it be a curable -trouble, the only thing is to discover or devise -a cure. As soon as we start to work we cease -to worry, because worry and effective activity -cannot exist at the same time. Man, at least, is -such a creature that any real action looking towards -a definite end brings him pleasure; and, -though the action may have been stimulated by -pain, yet the pleasure he finds in the action -mitigates, if it does not destroy, the pain.</p> - -<p>If the original cause for the worry lies in our -own ignorance, selfishness, or thoughtlessness, -the anxiety may teach us to repair the ill so that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>54</span> -we may not have to get the same lesson again. -But worrying will teach us less than a cheerful -acceptance of the facts—or than that courage -which says,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And still the menace of the years</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Finds and shall find me unafraid”—</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="pnind">and one of the best aids to cheerfulness is -sound, refreshing sleep. If we should put off -all worrying until the morning, there would be -very little worrying done by the normal, healthy -person, for, after a good night’s sleep and in -the clear light of day, things look much better -than they did in the darkness and solitude of -the night, with mind and body worn from the -activities of the day.</p> - -<p>If we feel that our affairs are too important -to be left to the care of the Providence that -keepeth Israel, and slumbers not nor sleeps, -then at least we may wait until morning to give -our attention to them. It is unfair to bring -exhausted faculties to bear upon matters of so -great weight. If our troubles can be helped by -worrying, we should worry when we are in the -best possible trim. To do less were to underestimate -their importance and to prove that, -anyway, they are not worth losing sleep over.</p> - -<p>But there is still another way of looking at -wakefulness, when we cannot trace the cause of -it. It may be the time sent to us by the Spirit<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>55</span> -for quiet thought. The ancients believed that -God spoke in visions of the night. We may not -always be able to sleep, but we can always lie -in the arms of our Great Mother Nature. There -is a real philosophy as well as devotion in the -old prayer we teach our children, “Now I lay -me down to sleep.” A still older form of the -almost instinctive recognition of the fact that -sleeping is but intrusting ourselves to the Universal -love was, “He committed himself to -God in sleep.” -Like sleep, a wakeful night may be a growing -time. It affords the quiet, the time, the seclusion -to think over the meanings of things, -or even to seek the cause of the wakefulness itself. -For that is the first thing to do if we -find ourselves wakeful; if the cause be so obscure -that we cannot find it, then the best thing -to do is to accept the fact.</p> - -<p>Either we do not need the sleep we are seeking,—the -reclining position being all the <i class="em">rest</i> -the body needs,—or else we do need the wakefulness -to teach us something that we can learn -or will learn in no other way. It is a time -when, free from the watchful eyes of those who -love us, or those who do not love us, we need -not fear to look at ourselves, our motives, our -relations to our fellows.</p> - -<p>It may be only at such a time that we can feel -the closeness of the tie that binds all mankind, -only in such a time that a life-giving sense of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>56</span> -oneness can renew life and joy. Some persons -are so acutely conscious of the surge around -them during the day that it is difficult, if not -impossible, for them to get any large view of -it. They are so beset and bewildered by each -little detail of life that they cannot see any relation -among things as a whole, cannot “see the -wood for the trees.” -Or, it may be that a lack of poise, a false estimate -of the relations of things, makes them find -“their own affairs” so interesting or exhausting -that the observing mind gets no large or -deep impressions to be added to the sum of the -knowledge the inner self possesses.</p> - -<p>For either of these classes the wakeful night -may prove more restful and helpful than hours -of sleep. It may be made to bring a breadth -of view that will lift one out of the narrow -limits in which daily life is passed. It may -do as much as this for any of us, and, if we -reject the receptive mood, and insist upon objecting -to the wakefulness, we may thereby deprive -ourselves of some of the most illuminating -experiences.</p> - -<p>Someone has said: “Sleep, like drink, may -drown our sorrows, yet it also drowns our joys. -What could we not accomplish if we did not -require sleep?” -It may be comforting to think of this when -we are lying awake, that at least we are wasting -no time. The gift of wakefulness is often as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>57</span> -desirable as is the gift of sleep, and, if we welcome -the one as what must be—with as much -cheerfulness as the other—each will bring us -equal blessings. It often happens that what we -regard as evil is but Life’s left hand outstretched -with a gift whose use we did not recognize -when presented by her right hand.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>58</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> - -<small>THE PURPOSE OF SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">Sleep is a life giver as well as a life saver.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Willard Moyer.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">But</span> none of these things lessens the benefits -of real sleep, nor are they intended to show -that sleep is unnecessary, for although it may -be true, as Dr. Charles Brodie Patterson says -in “The New Heaven and the New Earth,” that man will some day get along without sleep, -no one is yet able to do that.</p> - -<p>Although our troubles make us lose sleep, we -could lose all or nearly all our troubles if we -got natural sleep. Forgetfulness of daily frets, -of the wear and tear of contact with the sharp -edges of our own temper and the temper of -others—these are the things that sleep blots -out. “Go to sleep,” says Mother Nature, -“and forget your troubles.” And to blot them -out even for a time means surcease of sorrow -and worry for that time at least, and a new way -of looking at them when we have awakened. -That is what sleep is for. It is the use of it.</p> - -<p>Pat took Mike to church for the first time, -and, when the ceremony was over, he said,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>59</span> -“Well, Mike, what do you think uv it?” -“Think uv it, Pat? The candles, the bowings, -the incinse, and the garmints,—it do bate -the divil.”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” replied Pat, “thot’s the intintion.” -And so it is the intention of sleep to “beat -the devil” of unrest and dissatisfaction. Nothing -makes us feel better than a good night’s -sleep. It soothes the aching muscles, quiets the -jangling nerves, brushes away the cobwebs of -the mind, and leaves us rested and refreshed, -strong to meet the events of the new day.</p> - -<p>It is after a bad night that we rise oppressed -with fear for what the day may bring -us; overwhelmed in advance with shadowings -of evil. This, in itself, makes us unequal to -the demands of the day. If any seeming strain -is put upon us that day, we are apt to make errors -in meeting it; if we find anyone has failed -to do just what seemed to us best, we upbraid -him roundly and unlovingly, making him and -ourselves unhappy.</p> - -<p>At the close of such a spoiled day, when we -review its happenings, we say: “I knew this -morning that this would be an unlucky day. I -felt it as soon as I got up.” But we may not -realize that that very attitude of fear and apprehension -may have caused all that we call -ill-luck. Remember this, then, lest the one bad -day should spoil another night.</p> - -<p>Often after a night of sound, wholesome, re<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>60</span>freshing -sleep we are surprised to find that -what looked like a mountain at midnight is -now scarcely a hillock. We find that we can -see around it on all sides, and the prospect of -surmounting that difficulty fills us with peculiar -delight. We are no longer apprehensive of -anything. The things we see in our work in -the world are no more terrible than what we -see in that unknown world which we enter -nightly through the gate of sleep. We long -to pass that gate, yet we know nothing of where -we go, how far we travel, or by what means -we come back.</p> - -<p>If we can trust Life for what the night -brings, we can trust it further and gladly accept -what the day brings. We feel this, even if -we are not conscious of it, and after a good -sleep (this is what sleep is for), we accept -it much as the child accepts his mother’s care.</p> - -<p>A little boy was riding in a trolley car with -his parents and persisted in standing up, to the -terror of his mother, who begged him to sit -down lest he get hurt.</p> - -<p>Turning to his father he whispered, as he -reluctantly took his seat, “What a ’fraid-cat -mother is.” -“Oh, well!” replied his father, “she is -nervous, but you know she has to take care of -her little boy.” -“Yes,” said the child, “that’s what she is -for.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>61</span> -So that is what sleep is for—to take care of -us, but we cannot compel sleep; and the advantage -of recognizing the possible gifts of -wakefulness is that we thus get around to the -frame of mind where we drop into natural -sleep. Impatience not only delays the coming -of sleep, but it robs us of any benefit we might -receive from lying peacefully in the dark.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>62</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br /> - -<small>THE SLEEP OF THE INVALID</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep, O gentle Sleep,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Nature’s soft nurse—</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> should not think that, because we are -ill, it is natural that we should not sleep. -The invalid needs more and better sleep than -the robust person—and the invalid can have it.</p> - -<p>It is true that, as more and better sleep -comes, the invalid will cease to be an invalid—at -least that is the beginning of the end of invalidism. -For Nature provides sleep as the -“balm of hurt minds”—a cure for body or -mind that needs restoring.</p> - -<p>In the case of severe illness the physician in -charge feels relieved when he learns that his -patient is sleeping well. The professional idea -of sleep is that nutrition goes on most perfectly -during sleeping hours; that is, that Nature -repairs all the waste that results from the -use of brain and muscle during our waking -hours. The more prolonged and undisturbed -the sleep is, the more opportunity Nature has -to make good the extra demands made upon the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>63</span> -system by disease. It opens the way for the -“Vis Medicatrix Naturæ”—the healing power -of Life.</p> - -<p>Take, for example, the fever patient. Anyone -who has watched beside a loved one slowly -consuming, with the fever raging in his -blood, will remember the sigh of relief that -has gone up from physician and nurse when -the patient falls into a natural sleep after the -turn of things. During dreadful nights and -anxious days we wait breathlessly for the -“crisis”; we hang upon the physician’s word, -scan his face for every fleeting expression, because -we may be deceived by the disease, but -his practiced eye should know. But we do not -need his assurance when the moaning and restlessness -pass, when the stertorous breathing -quiets, when the skin becomes moist, and the -gentle, regular breathing tells us that natural -sleep has come. If we can be spared, we go -out under the stars and, whether Christian or -pagan, up from the depths of our souls wells -a prayer of thankfulness to “whatever gods -there be” for the incomparable blessing of -sleep. We feel as if we could “go softly all -our days” before the powers who have decreed -that sleep shall gently steep the eyelids of the -one we love.</p> - -<p>Nourishment, in the form of food, is desirable, -but more important still is the sleep when -Nature busies herself building new tissue and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>64</span> -blood to make good the ravages of fever’s -siege. We are careful to keep even good news -from the patient, if we have cause to fear that -it will prove too stimulating, and everything -depressing or alarming is absolutely withheld, -because sleep is the paramount need of the depleted -body.</p> - -<p>We all recognize the value of sleep to the -person just past the crisis of a severe illness, -and the next thing to learn is that to the person -invalided through some less active cause, -it is as necessary, and that it may be had.</p> - -<p>It may seem an extravagant statement to -say that the invalid should be able to summon -sleep at will even better than an active, healthy -person. But we may see the truth of this -statement if we accept Dr. Edward Binns’ assurance -that “in no sense can fatigue be said -to be the cause of sleep,” so that the usual -claim that the sick do not get an opportunity -to weary themselves, and so cannot expect -sound sleep, cannot be accounted a reason for -sleeplessness of the invalid.</p> - -<p>To be sure, lying abed is not always restful. -A friend of mine was kept in bed for some -weeks by a broken ankle. It was necessary to -remain in the one position day and night, which -so wore upon her nervous organization that -she grew restless and “lost” much sleep. In -this condition, she said the hardest thing to -bear was the well-meant congratulations of her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>65</span> -friends that at least she was “getting a much-needed -rest.” -But the real reason why an invalid should -learn to sleep at will is because sleep alone can -do what Macbeth asks of the physician:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Raze out the written troubles of the brain,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And with some sweet oblivious antidote</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Cleanse the stuff’d bosom of that perilous stuff</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Which weighs upon the heart?”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Yes, sleep can do this; and illness has need -of just such comfort. The enforced idleness -leads to much reflection and the nervous system -is then ill-adapted to endure emotional strain. -If pain be added there is still greater need for -sleep. Nor is pain absolutely hostile to sleep: -the writer can often go to sleep while the dentist -is drilling and filling his teeth, and Dr. J. -Howard Reed says that this is not very uncommon.</p> - -<p>Pain is Nature’s strong protest against overstimulation -or overexertion and the exhaustion -which it occasions is itself conducive to sleep. -It would be better for us to heed that protest -and use our intelligence to secure sound, refreshing -sleep, that Nature might perfect her -cures.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>66</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br /> - -<small>THE SLEEPLESSNESS OF PAIN</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">He kisses brows that ache from earthly care;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He soothes to peace the indignant souls of slaves.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Edgar Fawcett.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Sometimes</span> we are kept awake by pain. -Some persons suffer pain that has no remission, -except the temporary deadness that -comes from nervous exhaustion—and sleep.</p> - -<p>But sometimes the hardest torture is the -thought that the pain is unnecessary or useless. -I went once to visit a friend, whom I found suffering -from the worst abscesses on the back of -the neck that I ever saw, so frightful that the -sight of them made me, who am a strong man, -feel faint. I asked sympathetically what was -the matter. “Oh,” he said, “I’m getting some -experience.” That consciousness that such pain -was useful helped to make the agony less unendurable. -In fact, though he did not see it all -then, he was getting just what he and those -about him needed. He was a vigorous man, -who took to rural work in a place where the -food was excellent; he was naturally gluttonous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>67</span> -and overate, hence the boils. This he learned; -and also how to bear pain.</p> - -<p>There are ways of bearing pain more easily. -We must consider the pain philosophically, and -treat it from all three sides—the bodily, the intellectual, -and the spiritual.</p> - -<p>However advanced we may be, it is foolish to -deny that, in common with the rest of mankind, -we are more or less in what Paul called the -bonds of the flesh. To try to treat an aching -tooth without physical means is like trying to -grow a new leg instead of getting an artificial -one. There was a stage in man’s Pre-Adamite -progress from the amœba when, like the crab, -he could grow new legs. Possibly, by discarding -all other faculties, men might again be able -to grow new legs: but it would not pay.</p> - -<p>A man who makes hammers may at one time -have made his own files, had a shop for that. -But, as trades became specialized, he found it -better and cheaper to buy his files. Perhaps -the supply is suddenly cut off. Now he could -reassemble from the scrap-heap the file machinery -and make files again, but it would be -at the cost of putting so much time and energy -into that branch as to paralyze the hammer -factory.</p> - -<p>So, Nature found that men rarely lost their -legs and that it was more economical to divert -the organization and the energy that reproduced -legs into the brain, which enables men<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>68</span> -to supply themselves and their fellows, when -occasion arises, with artificial legs. Accordingly -we have lost much of the power of automatic -self-healing and have gained much power -of deliberate self-healing.</p> - -<p>While distrusting crutches and drugs, therefore, -because we see the immediate effect of -them, but cannot know the remote effects of -them, we cannot refuse a hot-water bottle or an -anæsthetic when the pain, the symptom of the -disorder, becomes dangerous in itself. The -fever of typhoid represents a battle within which -must be fought out to a conclusion—successful -or not. But, when the patient is in danger of -dying from the high temperature, it is no inconsistency -for a mental or spiritual healer to cool -the room or sponge the patient with alcohol.</p> - -<p>Before we resort to the dentist for the aching -tooth, we may reduce the inflammation by abstaining -from food and starving the blood corpuscles, -which hasten to the diseased part, until, -perhaps, they feed upon the weaker and obnoxious -tissues. This abstinence will go far toward -removing the restlessness that is so torturing -an accompaniment of the pain. These are the -physical remedies.</p> - -<p>The mental ones consist mainly in trying to -isolate the aching member, to realize that it is -the tooth, not you, that aches, and to watch it -as if it were a separate person. A little boy -was asked how he felt after a feast of green<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>69</span> -apples. “I have a pain in the middle of my -stomach,” he said, “but the rest of me feels -fine.” A further mental remedy is to send to -that separated part, the nerve, the assurance -that you have already its message, which is that -there is inflammation in the tooth and that you -will attend to it as speedily as possible. The -nerve gets tired, as it were, of repeating a message -that gets no attention just as it gets tired -of reporting the ticking of a clock so that we -become unconscious of it; although, if we suspected -that it was the knocking of a burglar’s -tool, we should be kept awake by it night after -night.</p> - -<p>And we must not complain. The Japanese -think it rude to complain. If you are miserable, -why make others miserable, too? Better -not even let it be known, if you can help it -without creating unpleasantness, that you suffer. -To solicit sympathy is weakening and the -constant inquiry, “How are you now?” concentrates -your attention on yourself and on -your feelings. If we complained to everyone -of the ticking clock, we would never forget it; it -would become less and less endurable.</p> - -<p>The spiritual treatment is harder to make -clear. It is the unwillingness to have pain that -makes it hard to bear. To illustrate again -from the dentist, because that experience is -still common to nearly everyone: We go to -the operating chair, not gladly, but willingly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>70</span> -believing that it is wise and necessary and we -bear the pain without complaining, knowing -that it is the common lot of man. But suppose -you were seized, strapped into the chair, and -then your teeth were drilled and sawed to no -good purpose, how much more frightful would -be the pain. That would be because you believed -it to be unnecessary and useless. It -would be quite different if you trusted the -operator. We must realize, then, that, if there -is a controlling and benevolent Power in the -Universe, which we all, rightly or wrongly, believe -in our hearts, we never can have any pain -that is useless or needless to ourselves, or to -others, our other selves.</p> - -<p>We may not see it at the time, but, if we -look for it, we usually shall see it. While writing -this the author was attacked with a violent -toothache: he had exercised ordinary prudence -in attending to his teeth, so that it did not -seem as if the pain were needed to teach care. -But when the toothache came he remembered -that, seldom having pain himself, that subject -had been overlooked among the many chapters -of the book. That was a reason; but, notwithstanding -the efforts of an excellent dentist, the -torture continued. Why?</p> - -<p>Why, that he might try these things; and he -did practice them so as to lose no sleep. In -addition he concluded that it was needful just -then that he should feel just such pain in order<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>71</span> -to revive his sympathy and patience with those -whose harassed nerves account for so much of -their unreasonableness.</p> - -<p>With that sense, that one is in a manner suffering -for men, comes something of the exaltation -of the martyr, even with prosaic toothache. -With that certainly disappears all impatience -with the pain.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he will be accounted superstitious in -adding that, when these lessons were learned, -the dentist found the trouble and the pain -melted away. But he has had exactly similar -experiences before: a new lesson or a renewal -of it was needed. When the pain was no -longer necessary it ceased. Why should it -continue?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>72</span></p> - - -<h3>SWEET AND LOW</h3> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sweet and low, sweet and low,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Wind of the western sea;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Low, low, breathe and blow,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Wind of the western sea!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Over the rolling waters go,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Come from the dying moon, and blow,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Blow him again to me;</div> - <div class="verse indent4">While my little one,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">While my pretty one,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Sleeps.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep and rest, sleep and rest;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Father will come to thee soon.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rest, rest on Mother’s breast;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Father will come to thee soon.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Father will come to his babe in the nest,—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Silver sails all out of the west</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Under the silver moon!</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Sleep, my little one;</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Sleep my pretty one,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Tennyson.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>73</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br /> - -<small>OPIATES</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">One</span> of the most common signs of something -at fault either with the body or the mind is -headache. Now headache, like wakefulness or -nervousness, so often associated with headache, -is an effect of some error, not a cause of it, and -the wise sufferer will seek the cause even before -he treats the effect.</p> - -<p>We call ourselves the most enlightened nation -of the earth to-day, and it is true that a -little knowledge has been more generally diffused -among our people than among other -peoples of the world. But we should not forget -that “a little knowledge is a dangerous -thing” largely because a little knowledge frequently -proves to be no real knowledge at all. -For example, the “little knowledge” generally -possessed in regard to opiates.</p> - -<p>Coal-tar was once a waste product, but toward -the end of the last century a German -chemist discovered that from it could be derived -a drug, acetanilid, which would greatly -lower temperature in fever. This discovery was -hailed as a boon to humanity, and many other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>74</span> -by-products of coal-tar were soon placed on the -market, and regarded as of equal value with -acetanilid. Physicians used them for a time -without questioning, and the people took to -them gladly. Wherever there was a persistent -headache, some one of the coal-tar products was -used, and “headache powders” multiplied.</p> - -<p>But a little further knowledge led physicians -to question the expediency of using acetanilid, -phenacetin, antipyrin, or any of the coal-tar -preparations in other than exceptional cases. -Heart-failure and other dangerous results so -frequently followed their use that the wisdom of -using them at all became doubtful. As our -knowledge increases, we are likely to find -both the wisdom and necessity entirely disappearing.</p> - -<p>In the meantime, those who have heard that -temporary relief from pain may be had by -using these drugs will go on using them, often -in patent medicines, ignorant of what these nostrums -contain, and the number of deaths resulting -from their use continues to increase. The -only way to protect such people from the result -of their little knowledge, which is really -ignorance, is by making it illegal to sell these -drugs, except by prescription from a physician, -who, in turn, should be held responsible for results.</p> - -<p>This is, of course, an interference with the -individual’s right to do as seemeth best to him,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>75</span> -and to get his experience in his own way. Herbert -Spencer says, “The ultimate result of -shielding men from the effects of folly is to -fill the world with fools.” But it is the same -sort of interference that makes us hold a man -by main force from throwing himself on the -track before an approaching train, and not the -sort that would forcibly put an overcoat on -him when he did not care to wear it. One may -be no more justifiable than the other, but it -seems more excusable.</p> - -<p>All sleeping doses are to be viewed with distrust; -most of them contain opium or morphine, -some still more deadly drugs: Nature -“sets up a tolerance” for them so that, to -obtain the effect, the dose must be increased, -until, if the sufferer does not retreat in time, an -almost incurable drug habit is formed, often -more terrible than the liquor habit, which it -sometimes supplants. Nor do they bring true -sleep.</p> - -<p>R. Clarke Newton, in his treatise on “Opium -and Alcohol,” says “Sleeplessness means not -merely unrest, but starvation of the cerebrum. -The only cause for regret in these cases is that -the blunder should ever be committed of supposing -that a stupefying drug which throws the -brain into a condition that mimics and burlesques -sleep can do good. It is deceptive to -give narcotics in a case of this type. The -stupor simply masks the danger. Better far<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>76</span> -let the sleepless patient exhaust himself than -stupefy him. Chloral, bromides, and the rest of -the poisons that produce a semblance of sleep -are so many snares in such cases. Sleeplessness -is a malady of the most formidable character, -but it is not to be treated by intoxicating -the organ upon which the stress of the trouble -falls.” -The late Dr. Alonzo Clark, who for years -stood at the head of his profession as a consulting -physician in New York City, is quoted as -saying, “All curative agents, so called, are -poisons, and, as a consequence, every dose diminishes -the patient’s vitality.” I doubt -whether this view of drugs would be seriously -contested by any of his professional brethren -of good standing.</p> - -<p>The venerable Professor Joseph M. Smith, -M.D., said: “All medicines which enter the -circulation poison the blood in the same manner -as do the poisons that produce the disease. -Drugs do not cure disease.” -John Bigelow, in the “Mystery of Sleep” (p. 190), adds: “With drug-poisons should be -classed nearly, if not quite, all fermented drinks—the -most costly part of some people’s diet -who indulge in them at all—coffee, tea, tobacco, -spices, and most of the constantly multiplying -tonics and condiments of the table. All of them -have a tendency, directly or indirectly, to discourage -or impair sleep, and, as such, are<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>77</span> -‘hostes humani generis’ (enemies of the human -race). Their interference with sleep, -though perhaps the most serious, is very far -from being their only pathogenetic influence.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Bigelow then cites from Jahr’s “Manual -of Medicine” the fearful disturbances of sleep -caused by fifteen drugs, all taken as samples -from the list in their order under the single -letter “A.” -Contrary to the general belief, sleeplessness -is more often a consequence of insanity than a -cause of it. (See Appendix A.)</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>78</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br /> - -<small>DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Southey, in “The Doctor,” thus summarizes some of the -chief devices to attain sleep by monotony: “I listened to the -river and to the ticking of my watch; I thought of all sleepy -sounds and of all soporific things—the flow of water, the -humming of bees, the motion of a boat, the waving of a field -of corn, the nodding of a mandarin’s head on the chimney-piece, -a horse in a mill, the opera, Mr. Humdrum’s conversations, -Mr. Proser’s poems, Mr. Laxative’s speeches, Mr. -Lengthy’s sermons. I tried the device of my own childhood, -and fancied that the bed rushed with me round and round. At -length Morpheus reminded me of Dr. Torpedo’s Divinity Lectures, -where the voice, the manner, the matter, even the very -atmosphere and the streaming candle-light, were all alike -soporific; when he who, by strong effort, lifted up his head and -forced open the reluctant eyes, never failed to see all around -him asleep. Lettuces, cowslip wine, poppy syrup, mandragora, -hop pillows, spider’s web pills, and the whole tribe of narcotics -would have failed—but this was irresistible; and thus twenty -years after date, I found benefit from having attended the -course.”</p></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Frequent</span> impressions on the mind, or -calls on the attention, tend to make us -sleepy; thus looking at pictures, the attempt -to study, driving in a carriage. In extreme -cases this is very marked. A boy named Caspar -Hauser was shut up alone in a gloomy little -room until he was about eighteen years old;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>79</span> -then he was brought to Nürnberg and abandoned -in the street; this was in 1828. He was -to all intents a baby and could not walk, nor -speak, nor see clearly, as he had never known -any of the common objects of life—men or animals -or plants, or the moon or sun or even the -sky.</p> - -<p>He would go to sleep instantly on being taken -outside the house, because the number of new -sensations instantly tired his consciousness.</p> - -<p>For the same reason that the consciousness -is quickly exhausted, many old or delicate persons -readily fall asleep. Marie de Manacéïne -says that Moivre, the French mathematician, -used to sleep twenty hours a day during his old -age, leaving only four for science and the other -occupations of life.</p> - -<p>Monotony naturally fatigues consciousness -and is often successfully used to produce sleep; -the regular dropping of water, the sound of -a brook will put those to sleep whom it does -not make nervous. Lullabies and slumber songs -and dull lectures all come under the same -head of devices to tire the consciousness.</p> - -<p>Narcotic drugs do not weary consciousness; -they simply destroy it. They stupefy us instead -of inducing sleep. Those who would wisely -learn about this by experiments upon others -rather than upon themselves, will find it all in -the article by Ringer and Sainsbury on “Sedatives” in Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>80</span> -Medicine.” It is enough for us to be assured -that narcotic sleep is less like real sleep than -the hibernation of the animal is like repose. -(But see “Remedies” in Appendix A.)</p> - -<p>Henry Ward Beecher used to get up when he -was sleepless and take a cold bath, a good device -for a full-blooded, vigorous person: but a weak -person would not “react” and get warm again. -For such an one it would be better to sponge off -and restore the circulation by rubbing. Some -physicians have prescribed, with good success, -blood-warm baths, beginning at a temperature -of about 98 and heated up to 110 or 115 Fahrenheit. -When the moisture has been absorbed by -wrapping one’s self in a blanket, throw it off -and get quickly into a warm bed. Mark Twain -used to get to sleep by lying down on the bathroom -floor after the bath.</p> - -<p>Some, when other means fail, find it effective -to place a cold-water bag at the back of the -neck, or to rub the feet with a rough towel: with -others, a hot-water bottle at the back of the -neck works better. A warm footbath helps -some persons. At the sanitariums they sponge -with warm water, rub with wet salt, gently -sponge it off, and dry the body—all of which -helps the blood to the surface. It is always -well to see that the bowels are emptied. Only -trial and judgment will show whether any of -these will effect a cure: they all aim at the same -mark, to abstract the blood from the brain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>81</span></p> - -<p>That drinking milk produces sleep in some -persons may probably be due to the lactic acid -in the milk, which is a soporific like morphine. -Perhaps its use is to help young animals to the -long sleeps they need.</p> - -<p>Willard Moyer, in an entertaining essay, -tells us that it is often advisable for the stomach -to have sufficient work for the blood to do -so as to call it from the brain. This does not -mean that a meal that will overload the stomach -is a cure for insomnia, but that something -light, such as a cup of warm milk and a cracker, -may often “send one comfortably to sleep like -a drowsy kitten or a well-fed baby.” -A. Fleming, following Durham, the author of -the “Psychology of Sleep,” showed that to -deprive the brain of blood by pressing the -carotid arteries for thirty seconds brought immediate -and deep sleep, but it only continued -while all pulsation of these arteries is stopped.<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>It has been found by cruel experiments on -young puppies that sleep is more necessary to -them than food, as they die after being kept -awake four or five days, but may live ten or -fifteen days without food. They easily go to -sleep when their heads are level with their -bodies, and they will not go to sleep with their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>82</span> -heads lower than their bodies: of course, the -raised head drains some blood out of the brain.</p> - -<p>This is the reason that heat or extreme cold, -both of which bring the blood to the surface -and drain it away from the brain, will often -produce sleep. That is why the cowboy likes -to sleep with his feet to the fire. On the other -hand, the demand on the heart of cold hands -or feet for more blood to keep them warm -may make the heart pump so strongly that it -sends more blood to the brain and keeps one -awake. So also joy, anger, or anxiety cause -a flow of blood to the brain and hinder sleep.</p> - -<p>Becker and Schuller have treated insomnia -by wrapping the entire body in wet sheets and -also by applying cold compresses to the head. -This last device is used by students, with doubtful -success, “to keep the brain cool”; it is -sometimes affected because it looks like working -hard. Sometimes an ice cap, a double rubber -cap filled with cold water, will bring sleep.</p> - -<p>The Russian nobles used to make servants -scratch their heels for a long time; our ladies -have their hair brushed; and A. H. Savage-Landor -says that Corean mothers put their -babies to sleep by scratching them gently on -the stomach. I have tried this rubbing, rather -than scratching, with great success. Spanish -women rub the children’s upper spine to put -them to sleep. Light exercise before lying -down is often a good expedient.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>83</span></p> - -<p>Sometimes a pillow of heated hops or of balsam -pine needles will induce sleep. To change -the hour of going to bed occasionally, yielding -to apparently untimely drowsiness, often helps, -as it accustoms us to gain sleep at irregular -times.</p> - -<p>To “relax,” to let the muscles become perfectly -loose, is an art, though it should be -natural to one going to sleep. Mrs. Richard -Hovey recommends shaking the fingers, letting -them hang loose like a bunch of strings of -beads, and extending the movement to the -wrist, arms, feet, and legs. This is the best -form of calisthenic exercise for sleeplessness. -It aids us in getting limp so as to lie at ease.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>84</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br /> - -<small>MORE DEVICES FOR GOING TO SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Oh Sleep! it is a gentle thing,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Beloved from pole to pole.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Coleridge.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">If</span> life be a succession of ideas, says Dr. -Binns, then sleep is the interval; “consequently, -we may say that sleep is the art of -escaping reflection.” If one could follow the -Chinese advice, divest the mind of all unpleasant -images, “the secret of sleep at will,” Dr. -Binns thinks, “would be in the possession of -all men.” -This accords in its essence with the very -modern theory of Dr. Henry Hubbard Foster -of Cornell University, that sleep results from -the absence of stimulations. It is conceivable -that things that stimulate, or rouse us, may -come from inside as well as from outside. A -sudden thought, a new, delightful, or horrible -mental picture will arouse us and send sleep -flying as effectually as a sudden noise or an -exciting commotion from without.</p> - -<p>We might amend the Chinese advice thus: -put out of the mind all images, pleasant or un<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>85</span>pleasant, -or, as Dr. Gardner puts it, “bring -the mind to a single sensation.” It has long -been known that monotony will induce sleep. -Not merely the monotony of silence, but sometimes -even the monotony of great noise, such as -the ceaseless firing of heavy guns which have -lulled the wearied soldiers into rest. There is -a sleepy sound in “The distant boom of a random -gun which the foe was sullenly firing.” It -is the sudden, irregular noise which disturbs. -If anyone listens for several hours to soft, -flowing music, he will have great difficulty in -keeping awake, no matter how great a lover -of music he may be, particularly if he has to -sit in the same position all the time. Let a -musical number with strongly marked staccato -movement be introduced, let the drum throb -loud at intervals, the horns blare, then the -sleeper will awake and find renewed enjoyment, -not because he loves noise, but because the monotony -has been broken. The mind has responded -to the new stimulus.</p> - -<p>Professor Boris Sidis, of the Harvard Physiological -Laboratory, says that “the fundamental -conditions of sleep are monotony and -limitation of voluntary movements. Sleep,” adds Sidis, is not so much due to cutting off -impressions through the senses, be they intense -or faint, as to the monotony of the “impressions -that reduced the organism to the passive -state which we experience in sleep.” In other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>86</span> -words, monotony has such a benumbing, deadening -effect upon the mind that sleep naturally -ensues.</p> - -<p>Although Binns did not know Foster’s and -Sidis’ modern views, yet accepting Gardner’s -theory of “bringing the mind to a single sensation,” he worked out a plan for inducing -sleep which he said nearly always succeeded. -During his long practice he had known of only -two instances where it failed when faithfully -and intelligently tried.</p> - -<p>The method is simple, yet it includes putting -out of the mind all images pleasant or unpleasant, -and restricting voluntary movements. It -is this: “Turn on the right side, place the head -comfortably on the pillow, let the head fall naturally, -using the pillow only to support the -neck, slightly close the lips,—though this is -not absolutely essential,—take full inspiration -through the nostrils, drawing in as much air -as possible, then leave the lungs to their own -action, neither hastening nor checking exhalation. -Think of the breath as passing from the -nostrils in one continuous stream, and, the very -instant the person so conceives, consciousness -and memory depart, the muscles relax, the -breath comes regularly, he no longer wakes but -sleeps. It is all the effort of but a moment.”</p> - -<p>Another method in common use is counting -up to a hundred on an imaginary string of -beads. Often one will have lost consciousness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>87</span> -before the hundredth bead is reached, but -sometimes they have to be counted over and -over, and sometimes the plan fails altogether. -The immediate reason for this is undoubtedly -that we have not brought the mind to a single -sensation, nor succeeded in cutting off the impressions -that come through the senses.</p> - -<p>Everybody has at some time used some such -device for inducing sleep to visit him. The -practice of imagining sheep jumping over a -gate and counting them as they go is but another -way of bringing the mind to a single sensation, -of deliberately securing monotony and -shutting out all stimuli, as scientific men call -the various causes that arouse sensation in us. -Such simple devices are never harmful, and are -so frequently followed by sleep that they continue -from generation to generation.</p> - -<p>If the impressions received through the channels -of sense cannot or will not be shut off, -it is useless to continue counting beads or -sheep, or seeing a stream of breath. It becomes -necessary to discover what it is that is back of -the stimulation—what impression is so vivid -and so insistent that it will not down. As Frederick -Palmer says in his delightful book, “The -Vagabond,” we should “take a good look at a -thing before we run away from it.”</p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>88</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII<br /> - -<small>STILL FURTHER DEVICES</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Ecclesiastes.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap">“T<span class="smcap">he</span> Witchery of Sleep” records for us -some interesting mechanical devices for -inducing sleep, more common in Europe than -in this country. Their inventors hope to perfect -them so that they may take the place of -drugs and “sleeping potions.” This is an end -devoutly to be wished by all who know the -steady increase of the “drug habit.” -Among these sleep-inducing instruments the -newest is the “vibrating coronet.” This coronet -has three metal bands which encircle the -head and two strips extending to the eyelids. -By means of a spring these strips vibrate the -eyelid gently and induce drowsiness. All the -mechanical devices are constructed on the plan -of inducing eye-weariness, whether by vibration -or by fixity. Either effect is in accordance with -the modern theories of sleep. Sleep may be induced -by monotony also of sounds; by concentration -either of the attention or the hearing on -one point, or by more numerous impressions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>89</span> -than the eye can comfortably receive; thus, -when riding in a train, the succession of views -will often induce sleepiness.</p> - -<p>The “Alouette,” a collection of little mirrors -attached to the ebony panels of a box, is so -placed that a ray of light falls on the mirrors in -such a way as to fatigue the eye of the beholder. -Both this and the “Fascinator,” a -highly polished nickel ball attached to a flexible -wire depending from a metal band similar to -the “Coronet,” work on the plan of concentrating -the vision. In a similar way a light-house -or a miniature flashlight, with its appearing -and disappearing light, induces drowsiness, -possibly hypnotic, through incessant change. -It is needless to say that these devices might be -injurious to the sight and certainly would not -work where the cause of sleeplessness is eyestrain. -That is a case for the oculist.</p> - -<p>But when it is impossible to obtain mechanical -devices, there are many simple schemes -of inducing sleep. Any light work, mental or -physical, is helpful. To start writing letters, -particularly if one is not fond of letter-writing, -will sometimes induce sleepiness very quickly. -Sorting and arranging old papers will have the -same effect, unless one is of a nature to find -such an occupation exciting.</p> - -<p>Of course, a drawback in any of these light -occupations is that by the time one has undressed -drowsiness may have fled. That possi<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>90</span>bility -makes it desirable that all preparations -for bed shall first be made and a warm robe -with comfortable bedroom shoes shall constitute -the only extra clothing. Warmth of body, -especially of the feet, is essential to sleep. -Sometimes so simple a thing as a hot-water bottle -at the feet, or even woolen bed-socks, will -make all the difference between wakefulness -and refreshing slumber.</p> - -<p>Then there is the matter of deep breathing, -which seems especially adapted to feeble or -run-down physiques. That is a large subject -more familiar to the people of the Orient than -to us. Some Orientals are able to put themselves -into trance-like sleep by their knowledge -of deep breathing. Numerous books have been -written treating of this subject, among the -best of which are “The Science of Breath,” by -Ramacharaka, and “The Law of Rhythmical -Breath,” by Ella A. Fletcher, though the -“Rhythmical Breath” seems fanciful to -Western readers.</p> - -<p>Sleeplessness is sometimes due to lack of -physical exercise, and, when that is so, no device -is so effective as work—real physical effort. -A great many persons take calisthenic -exercises and go in for physical culture to develop -muscles and also to regulate circulation -so that sleep will come more readily. These -are good makeshifts for persons who have no -opportunity to work, but, where circumstances<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>91</span> -make actual labor possible, no substitute can -satisfactorily take its place. Gardening, shoveling -snow, sawing or chopping wood, all give a -variety of motion and a zest of exertion superior -to any gymnastics. Even a small amount -of some such labor daily will often work a complete -cure for insomnia.</p> - -<p>Everybody knows of some plan or device for -inducing sleep, and all of them are more or -less successful—sometimes. Indeed, this is -so true that it leads to the belief that, after -all, the expectation of sleep helps to bring -it, and here suggestion and auto-suggestion -come in.</p> - -<p>Of late, a number of persons have tried the -starvation cure—fasting for several days. This -is frequently successful with robust, hearty -people, who may unconsciously be eating too -much or eating too stimulating food. Many -who feel unequal to a complete fast might cut -down the amount of food as much as one-half, -with happy results. A vegetarian diet undoubtedly -helps, too, although among the lower -animals carnivora sleep more than herbivora. -The success of vegetarianism, both in insomnia -and other diseases, may well be due to the diminished -temptation to overeat and the less -concentrated diet.</p> - -<p>In any event, it is well for the sufferer from -sleeplessness to study his own case and experiment -with any or all the known devices to see<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>92</span> -whether, by this means or that, he can lure sleep -to his pillow again.</p> - -<p>And, speaking of pillows, it is well to remember -that one pillow is better than two, and -that the one should not be too high, too hard, -too soft, or too warm, and that it should be -thoroughly aired every day. It should be odorless -and cool and have the cover changed frequently. -Clean bed linen is in itself an effective -device for inducing sleep, just as perfect -ventilation adds an hundredfold to the refreshment -we get from our slumbers.</p> - -<p>The best way to learn to sleep is to practice -putting others to sleep. Thy gifts will be unto -thyself when thy benefits are to another.</p> - -<p>We never know anything thoroughly till we -try to teach it. All these plans and devices may -be suggested one by one to any sleepless person. -Select what you think most suitable and -most likely to be accepted, and let the suggestion -be that this is a good plan or something -just called to your attention that seems sensible. -If you do not succeed in one or two, it is difficult -to secure trial of more at that time.</p> - -<p>Every temperament is different and may respond -to different methods: for instance, a -ticking clock or dropping water, which make -some persons drowsy, will make others inexpressibly -nervous.</p> - -<p>The trained nurse will tell you that, when you -are trying to get the patient to sleep, whisper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>93</span>ing -must not be allowed: the sibilant sound is -irritating and the patient unconsciously strains -to catch what is said. Speak in a quiet, even, -ordinary tone. Do not fuss, putting the shade -a little higher and lower, stealing across the -room, and so on. If anything is to be done, to -walk quietly and naturally will disturb the -sleeper much less than tiptoeing about.</p> - -<p>That mysterious thing that we call “personality” has much to do with the power to -bring sleep to others. Some persons can put -almost anyone to sleep by quietly holding the -hand, but nearly everyone has some of this -power. Some persons, especially children, are -readily got to sleep by lying down beside them.</p> - -<p>Reading aloud slowly and in a uniform voice -will bring sleep to most persons. When -drowsiness comes, the voice may be lowered a -little and continued until slumber closes the -eyes. (Concerning the varieties and causes of -Insomnia, see also Appendix A.)</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>94</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX<br /> - -<small>HYPNOTIC SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">What would we give to our beloved?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The hero’s heart to be unmoved,—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The poet’s star-tuned harp to sweep;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The patriot’s voice to teach and rouse,—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The monarch’s crown to light the brows?</div> - <div class="verse indent4">“He giveth His belovèd sleep.”</div> - <div class="verse indent8"><span class="smcap">Elizabeth Barrett Browning.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> nature of hypnotic sleep has not yet -been fully determined, which is not wonderful -when we remember our ignorance of -natural sleep. We may call the active hypnotic -state a condition of excessive attention to the -main idea presented and complete oblivion to -other ideas. But this state is preceded by a -passive condition resembling sleep. The use -and value of hypnotic sleep is now occupying -the attention of scientific men and it bids fair to -be an important curative agent. Where once -the patient suffering from insomnia was treated -by drugs, he is now more successfully treated -through suggestion. The change is a most desirable -one and in line with that newer thought<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>95</span> -which recognizes the power of regeneration -within the soul of the individual. For, the main -things in the development of hypnosis and suggestion -as curative agents is the recognition -that an appeal can be made to the subconscious -mind, which, as Dr. Worcester says, “is more -sensitive to good and evil than our conscious -mind.” To appeal to our latent powers to overcome -our own weaknesses or limitations is -greater and better than to combat these weaknesses -through drugs. Many physicians who -formerly employed hypnosis have adopted a -substitute for it, the so-called hypnoidal state, -mere passivity with closed eyes. Hypnotizing -is in many cases needless and dangerous.</p> - -<p>Insomnia, like any other trouble not due to -the breakdown of a physical organ, is more a -moral than a material lapse, and can best be -cured by moral means: that is, by the aid of the -will and its associated faculties. Sleeplessness, -nervousness, excitability, and irritability have -their rise in mental and emotional states more -often than in physical states, and, under such -conditions, treatment by drugs is of little real -use. In the disease hysteria, mental trouble -may masquerade as physical defect, for instance -paralysis or even blindness, while the physical -parts concerned are in no wise impaired. The dependence -placed upon merely extraneous things -does not assist in the development of our own -inner powers. Even when drugs seem to relieve<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>96</span> -the outward symptoms, they fail to strengthen -the moral nature, so greatly in need of -strength. The man of drugs only is at a disadvantage -as compared with the suggestionist -in treating such disorders. Dr. J. D. Quackenbos -says, “The suggestionist invokes the better -subliminal self—invests it with control, and seldom -fails to effect the desired purpose.” He -further maintains, what all investigators are -now coming to admit, that, when the patient -wakes from hypnotic sleep, during which helpful, -curative suggestions have been made to -him, he is “constrained to obey the impulses -of his own superior self.” -The power of suggestion, whether during -waking or sleeping hours, is only beginning to -be recognized, although its use in one form or -another is centuries old. The thoughtless, as -well as the thoughtful, use it more or less every -hour of the day, while all of us may know -that we are occasionally the victims of auto-suggestion -when we suffer from functional -ailments.</p> - -<p>Auto-suggestion is merely the suggestion of -the self to the self, and from ill-advised suggestions -spring nearly all the little impediments -to sleep and health. Such a suggestion to ourselves -as that we need certain favorable conditions -for sleeping will keep us awake when -those conditions are not possible. We say, “I -cannot sleep with a clock ticking in the room<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>97</span> -with me,” and so we lie awake and suffer nervous -tortures if we hear a clock tick. Or we -say of something our friends do, or of some -natural habit they have, “That makes me so -nervous I almost fly out of my skin” thus we -inflict upon ourselves suffering that we need not -endure.</p> - -<p>The strong soul will call his “superior -self” to his aid to conquer this tendency. He -will suggest to himself that he is able to sleep -without regard to clocks or other disturbance; -that the peculiarities of other people have no -power to irritate, annoy, or otherwise upset his -nervous system; that even in the midst of -alarums he may have peace, if he so wills, and -can sleep under ordinary conditions without -fear or annoyance.</p> - -<p>But, to be able to do this, one must have -faith in himself, in his purpose, in his own desire -to overcome his fears, for, as Dr. Worcester -remarks, “the value of suggestion lies -in its character and in the character of the man -who makes it.” If we say these things to ourselves, -feeling all the time that it is useless, -we are not likely to impress the subconscious -mind or rouse it to activity. Self-deception is -not often beneficial in its effects. No more shall -we make headway if we merely repeat such -suggestions in parrot-fashion. You remember -the story of the old woman who heard that faith -would remove mountains: so she determined<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>98</span> -to try it on the hill in front of her bedroom -window. All night she repeated to herself -that the mountain would be removed. In the -morning she awoke to see the hill still in front -of her. “There,” she said, “I knew it would -be.” -Anyhow, the faith that removes most mountains -is the faith that gets a shovel. It is essential -that we concentrate our minds upon the -matter in hand, excluding from our thoughts -anything that might distract us and that we fix -our attention upon removing the fault. It is -for this reason that the hypnoidal state, or the -wakeful night or the moment when one is nearly -dropping to sleep is the best time either for -suggestion to a patient or for one to indulge in -helpful auto-suggestion. As objective consciousness -fades, it is easier to impress the -subliminal self-consciousness and invoke its aid.</p> - -<p>Those who do not know themselves well -enough to be able to respond to their own suggestion, -may be helped by another in whom they -have faith. If they submit themselves willingly -to suggestion, they may find themselves so -strengthened that they will shortly be able to -control themselves by auto-suggestion. Like -almost all upward tendencies, this power is a -matter of development.</p> - -<p>As we come to understand hypnotism better, -we learn that we need not fear ill results from -thus yielding ourselves for a good purpose<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>99</span> -to another,<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> for one’s subconscious self is always -on watch and will not be compelled to do -that which is contrary to one’s own nature or -habit of thought. Hypnotic sleep differs from -natural sleep in that the hypnotized person -usually preserves a degree of intelligence and -invariably a moral sense which are not conspicuous -in normal sleep and dreaming. Scientific -investigators are quite well agreed on this -point, and Dr. Worcester’s experience has convinced -him of its truth.</p> - -<p>So, if all other means of securing sleep -should fail, we may have recourse to this newest -method of curing nervous and other functional -disorders. It is merely one way of getting -into closer touch with the Infinite and -Universal and coming into line with life’s underlying -laws.</p> - -<p>The use of auto-suggestion is not limited to -inducing sleep: it may rid us of evil habits, -disturbing thoughts, and all hatred, malice, and -uncharitableness—which in their turn interfere -with sleep.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>100</span></p> - - -<h3>THE LAND OF NOD</h3> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">From breakfast on through all the day</div> - <div class="verse indent0">At home among my friends I stay;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But every night I go abroad</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Afar into the land of Nod.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">All by myself I have to go,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">With none to tell me what to do—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All alone beside the streams</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And up the mountain-sides of dreams.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">The strangest things are there for me,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Both things to eat and things to see,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And many frightening sights abroad</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Till morning in the land of Nod.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Try as I like to find the way,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I never can get back by day,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Nor can remember plain and clear</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The curious music that I hear.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Robert Louis Stevenson.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>101</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX<br /> - -<small>“PERCHANCE TO DREAM”</small></h2></div> - -<p class="drop-cap">“W<span class="smcap">e</span> are such stuff as dreams are made -on,” as Shakespeare says, and yet no -one even to this day knows what that “stuff” may be. We separate man’s life into intellect, -feeling, will; or, like the Hindoos, into seven -phases; we subdivide these, recognizing special -powers and functions belonging to each; we -dissect man’s frame; we dissolve his body -into its component parts, and yet, when all is -done, we know as little about <i class="em">life</i>, the essence -of man, as our father Adam knew. As Omar -says, we hear “much talk about it and about” and yet we get nowhere. It is much the same -with dreams. We need, therefore, only summarize -and review the talk.</p> - -<p>Dreams occupied their most important place -in the thought of man at its beginning. His -action has frequently been directed by a dream -and the fate of nations has hinged upon its -interpretation. Even in the present day of -matter-of-fact science, at some time in his life -following the racial bent, almost every human -being has paid some attention to his dreams.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>102</span> -The superstitious—which includes the most of -us—still put faith in their dreams, though they -know not whence they come, nor their relation -to the most mutable of physical conditions. -And this though ages ago Sirach uttered this -warning, “Dreams deceive many and fail those -who build upon them.” -Scientific investigation has made known -many of the causes of dreams and shown us -what slight incidents may determine their direction. -For instance, dreams involving hearing -often take their rise in noises made by the -processes going on in the body. What we eat -and the state of our digestion greatly affect -the character of our dreams.</p> - -<p>This has long been recognized by those who -try to decipher special significance in dreams. -Twenty-five centuries ago Pythagoras believed -that the gas-generating beans destroyed the -chance of having enlightening or important -dreams, and so forbade their use. In similar -fashion interpreters of dreams were warned -by Artemidorus to inquire first whether the -dreamer had eaten heartily or lightly before -falling asleep; while Philostratus maintained -that skillful interpreters always refused to expound -dreams following the use of wine.</p> - -<p>Thus we see that even in ancient times the -relation between eating and sleeping was recognized. -In more modern days it is recorded that -poets and writers had visions from eating raw<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>103</span> -flesh, while Mrs. Radcliffe, author of “The -Mysteries of Udolpho,” is said to have deliberately -induced horrid dream phantoms by supping -late on indigestible food as a means of -getting “printer’s copy.” -De Quincey’s “Confessions” is a monument -to the beauty and the horror of the dreams -from drugs. There is also reason to think that -the terrors of delirium tremens are true -dreams. John B. Gough described from fearful -experience the agony of seeing and feeling -that which is dreadful, mainly because the sufferer -knows that it, nevertheless, does not exist -and could not exist. This can be explained, -in our present state of knowledge, only by the -supposition that the subconscious mind, uncorrected -and unrestrained by the senses, alone is -awake. Boris Sidis shows that we have no -waking remembrance of many of our dreams, -even of most harassing ones.</p> - -<p>It is probable that perfect sleep is undisturbed -by dreams, pleasant or otherwise. -Dreams are an evidence of the semi-conscious -condition of some of the senses; the objective -mind is no longer in control, but is passive, and -the subjective mind is active. Yet while -dreaming, the objective mind is not so completely -unconscious (as it would be if wrapped -in profound slumber) but that it gets glimpses -of the workings of the subjective mind, often -very distorted glimpses. This frequently leads<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>104</span> -to horrible or impossible situations in dreams.</p> - -<p>It is an interesting question how far we are -responsible for our dreams. It is true in -dreams, as in waking, that from the same sensations -individuals will evolve different results, -just as nasturtiums, drawing nourishment from -the same soil, will put forth blossoms of different -color and odor. The factor that changes -these same elements into different results is -something inherent in the individual person or -plant.</p> - -<p>So that we are not entirely responsible for -what we dream, yet the mental habits, the real -tone of mind maintained during waking hours, -has its effect upon dreams. They constitute an -index of the mind. So far as sleep is concerned, -of course, “subjective” mind is simply -our remembered experiences, our mental -capital, and can be used in waking hours and -is constantly so used: we get traces of these -in our dreams. Age, sex, and temperament also -affect the nature of dreams.</p> - -<p>If then our sleep is disturbed by unpleasant -dreams, it becomes necessary to investigate the -causes. Have we eaten too much or too hurriedly? -Are our innermost thoughts clean and -wholesome, fit for the light of day? Roman -philosophers held that he who wished to obtain -knowledge of the will of any of the gods, must -fast and lie down to sleep beside the shrine of -the god, his thoughts filled with longing and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>105</span> -desire for such knowledge. There is more than -mere superstition in that. If we abstain from -all excesses and are filled with desire to know -the will of the gods, dreams, when they come -to us, will not disturb or distress us.</p> - -<p>Dreams are admittedly sometimes prophetic, -or have at least an indirect significance touching -events not yet come to pass. Galen tells of -a man who dreamed that his leg had turned to -stone, and a few days later found his leg -paralyzed, perhaps an instance of auto-suggestion. -Gessner died from a malignant growth -which developed in his breast in the exact -spot where, a few nights previously, he had -dreamed that a serpent bit him; while Aristides, -dreaming that he was wounded in the -knee by a bull, awoke to find a tumor there.</p> - -<p>These and many better authenticated cases of -dream warnings are not so strange as they -seem at first hearing. They may be explained -largely by the fact that remote and vague sensations -of suffering and disease are able to -make deeper impression upon the mind when -the interests and activities of the waking life -are submerged in sleep.</p> - -<p>The duration of dreams is another matter of -great interest. Most persons feel and say -that they “dreamed all night long,” and will -proceed to support their statement by relating -various incidents of their dreams; their prolonged -sensations of pleasure or horror; the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>106</span> -events that perhaps covered years. Yet, in -reality, the dream may have occupied less than -a minute. The dreamer cannot measure the -time spent in dreaming, for the unconscious -condition of the objective mind obliterates the -sense of time, space or material limitations. -This accounts for the prodigious feats, the marvels -and impossible achievements of dreams -that seem to the dreamer in no way disproportionate.</p> - -<p>What we do know is that some of the most -wonderful dreams have occupied but a few moments, -and so far scientific research seems to -limit them to an hour or two at most. Mohammed’s -dream was completed within the time -occupied by a falling vase; and it is on record -that a man fell asleep just as the clock struck -the first stroke of twelve and awoke in a cold -sweat on the last stroke, having dreamed that -he had spent thirty years in prison, suffering -tortures of mind and body.</p> - -<p>All this makes it easy to understand how, to -an infinite mind, a thousand years may be as -one day and one day as a thousand years, and -how, in our degree, the quiet, self-controlled -mind may be unmoved by time.</p> - -<p>It is the vivid impression made by such -dreams that makes us feel that they must have -lasted a long time. Then, as George Trumbull -Ladd says, the recital of our dreams is often -colored, unconsciously, “by our self-consciou<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>107</span>s -and rational waking life when we bring the -scene before the awakened mind.” In other -words, many sensations that we think we experienced -are heightened by the idea in the objective -mind of what such sensations ought -to be.</p> - -<p>It may be that when the time comes that</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“No one shall work for money</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And no one shall work for fame,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>we shall find light and help in our dreams that -is undreamed of now.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>108</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI<br /> - -<small>NATURAL LIVING</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep, the saint that evil thoughts and aims</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Takest away, and into souls dost creep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Like to a breeze from heaven.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Wordsworth.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">He</span> who would get the benefit of sleep must -look after health.</p> - -<p>Health, after all, is merely that condition -where all parts of the human organism work -together without friction. We think of health -as something that is bestowed upon us from -without; something over which we have no control -and almost no influence. Perhaps this -queer idea is partly responsible for the general -lack of health to-day.</p> - -<p>It seems incredible that it is necessary that -human beings endowed with tremendous capacity -for enjoyment, with everything at hand -to enjoy, should be hindered by a mere lack -of that harmony that we call health from fully -enjoying life. It seems only reasonable that -there must be some explanation of lack of -health and some way of escape from it.</p> - -<p>It is now generally admitted that most of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>109</span> -diseases to which man thinks himself heir are -due to improper, unnatural living. It could -safely be added that the remainder of our ill-health -and distress comes in large part from -improper, unnatural thinking.</p> - -<p>The common man may laugh at the idea that -we make our own ill-health; if you were not -more intelligent than the common man, you -would not read this book, so that you will probably -see at once that your own experience has -taught you the truth of it. You will discover -that you have learned for yourself, albeit for -the most part unconsciously, that what a man -thinks about, that he becomes. So it would seem -that the natural and proper thing to do, if we -find ourselves suffering from sleeplessness and -ill-health, is to look after our way of living and -thinking.</p> - -<p>Medical science was once the attempt to cure -disease; as Dr. Woods Hutchinson says, it is -now coming to be the science of preventing -disease, and everything that tends to that end -is properly a part of the science of medicine, -though it have no connection with the myriad -drugs of the pharmacopœia.</p> - -<p>Until we compare conditions to-day with -those of even fifty years ago, we can form no -idea of our rapid strides toward natural living. -If we walk the streets of the city or the roads -of suburban towns and villages very early in -the morning, at any season of the year, we shall<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>110</span> -find the vast majority of the houses with open -windows. It is true that the opening may not -always be very wide, but they are open. Fifty -years ago all would have been closed.</p> - -<p>Within the recollection of those whose memories -go back a quarter of a century, we were -taught that night air was dangerous to breathe -and was to be completely shut out from our -houses. Now we know that the organism needs -fresh air by night as well as by day, and that -the most dangerous thing about night air is -the lack of it.</p> - -<p>We now treat the most dreaded diseases, -pneumonia and tuberculosis, almost wholly by -fresh air and nourishing food, administering -drugs only to check the symptoms until the system -gets into condition to throw them off. More -than that, we know now that consumption, at -least, is not a mysterious dispensation of Providence -visited upon certain people without regard -to individual responsibility. Rather it is -always the result of improper living or thinking, -or both, and, when it is the scourge of a -district, as in thickly settled city slums, it is -the direct result of monopoly and oppression -that deny the common interests of all mankind.</p> - -<p>In 1865 Dr. W. W. Hall of New York published -his book, “Sleep,” in the preface of -which he said: “It is the end and aim of this -book to show that as a means of high health, -good blood, and a strong mind to old and young<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>111</span>, -sick or well, each one should have a single bed -in a large, clean, light room, so as to pass all -the hours of sleep in a pure, fresh air, and that -those who fail in this, will in the end fail in -health and strength of limb and brain, and will -die while yet their days are not all told.” -That this physician with a large practice -should find it necessary to write a book to set -forth the necessity of fresh air during sleeping-hours, -goes to show how little the mass of -our people knew even fifty years ago. We hear -so much about fresh air in these days that we -forget that the preceding generation was in -deadly terror of it.</p> - -<p>All things point to a marked advance during -the past decades, in the understanding of conditions -necessary for health, but, after all, we -have come but a very little way along the road -we must travel to get the most out of life.</p> - -<p>We owe a good deal of our advance in this -direction to physicians and others who have -broken loose from traditions and have not -feared to put their ideas and discoveries to the -test. Nature has provided all things for “the -healing of the nations,” if we but trust her. As -Dr. Shattuck, a famous Boston surgeon, used -to say in making his rounds in the Massachusetts -General Hospital, “There is one inestimable -gift God has given to man—an abundance -of fresh air.” It was his method of -announcing that he did not think the ventilation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>112</span> -of room or ward was sufficient, and the nurses -understood that, and immediately admitted -more air into the room.</p> - -<p>In the wards of that great institution were -dozens of persons who had never before heard -of the value of fresh air: being compelled by -evil social conditions to live in districts where -sunshine and air were rarities, they had never -heard of any relation between health and fresh -air. They frequently learned that lesson there.</p> - -<p>A little device which we call “the Perfect -Gift of Sleep” is a great help in excluding the -light without excluding the air, and especially -valuable in that most delightful change, sleeping -out of doors. A bag is made of dark green -or blue or black silk or satin, about four inches -wide and eight inches long, and very loosely -filled with sweet pine needles. It is laid lightly -over the eyes.</p> - -<p>This may seem too trivial to bother about, -but the increased comfort and the better quality -of sleep which it brings is astonishing.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>113</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII<br /> - -<small>FRESH AIR AND REFRESHING SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Somnus, that walks the world from twilights’ wane</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All the night long till day be born again.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Edgar Fawcett.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">It</span> is not so necessary now as when Dr. Hall -wrote to urge the importance of large, airy -sleeping-rooms. But it is amazing to find how -many, even among the so-called “better -classes,” neglect to open their windows wide -at night. I have known people out in the country -whose bedroom windows could hardly be -made to open, so seldom did they admit the air. -Indeed, they were also heavily shaded so that -they might not admit the sunshine.</p> - -<p>That such people have been able to live at -all is due to the patience of Nature, or to the -fact that so much of the day is spent in the -open air that it helps to counteract the effect -of the closed-up night. Even then they do not -escape early wrinkles, bent shoulders, and a -look of age long before their time. We used -to attribute these to the hard work of the -farmer’s life, but we might more properly attribute -it to improper living.</p> - -<p>Besides an abundance of fresh air day and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>114</span> -night, summer and winter, personal cleanliness -immensely aids to health and the ability to -sleep. In the old days we bathed to clean ourselves -when dirty. It was an advance on that -when someone said he took a bath every spring -and fall, whether he needed it or not. In those -days once a week was considered frequent. -To-day we bathe to keep clean.</p> - -<p>Someone, probably Joseph Fels, has said that -the civilization of a people may best be estimated -by the amount of soap and water it consumes. -If we start out well-groomed in the -morning—fresh from the bath with clean linen, -clothes brushed and all our personal needs duly -attended to—we carry our heads higher, feel -an uplift of body and mind that is impossible -to the careless or untidy person.</p> - -<p>The same influence applies to going to bed -at night. If we retire soiled and worn from the -day’s experiences, we may toss and turn with -discomfort whose source we may not understand, -or we fall into heavy, unrefreshing sleep. -The body does most of its breathing during -sleeping-time. You know how the moisture -from the breath shows on a mirror when you -breathe on it: well, the skin gives off about -three times as much moisture as the breath, -and, unless the pores of the skin are free from -all obstructions such as dust, old, dried perspiration, -and similar soil, it cannot perform its -work properly and to the advantage of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>115</span> -sleeper. If you don’t like water, use oil as the -Easterns do. Even dry rubbing, if the skin is -moist, will keep the pores open.</p> - -<p>The little trouble entailed is more than offset -by the refreshed feeling, the lightening of the -mind as well as of the body, the more restful -sleep, and the better health resulting from the -practice.</p> - -<p>One of the advantages of the night bath is -that it reminds us to change all the clothes we -have worn during the day. If they must be -worn again the next day, they should be spread -out on the backs of chairs or on hangers, that -they may be thoroughly aired before morning. -If we feel that we must have something more -than the pajamas or night-robe, then there -should be separate sets of underclothes kept -for that purpose alone—old, thin, partly-worn -ones may be reserved for this use.</p> - -<p>Whether baths should be hot, warm, or cold -must depend upon the individual. There is no -set rule that applies equally to all persons. -Many persons find the cold plunge or shower -most invigorating in the morning,—it is too -stimulating to be taken at night—and others -cannot stand the shock of contact with cold water -at any time. There is but one wise thing -to do—to experiment for yourself and adopt the -sort of bath that seems best suited to your -needs. Most people will find the warm bath -more satisfactory than the hot or cold.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>116</span></p> - -<p>And remember that it is not only the lungs -that need fresh air: the skin needs it too, and, -next to overeating, the quickest way to “catch” cold is to bundle up in heavy perspiration-holding -flannels. Linen mesh is excellent, but, -whatever underclothing is worn, it should not -suffocate the millions of pores of the skin.</p> - -<p>An airy room, free from hangings, carpets, -street clothes, and all other dust-gatherers; a -clean body; a contented mind—these are important -factors both in sleep and in general -health, and, best of all, they are inexpensive -enough to be within the reach of nearly everybody.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>117</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII<br /> - -<small>THE BREATH OF LIFE</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">In winter I get up at night</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And dress by yellow candle-light.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">In summer, quite the other way,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I have to go to bed by day.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">I have to go to bed and see</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The birds still hopping on the tree,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Or hear the grown-up people’s feet</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Still going past me in the street.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">And does it not seem hard to you,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When all the sky is clear and blue,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And I should like so much to play,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To have to go to bed by day?</div> - <div class="verse indent4">“Bed in Summer.”</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Robert Louis Stevenson.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">One</span> of the most common causes of ill-health -and sleeplessness is improper -breathing. Breathing is the fundamental function -of life, the first at birth and the last at -death, and when it is badly performed we are -sure to have trouble. The great majority of -people never use the whole of their lungs in -breathing. By this neglect the blood is never -sufficiently oxygenated to burn out all impurities.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>118</span></p> - -<p>But you may say, “I am not responsible for -the way I breathe; I do that “automatically,” and you would be in a degree correct. It is -true that we are not conscious of the act of -breathing. It would be an intolerable burden -upon the mind if every breath required conscious -attention. We could hardly attend to -anything else.</p> - -<p>That is no reason, however, why we should -not regulate our breathing for our own benefit. -Breathing, though an habitual organic act, is -under the indirect control of the higher centers -of the nervous system. We must, as Dr. -Worcester says, re-educate the lower centers to -breathe, and to do this it is necessary to give -conscious attention to it for a time. If we wish -to replace bad breathing by good breathing, we -must fix our attention regularly upon drawing -the breath, practice the right sort of breathing, -and impress upon the vital mechanism that -this new order of breathing is to be adopted, -for the way to be rid of a bad habit is to replace -it with a good one. If we persevere in -this course, the right method can very easily be -established.</p> - -<p>By the right method is meant breathing from -the diaphragm. If you will watch the act of -breathing among your friends for even one day, -you will discover for yourself how few do it -well. The great majority breathe with the -upper part of the lungs only, so that the chest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>119</span> -visibly rises and falls in time with the inhalations -and exhalations. Such persons may be -unconscious of their own breathing, but they -make all who observe them conscious of it. -They are not only injuring themselves, but making -a claim upon the attention of others that is -scarcely justifiable.</p> - -<p>Quick, short breathing is one of the signs -either of excitement or of depression, some -pleasurable or painful emotion or sensation, -but it is not a means to health. If we have this -habit, we may find in it an explanation of many -of the trifling ills and discomforts from which -we suffer, and of not a few of the more serious -ones.</p> - -<p>Emily M. Bishop, who has given much study -to the effect of our habits of mind and body -upon our health and spirits, says, in her latest -book, “Daily Ways of Living,” that we may -change the whole current of our thought by a -change in breathing. She wisely advises her -readers the next time they feel depressed or -worried, “blue,” or “miserable,” to try drawing -deep, full breaths. If you are not in good -spirits, try that now: “spirit” means the -breath.</p> - -<p>Open the windows and let in fresh air, if -within doors; inhale deeply, hold it, and then -exhale rather quickly. After only four or five -such inhalations you will find that the miserable -feeling has disappeared or is greatly les<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>120</span>sened. -The “blues” cannot live while good -red blood is circulating rapidly through the -veins and arteries. It is only when the blood is -sluggish or not sufficiently purified by the indrawn -oxygen that worry and depression can -hold us in their thrall. Deep breathing is a simple -remedy for the blues, but its effectiveness -makes it worth trying.</p> - -<p>Proper breathing will often ward off a cold, -especially a cold due to chill. As soon as you -feel yourself getting chilly, act. The feeling of -chilliness is a proof that the resistance of -the body is below normal. The cause may -be interior, due to the presence of some -poison in the system, or it may be due entirely -to external causes. In either event, -to purify the blood and improve its circulation -is the best sort of “first aid to the -injured.” -Inhale until you can feel it in your fingers -and toes, exhale quickly, and repeat the operation -until you feel all aglow. Mlle. Marie de -Palkowska, whose special work is teaching correct -breathing, says: “The nerve centers are -directly affected by the condition of the blood, -and they are enfeebled, contracted, or irritated -by an excess of carbon and nitrogen in it, producing -depression of spirits; but, if the blood -is circulating freely, the nerves are quieted -and well-nourished by the supply of oxygen, -through the process of correct breathing, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>121</span> -the result is perfect health of mind and body -and a happy optimism.” -Worry, sleeplessness, and disease do not -easily lay hold upon one who has “perfect -health of mind and body and a happy optimism.” If these may be secured through intelligent -attention to breathing, there is no reason -why they should not be as common as they -are natural. The more we look into the question -of health, whether physical, mental, or -moral, the more clearly we see that poise is -only possible through conformity to universal -law. It could not be otherwise.</p> - -<p>Earlier in this inquiry we have traced the -interdependence, the unity of man’s three natures—the -physical, the mental, and the spiritual,—and -the value of correct breathing to the -whole man is in perfect keeping with that interdependence. -In the process of digestion, upon -which physical health so largely depends, we -create poisons within ourselves and accumulate -waste matter. The organism must be momently -purified of these wastes, or putrefaction quickly -follows. Autotoxins form, as the doctors say. -The function of breathing, when properly controlled, -affords the quickest and best method -of cleansing the blood of these impurities. If -we have not this proper control, the poisons -are not eliminated and the supply of blood to -the brain is vitiated.</p> - -<p>Just as the body cannot perform its functions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>122</span> -well if we are compelled to live upon tainted -food, so the brain cannot do its work well if -the blood—its food—is impure. Breathing -which expands the diaphragm so purifies the -blood as it passes through the lungs, that it becomes -an important factor in maintaining -health and poise in body and mind, which in -their turn react upon the spirit.</p> - -<p>This sort of breathing is more common -among men than among women, due in part to -natural physical differences and in part to -dress. Man breathes largely from the abdomen, -while woman breathes chiefly from the -chest, expanding only the upper portion of the -lungs. This is partly a natural and -partly an artificial necessity, due to the pressure -of the corset upon the diaphragm. Both -men and women would find their physical -health improved and their outlook on life -broadened and brightened by proper control of -the function of breathing. If we are sleepless, -nervous, too alert, as well as if we are heavy, -dull, and inactive, we will find it worth our -while to try conscious breath control. It takes -but a comparatively short time to re-educate -the automatic centers into correct breathing -and the result is always good.</p> - -<p>It no less behooves the man who is trying to -live largely on the rational plane, than the -man who is living wholly on the physical plane, -to make his efforts both easier and more ef<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>123</span>fective -by such simple attention to natural laws. -The next time you are worried, depressed, or -sleepless, change the air of the room and try -deep and correct breathing for a few minutes. -You will be surprised at the complete change -wrought in you, if you are not suffering from -some serious organic breakdown which needs -skilled attention. And even that condition may -be helped by proper breathing.</p> - -<p>But we are not to forget that, like calisthenic -and gymnastic exercises, the training of the -breathing is really little more than a device for -correcting the results of wrong living and only -a substitute for right living. The man or the -woman who does plenty of healthful, normal -work, who often pants and gets “out of -breath,” naturally expands the lungs and has -as little use for breathing exercises as for tight -clothing.</p> - -<p>A buck-saw, a spade, or even a broom is better -than a teacher of breathing and a better -corrector of sleeplessness.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>124</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.<br /> - -<small>EATING AND SLEEPING</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent22">For his sleep</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Was aery light, from pure digestion bred.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Milton.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> do not have to depend upon mere irresponsible -guesses for the new faith in -the possibility of longer life for man. Scientists -have been experimenting along this line -for some years, and Metchnikoff assures us that -the average human life should exceed “three-score -years and ten” by four decades.</p> - -<p>He points out that the greatly increased number -of persons who remain physically and mentally -active past the age of seventy-five and -eighty years is itself a proof that life may be -prolonged. He recognizes that merely to extend -existence is not a sufficient end to work -for—it must be an active, worthwhile existence, -and he has experimented toward this end.</p> - -<p>All of us can recall instances of “old people” who have preserved their physical and -mental faculties until their last years. We have -been in the habit of regarding these people as -exceptions and have perhaps not noticed that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>125</span> -these “exceptions” are already almost frequent -enough to prove that there is no such -rule for longevity.</p> - -<p>Whenever we investigate a new and wonderful -thing, we find that its causes are simple and -ordinary. So Metchnikoff and kindred experimenters -are beginning to show us that prolonging -life is a comparatively simple matter. It -comes back again to diet and sleep on the -physical side and to understanding of the universal -laws on the mental and the emotional -side of life.</p> - -<p>All scientific men agree that nearly all of us -eat too much, or eat improper food. Most -of them say that we sleep too much, or try to -sleep too much. They advise simple diet, varied -but not heavy. It is probable that the -early human being ate as the wild animals do, -to appease hunger, and had to eat whatever he -could find without regard to taste. As civilization -advanced and he learned ways of getting -increased returns from Nature, he began to select -and choose what he should eat. In this -way he developed “appetite” as apart from -natural hunger, and as his knowledge increased, -and his taste became more and more refined, appetite -gradually took the place of hunger.</p> - -<p>People ordinarily seldom know the pleasure -of satisfying real hunger. Because of habit, -the appetite stirs as often as three or five times -a day and we gratify it. We must have certain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>126</span> -foods prepared in a certain way. Eating becomes -an end in itself, rather than merely a -means to an end. If appetite is fully indulged, -he becomes heavy, suffers from indigestion and -sleeplessness, talks of stomach trouble and consequent -“loss of appetite.” He seeks a physician -to restore what he is really better without. -Not every physician is as wise as the one -to whom a cook once applied. She told her -story of inability to eat her meals, of uncertain -and unrestful sleep, increased weight, and -shortness of breath. The physician heard her -tale of woe and asked her the size of the family -for which she cooked and about their mode of -living. He learned that the family consisted of -five, and that they entertained lavishly. “Do -you taste all the food you prepare?” was the -next question.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; I must taste it to be sure it is -just right.” -“Ah!” replied the doctor; “put on a plate -exactly the same quantity of everything that -you take to taste—no more, no less—and send -it to me to-morrow evening.”</p> - -<p>Much to the cook’s astonishment, at the close -of the next day, which had included a dinner-party, -there was a heaping platter of food, -more than she would have thought it possible -to eat even at three meals.</p> - -<p>“It is not a tonic you want,” said the physician. -“You already eat too much, which a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>127</span>ccounts -for your loss of appetite, shortness of -breath, and sleeplessness. It may be necessary -for you to taste all the food you cook, but take -smaller ‘tastes’ and eat nothing else on cooking -days. I cannot help you; you must help -yourself.” (Being an ignorant woman, she -went to another doctor and got some ill-tasting -drug.)</p> - -<p>And such is, after all, the decision of all the -scientific investigators into the life and health -of men: We must help ourselves by understanding -the laws of life and observing them.</p> - -<p>Most rich persons are really like the man -who applied to his physician about “loss of appetite.” “Try beginning dinner with raw oysters,” said the doctor. In a few days the -patient returned, to say that the oysters did no -good.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you didn’t eat enough?” said the -doctor.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the man, “I ate four dozen.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>128</span></p> - - - -<h2><a id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV<br /> - -<small>SLEEPING AND EATING</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Man’s rich restorative, his balmy bath</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That supplies, lubricates and keeps in play</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The various movements of this nice machine.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Young.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">“T<span class="smcap">here</span> are more things in heaven and -earth than are dreamt of” in anybody’s -philosophy or understanding of living; it is not -strange that the great mass have not dreamed -of eating as a cause of sleeplessness and ill-health, -though they may dream in consequence -of it. It is generally believed that a hearty -meal of any indigestible food immediately before -bed is bad for sleep: yet animals and -primitive men always sleep after they are -gorged. But few recognize that the whole plan -of eating may be responsible for sleeplessness -or excessive sleepiness. For, like fatigue, food -may either bring or prevent sleep.</p> - -<p>In these days not even the most fastidious -will object to a discussion of the ethics and -æsthetics of feeding. It is no longer “the -gratification of a vulgar necessity,” but a matter -of keen scientific interest. Colleges give -courses in the chemistry of food that we may<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>129</span> -know what combinations it is wise to make, -while some of the leading universities have -made severe practical tests of some of the new -“fads in eating.” -There are so many theories of eating to-day -that one may take his choice, and, if the quality -of both health and sleep is not improved, he -can run through the list and then take what is -best of each.</p> - -<p>When Dr. W. W. Hall wrote his book on fresh -air in the sleeping-room, he added, in a casual -sort of way, this piece of advice to the would-be -sleeper, “Always eat slowly and in moderation -of well-divided food.” That is advice that will -bear infinite repetition. It is really the keynote -of all the present-day theories of eating. It applies -equally well to omnivorous and vegetarian -peoples.</p> - -<p>Horace Fletcher says, “You may eat anything -you like, if you eat it at the right time and -in the right way,” and, when one has learned -what Mr. Fletcher thinks is the right time and -way, one has grasped the whole of “Fletcherism.” It consists in eating only when one is -hungry—so hungry that “the mouth waters -and one could stand and whinny like a horse -at the smell of bread”—and then chewing just -as long as there is any taste left to the food. I -have known children to get the habit of eating -too fast, with indigestion and restlessness as a -consequence, because the nurse stood beside the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>130</span> -table with a spoonful always ready and waiting -while the last was being swallowed. We may -avoid that habit for ourselves or cure ourselves -of it by always laying down the knife and fork -or spoon after each mouthful. This insures -some time to chew.</p> - -<p>It is the opinion of all those who have special -theories on “what to eat and how to eat it” that civilized man scarcely knows what true -hunger is. We are so in the habit of eating -at fixed and customary hours that we create -“habit hunger,” which has but slight connection -with Nature’s demands for sustenance. In -accordance with this idea, fasting is again becoming -popular and all sorts of good results -are claimed for it. The “devil of unrest and -disease” is now being reckoned among “those -that go not out but by fasting and prayer.” Fasting and prayer meant the physical and the -spiritual treatment together.</p> - -<p>Fasting has long been imposed upon man as -a religious rite, generally as penance for some -“sin,” but now it is being advised and self-imposed -for the sake of its physical advantages. -It may well be that the habit of fasting -for health’s sake originated with prehistoric -man and was diverted into religious channels -and its original significance forgotten. So -many “religious rites” have come about in -this way that it is fair to assume that fasting -may have, also.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>131</span></p> - -<p>However that may be, the practice is coming -into scientific prominence, and Charles C. Haskell -in his book, “Perfect Health: How to Get -it and How to Keep it, by One Who Has It,” made much of the importance of fasting. If -one is ill, fasting will make him well, according -to Mr. Haskell. He gives numerous instances -of the benefits that have followed fasts -extending from one to nine or even more days. -Mr. Upton Sinclair has written of his happy experience -of abstinence in “The Fasting Cure.” As soon as the system is ready for food, true -hunger will appear, says Mr. Haskell, and, like -Mr. Fletcher, he regards “watering at the -mouth”—the free flow of saliva—as the best -index of real hunger.</p> - -<p>But, unlike Fletcher, Haskell is a vegetarian -pure and simple, as that word is generally understood. -Haskell says, “Nature has provided -a natural food for man, and it is the vegetable -kingdom.” He also strongly urges upon the -seeker for sound health, which means sound -sleep, to give up the habit of taking breakfast, -thus conquering appetite and restoring real -hunger. This is, indeed, the first precept he -lays down; and the second is much like it. It -runs, “Never eat except at the call of Natural -Hunger.” Third, “Enjoy to the full every -mouthful of food as long as any taste remains -in it.” Fourth, “Do not drink any liquids -with your meals.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>132</span> -The rules are simple enough to follow if you -have any cause to suspect that your mode of -life is the cause of “poor sleep.” This book -has no special brand of food to recommend, nor -does it intend to say what any man should or -should not eat. Sir Henry Thompson is about -right when he says that “No man can tell another -what he can or ought to eat, without -knowing what are the habits of life and work—mental -and bodily—of the person to be advised. -One rule cannot apply to all.”</p> - -<p>All that the writer aims to do is to set forth -the best theories of how to insure sound sleep -and good health, and to leave it to the individual -reader to try whichever he thinks fits. -It is what he will do, anyway, if he is a wise -man; for only by following the course he most -desires can he learn whether these desires are -to be trusted as guides to happiness and well-being.</p> - -<p>But—most persons eat too much or too often -or too fast. Maybe you do, too.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>133</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI<br /> - -<small>SOME MODERN THEORIES OF SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">I have an exposition of sleep come upon me.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">There</span> have been almost as many theories -of sleep and its causes as there have -been investigators, but these theories may be -grouped under a few main heads:</p> - -<p>Physiological, or that which has to do with -some bodily conditions only, and which made -men think that sleep was dependent upon the -circulation of the blood or upon decreased consumption -of oxygen, was an early one of these -theories. It has had many advocates and has -led to many interesting experiments that have -increased the sum of general knowledge, although -they have not explained sleep.</p> - -<p>Delicate instruments, with formidable names, -have been invented and successfully used to -measure the intensity of sleep and to note its -phenomena. Two of the experimenters—C. E. -Brush, Jr., and R. Fayerweather of the Physiological -Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University—through -long, intricate and exhaustive -experiments, have found that sleep is most in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>134</span>tense -and the pressure of blood in the arteries -lowest during the first half of the sleeping -period. After we have completed the first half -of our sleep, the intensity or soundness of sleep -becomes less, and the pressure of blood in the -arteries continues to increase up to the moment -of awaking.</p> - -<p>It is interesting to learn that the moment -when we are most soundly sleeping is at the -end of the first hour of sleep, and that the -blood-pressure has at that time reached its very -lowest point. Messrs. Brush and Fayerweather -report that, during the first few hours of sleep, -the blood-pressure continues to fall and then -begins a gradual rise. The tendency is to more -and more rapid flow of the blood, but this rise -is not steady or regular, because it is broken -by long waves when the force of the circulation -falls and the pulse is weaker than it was a -moment or two before. The rapidity of the -blood-flow is greater on the moment of awakening -than just before dropping to sleep. This -increase is not sudden, but is the culmination of -the rise that begins a few hours after we fall -asleep. (See Appendix B.)</p> - -<p>The intensity or depth of sleep is shown by -a curve that looks like a pile of sand with -the top scooped off. It increases rather slowly, -in most cases, for the first quarter-hour: then -quickly, so that half an hour later the person -is most “sound asleep.” He stays so, on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>135</span> -level top, for about half an hour. That is the -time that wise burglars and late husbands -choose to steal into the house, about an hour -after everyone is asleep. After that time the -sleeper reverses the process of falling into deep -sleep by getting nearer to waking for half an -hour and then getting, at first rapidly, nearer -to waking for two or three hours. In the last -three or four hours healthy and normal persons -reach about the same proportions of time and -intensity of sleep, so that the Indian-bow-shaped -curve fairly represents how long it takes everybody -to deepen his sleep. Kohlschütter found -how great an intensity of sound was needed to -awaken a sleeper at different periods throughout -the night. His curve thus made tallies very -exactly with that of Brush and Fayerweather, -obtained in quite a different way.</p> - -<p>Some other investigators have pointed out -that, interesting as this theory is, it proves one -thing about as completely as it does the other. -For, while it is plain that sleep and the great -fall in blood-pressure exist at the same moment, -it is not conclusively shown which is -cause and which is effect. Does sleep cause the -fall in blood-pressure, or does the fall in blood-pressure -cause sleep? The two are coexistent, -but who can say which begins first?</p> - -<p>It looks as if sleep might be more justly considered -the cause, if one takes the sleeping-position, -and maintains the attitude of mind<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>136</span> -suitable to induce sleep, blood-pressure grows -less, even though the patient does not actually -fall asleep.</p> - -<p>Under this physiological view must come -also the chemical theory based on the fact that -we consume more oxygen during the day, thus -forming carbon dioxide and other poisons -which cause sleepiness. During the night we -absorb oxygen, building up the tissues, and -eliminating the poisons of the waking hours.</p> - -<p>The poisons which are the result of the consumption -of oxygen cause fatigue, and according -to Preyer, a European authority, “sleep is -the direct consequence of fatigue, or rather of -the fatigue products in the blood.” His contention -is that, if lactic acid and other chemical -products of the consumption of oxygen in the -body were injected artificially, sleep would follow. -Experiments in this direction made by -Preyer, Fisher, and L. Meyer have yielded such -contradictory results that the theory is not -proved thereby.</p> - -<p>The idea that sleep is the result of poisons -in the system takes us into the pathological -theory of sleep, which regards it as a sort of -disease like epilepsy or auto-intoxication. We -produce by our own activities the poisons which -cause insensibility until the system cleanses itself. -Professor Leo Errera of Brussels says -that “work in the organism is closely bound -up with a chemical breaking down.” Among<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>137</span> -the products of this breakdown are “leucomaines,” the scientific name for poisons formed -in living tissue, and just the opposite to “ptomaines,” which, however, are also virulent -poisons.</p> - -<p>Professor Errera tells us that, during our -waking hours, we produce more leucomaines -than the oxygen we absorb can destroy. This -excess is carried along by the blood and held by -the brain centers, and in time produces sleep, -just as any poisonous anæsthetic, such as morphine, -would produce sleep.</p> - -<p>While we are sleeping we absorb much oxygen -and we recover from the effects of our -self-intoxication. Errera maintains that work, -fatigue, sleep, and repair are not merely successive -events, but phenomena chained together -in a regular and necessary cycle. He explains -sleeplessness due to overfatigue on the theory -that small doses of poisons induce sleep and -large doses induce excitement and even convulsions.</p> - -<p>Manacéïne points out that this theory is good -from a purely physical standpoint, but does not -explain our power to postpone sleep or the faculty -of waking at a fixed hour. We can do both, -and any adequate theory of sleep must explain -why we can control the tendency to sleep, but -cannot control the symptoms of ordinary poisoning.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>138</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII<br /> - -<small>EARLY THEORIES OF SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">Balm that tames all anguish.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Wordsworth.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Mr. Edward Binns</span> of London, as early -as 1842, published a book called “The -Anatomy of Sleep”—with the subtitle, “The -Art of Procuring Sound and Refreshing Slumber -at Will.” The subtitle makes one think of -the three-volume novels of that time, but the -book is fairly concise and worth careful review. -Moreover, it is in advance of many works on -sleep both before and after. (For ancient surmises -see Appendix C.)</p> - -<p>One of the favorite medical theories of sleep -is that it is caused by fatigue, and is, therefore, -purely passive in its nature. Binns did not accept -this theory. He said, “Sleep is an active -and positive faculty, not a negative and passive -result of fatigue or weariness.” Some of the -more modern writers, notably Manacéïne, agree -with Dr. Binns that sleep is not the result of -physical fatigue or weariness. Dr. Binns -thinks that one proof that fatigue can in no -sense be said to be the cause of sleep is that,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>139</span> -if we prolong “the state of wakefulness after -the usual period of retiring to rest, it is more -difficult to induce sleep than if we went at the -usual hour.” This is especially true of children, -yet the patient may be much more fatigued -at the later hour than at the usual bedtime.</p> - -<p>Binns’ theory is that physiological sleep is in -antagonism to intellectual activity, being the -active process of nutrition, assimilation of -food, or of the repair of the waste of the body; -that it concerns the nerve centers: that is, -“the ganglionic system.” It is a generally admitted -theory that man’s activity, whether -physical or mental, “uses up” tissue and -nerve force, and that it is only when repair exceeds -this waste that life is maintained at a -high standard. If the activities of life be many -and varied, much sleep according to this theory -would be needed to repair the waste of force. -Experience has shown that those who live -purely physical lives, doing hard manual labor -with little mental exercise, need the most sleep. -Those whose activities are mostly mental generally -sleep fewer hours, though the desire for -sleep may be as intense when it comes as is -that of the manual laborer. (See Appendix, -Questionnaire.)</p> - -<p>Regarding sleep as a necessity, in itself an -“active and positive faculty,” Binns says of -it that “it is the true ‘vis medicatrix naturæ’<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>140</span> —the healing force of nature—to whose vigilance -we are indebted for that condition of mind -and body called ‘health.’” However, he is not -an advocate of long hours of sleep for everybody. -He thinks individuals differ widely in -the amount of sleep needed. He makes the general -statement that, “the lower the cerebral organs -in the scale of organization, the greater -the power of sleep.” On this point all the authorities -agree, and even in our own experience -we learn that. The animals nearest to man in -point of development sleep more than man -sleeps; and, among men, those who live the most -sluggish mental and emotional lives sleep -longer than those whose brains are more active.</p> - -<p>There may, of course, be exceptions to this -rule, and yet those exceptions would not disprove -that there is a rule. Much depends, says -the good doctor, upon the peculiarities “of the -individual; the culture of his mind; his amusement, -his food, his occupation, and the temper -with which he wooes sleep. General Elliot -never slept more than four hours out of twenty-four, -and his food consisted wholly of bread, -vegetables, and water.” -This seems like one more link in the chain -that binds up our habits of eating with our -power to sleep. Just as heavy eating late at -night may so disturb our slumber as to leave -us practically sleepless, so general heavy eating -may render us so incapable of mental ac<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>141</span>tivity -that sleep may take possession of us. -General Elliot’s slight need of sleep was probably -due, in large measure, to his light diet, and -Dr. Binns seems to be of that opinion. We notice -that flesh-eating animals, especially serpents, -gorge and then sleep long.</p> - -<p>A modern medical authority, Sir Henry -Thompson of London, in his book, “Diet in -Relation to Age and Activity,” takes somewhat -similar ground, although careful to state that -he is not “a vegetarian.” He says: “I have -been compelled by facts to accept the conclusion -that as much mischief in the form of actual -disease, impaired vigor and shortened life accrues -to civilized man, so far as I have observed -in our own country and throughout almost -every part of Europe, from erroneous habits in -eating as from the habitual use of alcoholic -drink, considerable as I know the evil of that -to be.”<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>142</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII<br /> - -<small>MORE THEORIES</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">To Sleep I give my powers away</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My will is bondsman to the dark;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I sit within a helmless bark.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Tennyson.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">There</span> is another class of investigators who -aim to explain what might be called the -nervous mechanism of sleep rather than its -causes. These are the histologists, and theirs -is the “histological” theory of sleep. There -is a vast literature on this one phase of sleep -theorizing alone, and it is deeply interesting to -those who, in order to understand this theory, -are willing to wrestle with the difficult and technical -terms.</p> - -<p>The general reader, unfamiliar with physiological -terms, is bewildered by such a word as -“neuroglia.” He wonders what sort of a fossil -that is, when in fact it is merely a particular -sort of tissue found in the central nervous system; -a substance without any nervous property -serving a purpose merely similar to cement. -So that, after all, like much science, it -is simple enough when put in plain words.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>143</span></p> - -<p>Some histologists hold that the neuroglia is -able to contract or expand; that, when expanded, -it takes or receives impressions from -without, and, when it contracts, it shuts out -such impressions, thus inducing sleep. Dr. J. -Leonard Corning, of New York, says that -“Sleep may be defined as that state of the central -nervous system in which the higher centers -are, to a great extent, in a condition of -physiological quiescence, with all the consequences -thereby implied.” -Dr. Corning means that the nervous centers -of the brain are inactive, as a result of contraction, -and that this state results in drowsiness -and in consequent loss of the consciousness. -He recognizes, however, that this purely physical -condition does not always produce sleep; -that there may be disturbing causes within. -He says: “Those who suffer from sleeplessness -are, almost without exception, beset by a -variety of disagreeable mental symptoms during -the day, dread of impending evil, irritability, -depression, dread of society, etc.” Although these are often the result of wrong -states of mind or heart, he recommends for -such cases warm baths, Turkish baths, massage, -and for obstinate cases he even suggests the use -of drugs, because he regards the formation of -habits of insomnia as more likely than the formation -of the drug habit. This suggestion is -not generally favored by the investigators of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>144</span> -sleep, the most of whom discountenance the use -of drugs. Almost everyone has known somebody -who contracted the “drug habit,” or has -heard of somebody who died from the effects of -an overdose of some poison taken to induce -sleep. Nobody should dose himself with drugs, -hoping to get good results from sleep thus secured. -It is wiser by far to discover the cause -of sleeplessness and remove it, rather than -merely to stupefy ourselves for the time being.</p> - -<p>It was as a worker along histological lines -that Henry Hubbard Foster of Cornell University -became convinced that sleep is induced by -the absence of stimuli: that is, of things that attract -and hold our attention. It may be that the -individual withdraws from all stimulating conditions -and creates conditions to cause sleep, as -we do when we prepare for bed; or it may be -that, because of fatigue, our senses do not respond -to the things that would otherwise stimulate -us. In either event, the result is the same—there -is an absence of stimuli.</p> - -<p>Foster believes that the present state of our -development is not sufficient to meet the demands -of continuous activity of the senses and -the brain. “If it were not for fatigue,” he -says, “the development of the nervous system -might be carried to such a point that consciousness -could be present continuously.” He finds -the reason for sleep in “a temporary derangement -of the nervous system.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>145</span> -According to Boris Sidis of Harvard, who -has experimented extensively on frogs, cats, -birds, dogs, children, and adults, the cells of -the central nervous system, by expanding and -contracting, connect themselves with, or cut -themselves off from the whole nervous system, -and induce “waking-states and sleeping-states.” The purely scientific man is forever -aiming to reduce all the phenomena of human -life to a simple formula. But no formula has -yet been discovered which includes all phases of -life to the satisfaction of all its students. -Hence we have so many different theories of -so natural and universal a function as sleep, -none of them perfectly satisfactory even to -their discoverers or inventors, and none affording -any great help to those who want to know -how to sleep.</p> - -<p>This whole neuron theory, as it is called, -of dilating and contracting is really no more -complete an explanation than any of the others. -No perfect explanation of any natural -function can be given until we can fully explain -life. That has not yet been done. The most -advanced biologists can say, “Here life appears,” but they cannot absolutely define life -any more than they can create it out of inanimate -things.</p> - -<p>We know, however, that in sleep, sight, nearly -useless to man in the gloom of night, goes -first to rest. Next taste goes. Then smell,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>146</span> -still so useful to animals, deserts us. Then -touch is dulled. Last of all, the hearing relaxes -its guard, though with some persons it stays -long awake. Noise will arouse us quicker than -a touch; and last the light.</p> - -<p>As you drop off to sleep you can notice the -decreased sensation in the long-serving feet -which feels as if it slowly climbs to the muscles -in the head and neck.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>147</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX<br /> - -<small>STILL MORE THEORIES</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent20">Sleep sits upon his brow;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His eye is closed; he sleeps, nor dreams of harm.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Longfellow.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> have not yet exhausted all the theories, -nor shown how much too much some of -them and how far too little all of them prove.</p> - -<p>The two remaining scientific theories of sleep -are the psychological and the biological. The -best modern exponent of the psychological -theory is Marie de Manacéïne, who defines sleep -as “the resting-time of consciousness.” Persons -whose consciousness is but little developed, -young children, and those of weak intellect, -usually require a great deal of sleep, while -persons whose minds are active, alert, responsive, -get along with comparatively little sleep.</p> - -<p>For a long time it was believed that living -creatures devoid of consciousness would not -sleep at all, but recent experiments have -apparently weakened that conclusion. Dogs, -pigeons, and other animals deprived of brains -in the interest of scientific discovery, appear<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>148</span> -to sleep, that is, they have periods of inactivity, -just as those with brains and consciousness. -Belmondo, after repeated experiments, -drew the conclusion that sleep is not a purely -cerebral function, as some believe, but that the -whole organism sleeps; and the brain sleeps -only because the organs of sense sleep. This, -however, is doubtful.</p> - -<p>And this is in sum and substance the biological -theory of sleep, that the whole organism -sleeps, but even here there are exceptions. It -is true that the heart beats less rapidly; that -we breathe less frequently; that the brain cells -cease their functioning because the neuroglia -contracts and shuts off or lessens their joint -activity; the motor consciousness rests; the -nerves of sensation refuse to be stimulated, we -sleep. Yet we know that the spinal cord never -sleeps, that certain functions of the body continue -uninterruptedly in the sleeping-state as -in the waking-state, and, after all these years -of theorizing and experimenting, we do not -know definitely what sleep is. We know the -mechanism of sleep, its manifestations and its -effects; we know that continued sleeplessness -means madness and death; that sleep is essential -to the physical and mental well-being of the -human organism, but we do not know what sleep -is any more than we know what life is. There -is a limit to what material science can know.</p> - -<p>Heubel, who is one of the recent supporters<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>149</span> -of the psychological theory of sleep, says that -“Mental activity depends on the incoming -peripheral sensory stimulations; when such -peripheral sensory stimulations are absent, -mental activity is in abeyance and sleep results.” This is, in effect, to say that, when -things about us no longer give us any sensation, -when they do not attract or hold our attention, -we fall asleep. But we all know of -exceptions to this rule. We have seen others -fall into “a brown study,” and have probably -done so ourselves, and become perfectly lost to -all about them; absorbed in their own reflections, -they neither hear nor see the things happening -around them. For the time being -“peripheral sensory stimulations” are absent, -and yet mental activity continues and sleep does -not result.</p> - -<p>The biological theory of sleep considers all -the other theories, while formulating its own, -because biology considers the whole organism -and not only one organ or function of the body. -From a different point of view Binns’ theory -is confirmed by Claperède, who points out that, -“biologically regarded, sleep has its significance -not as a passive state, but as an active -instinct, like all the other instincts of animal -life.” -There is a degree of satisfaction to be found -in this theory. It might be stated in this way, -that, when man has had during any period all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>150</span> -the sensations and experiences he can digest, -the instinct to sleep takes possession of him. -It is not that he becomes helpless in the hands -of those experiences, but that his whole nature, -like his stomach, knows when it has had food -enough, and desires time for digestion and assimilation -before it takes in more. Obviously, -“utter separation from the phenomenal world,” as John Bigelow expresses it, becomes necessary.</p> - -<p>In his lectures on Botany at the Royal School -of Medicine in Great Britain, Professor Leo H. -Grindon said: “Man is captured in sleep not by -death but by his better nature; to-day runs in -through a deeper day to become the parent of -to-morrow, and to issue every morning, bright -as the morning of life, and of life-size, from the -peaceful womb of the cerebellum.” -This is the result not of a passive state, but -of an active instinct; it accepts sleep as a time -of growth, not merely a time of rest. Bigelow -says, “Something goes on during sleep which -is a preventive as well as an antidote to -mania,” and, in furtherance of this same idea, -Dr. J. J. G. Wilkinson of the Royal College of -Surgeons of London, argues that it seems “as -if a reason more perfect than reason, and uninfluenced -by its partialities, had been at work -when we were in our beds.” -Even “biologically regarded,” Bigelow is -not far astray when he claims that “our d<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>151</span>esire -for sleep is manifestly designed to promote -in us the growth and development of spiritual -graces.” In other words, we desire to sleep, -that we may relate the experiences of our -every-day active life to the sum of knowledge -we already possess by inheritance and past experience, -that we may thereby get a fuller understanding -of life and its purposes.</p> - -<p>“It is not uncommon for those who have no -habit or inclination to sleep during the morning -hours of secular days, to be overcome with -somnolency in church soon after the devotional -exercises are begun, and to find it impossible -to derive any edification from them until they -have lost themselves for a moment or two in -absolute unconsciousness. Then they have no -difficulty, sometimes a lively pleasure, in attending -to the exercises which follow. The -worshiper is then withdrawn from the familiar -excitement of customary avocations. It is idle -to suppose that in these few moments of repose, -upright in his pew, he has rested enough, in the -common acceptation of that word, to repair any -waste of tissue that would explain the new sense -of refreshment that ensues. He has received, -in that brief retirement from the world, some -reinforcements which manifestly are not dependent -upon time or space for their efficacy—spiritual -reinforcements, and spiritual reinforcements -only. He has removed himself, or -been removed, further away, out of sight or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>152</span> -hearing or thinking, so to speak, of his phenomenal -life, and nearer to the Source of all -life.” This explanation may or may not be -true. He adds:</p> - -<p>“It was quite a common impression among -the ancients that sleepers in temples of religion -were more apt to receive divine communications -there than elsewhere.” (“Mystery of Sleep,” John Bigelow, pp. 94-95.)</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>153</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX<br /> - -<small>WE LEARN TO DO BY DOING</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">Sleep winds us up for the succeeding dawn.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Young.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Good</span> health and good sleep are so interdependent -that it is as difficult to separate -them into cause and effect as to determine -“which came first, the hen or the egg?” -If it be true that life may be wonderfully prolonged -as soon as we have learned to avoid disease -and exhaustion, and that we may learn to -avoid both by avoiding excess, then it is as much -within our power to live long and well as to -sleep long and well, if we so wish. Senility, the -disease of old age, is now believed to be caused -by germs which flourish in the waste matter -left in the system through improper or excessive -eating.</p> - -<p>Metchnikoff, the noted bacteriologist, alleges -that the large intestine is the breeding-place -of these destructive germs. A Dr. Hall arrived -at the same conclusion earlier and combated -his germs with copious water-flooding -of the bowels. So far, Metchnikoff’s experiments -point to the conclusion that lactic acid<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>154</span> -destroys them. That is why he recommends the -use of pure buttermilk and has invented a tablet -that, dropped into milk, will convert it into -a wholesome drink for adult man. Discoveries -and inventions of this sort are of great interest -to all who enjoy and seek to prolong life. But -purely physical things cannot take the place -of the mental attitude. The youngest woman -of seventy-nine that I have ever known is one -who says, “Tell me more; I must not get into -such a rut that I cannot grow.” No discovery or -invention will do us much good if we allow -habit to cramp our thought and custom to -stale it.</p> - -<p>Science may show us how to avoid disease -and to prolong life, but, if we turn a deaf ear -to her teaching, we shall get no benefit from it. -It is the alert, open mind that profits from discovery -or experience. The sun may shine with -life-giving power, but, if the house be shuttered -and darkened, it will not benefit the dwellers. -So with the mind. If we resolutely shut it -against new ideas, if we refuse to take even -the gift of life and health from an unaccustomed -hand, then we must expect to suffer.</p> - -<p>If we would rid ourselves of sleeplessness, of -disease, and dissatisfaction, we must be willing -to let go of every habit, every thought, every -feeling that may injure us. To hug them to us -is merely to invite further suffering, to lessen -our own vigor and our own enjoyment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>155</span></p> - -<p>Nevertheless, we must hug our habits to us, -if we can see or understand nothing better. No -one can help us beyond what we are willing to -receive: anyone can lead a horse to the water, -but no one can make him drink. If the end in -view seems to us worth the price we must pay, -we pay it. We have no choice; for our desires -push us that way. We often take credit to ourselves -for things for which no credit is due us. -However self-denying an act may seem, it is, -after all, the thing we want most to do, else we -would not do it.</p> - -<p>In the same way, if we refuse to profit by the -discoveries and experiments of others, if we -prefer to go on in our old way of suffering, nobody -can really prevent us. It is all a matter -that we must decide. This book does not pretend -to cure any ill. It intends merely to show -what investigation and experience have proved; -to point to possible ways of escape from the -ills with which men now suffer. If it looks desirable -to you, you will only read it; but, until -you have tried it, you cannot say whether it is -good or not.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>156</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXI">CHAPTER XXXI<br /> - -<small>VAIN REGRETS</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Thou hast been called, O Sleep! the friend of woe;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But ’tis the happy that have called thee so.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Southey.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Sometimes</span> we lie awake at night to regret -some action of our own because the result -has not been what we desired or expected. -“John the Unafraid” says that “if your misfortune -is not your own fault, you have much to -be glad of. If it is your own fault you have -more to be glad of, since you can prevent that -misfortune from occurring again.” -In either case, therefore, you may follow the -advice given so many years ago, “Rejoice evermore.” At least it is evident that in neither -case need you lose sleep over it: for, according -to your light, you did what seemed to you at the -time best for you to do.</p> - -<p>For, to quote Epictetus again, it is not possible -“to judge one thing to be best for me and -seek another.” The thing you did, you did because -it seemed best to do that, and to regret -now and wish you had done something else is, in -reality, to wish that you had been a different<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>157</span> -person from what you were, which is a foolish -regret, or, that you had done something different -from what seemed best to do. That would -be a mild form of insanity. You don’t really -regret that you were not insane?</p> - -<p>It has no bearing on the case that the outcome -has proved that you were mistaken. You -might never have learned that your course was -not best for you or for others, except by doing -just as you did. Now you have that much more -knowledge than you had before, and you can -use it to help you another time. A man can’t -do any better than he can. You cannot do more -than you <i class="em">know</i>, and you only know what you -have learned by experience. The great majority -of us learn only in the school of personal -experience; the few wise ones learn some things -through the experience of others, by relating -or applying their own experience to the events -in the lives of others. Comparing and reflecting, -they come to see the close relation of act -and consequence, and thus recognize the universal -laws in operation.</p> - -<p>Such wisdom may be yours, but it will not -come through regretting that you did not possess -it ready-made. Besides, no misfortune, -whether we are ourselves directly responsible -for it or not, is ever in vain. No matter how -hard and almost unendurable the “misfortune” may have seemed at the time, we shall -find in looking back that it was no unmixed evil.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>158</span> -The terrible calamity has often been the turning-point -in our lives. It made us pause and -think, and, through the thinking, we have -achieved development of which we were otherwise -incapable.</p> - -<p>Even when we do not always see this for ourselves, -partly because we are not always good -judges of our own development or progress, we -see it plainly in the lives of others. A friend of -mine once said to me of a woman who was doing -a tremendous work in the world, “I remember -when she was just a selfish society woman.” -“What changed her?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, she lost her only daughter very suddenly. -It was a terrible blow, and her friends -thought she would never recover. But she did, -and those who love her best know that that -heavy sorrow was really a blessing in disguise. -Think what she is now!” -I smiled appreciatively, for my friend was -herself still smarting from a keen disappointment -which she had not yet recognized as a -blessing in disguise. But recognizing it in another’s -life must eventually help her to see it -in her own.</p> - -<p>If our misfortune has come from a selfishness -that we might have overcome, and did not, we -shall not better matters by wasting time in regret. -“Repentance”—which is the only emotion -such a misfortune should arouse—“is to -up and act for righteousness, and forget that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>159</span> -you ever had relations with sin.” Unless we -“bring forth fruits meet for repentance,” our -repentance is lost, and we are indeed worse off -than if we had felt none.</p> - -<p>Spinoza, the Jewish philosopher, has spoken -almost the last word on the uselessness of regret. -He says: “One might perhaps expect -gnawings of conscience and repentance to help -to bring him on the right path, and might thereupon -conclude (as everyone does conclude) -that these affections are good things. Yet when -we look at the matter closely, we shall find that -not only are they not good, but on the contrary -hurtful and evil passions. For it is manifest -that we can always get along better by reason -and love of truth than by worry of conscience -and remorse.” -It is an old Hebrew idea that we should repent -in sackcloth and ashes, making ourselves -miserable that we may make God happy. We -forget that love cannot enjoy anyone’s misery. -It were indeed a perverted mind, whether human -or divine, that could derive pleasure from -the discomfort or sorrow of another.</p> - -<p>Plants grow better when the sunshine warms -them, and human beings expand and develop -under the sunshine of joyous reflection and effort. -If you are losing sleep through dreary -or hopeless regret, purge your mind of such -folly, and, after a sound sleep, you will find -that things look brighter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>160</span></p> - -<p>There are, of course, exceptions to the rule -that sleep brings mental quiet, for some sorts -of nervous sufferers are prone to depression in -the morning, but it is not common among active, -healthy persons. They, like well-nourished -children, awake to find each day a fresh delight.</p> - -<p>Dr. M. Allen Starr, the distinguished nerve -specialist of New York, writes me that there -are several explanations of the cause of such -depression. He is of the opinion that those who -are depressed from melancholia when they wake -in the morning, are probably suffering from a -toxic condition of the blood which originally -produced the melancholia. This toxin, or -poison, is resisted by the nervous system when -it is well nourished, but has a greater effect -when the nervous system is poorly nourished. -He says that there is a general consensus of -opinion that, during sleep, the blood vessels of -the brain are contracted slightly so that the -amount of blood going into the brain during -sleep is less than during the waking hours. -This was proved many years ago by Professor -Mosso of Turin, by a series of experiments -which are conclusive. When blood vessels are -contracted, and less blood is going to an organ, -the nutrition of that organ is less actively maintained. -Hence, if a person has poison in the -system, it is less restricted during sleep, has -a greater opportunity to attack the nerve-cells, -and thus to prevent the nutrition which is es<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>161</span>sential -to the feeling of general comfort. That -is the theory on which we physicians explain -depression on awaking after sleep in melancholia. -What is true of melancholia is probably -true also of fatigue conditions and irregular -conditions of health, many of which are dependent -upon the existence in the blood of substances -detrimental to health, either the products -of indigestion or the poisons of disease. -This theory explains the conditions in which -a person not actively ill may awake from a sleep -in a state of depression. (See Appendix A.)</p> - -<p>Prof. Edward M. Weyer in reading the -sheets of this book suggests another tentative -explanation of depression upon waking: if we -consider the nerve cell as stored with energy, -then, if the store is maintained at normal, it is -in a healthful state. The supply fluctuates -somewhat during the day, but in the melancholic -person it does not rise to normal even -after good sleep: the less amount of carbonic -acid gas eliminated during sleep leaves the -system on waking at the mercy of that poisoned -gas and of the chronically low nervous energy.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>162</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXII">CHAPTER XXXII<br /> - -<small>THE LOVE THAT IS PEACE</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sweet gate of life, sweet type of death—</div> - <div class="verse indent14">Come, Sleep!</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Dora Read Goodale.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Many</span> persons lose sleep because of their -love for others, as the lover who sighs and -tosses, dreaming, asleep or awake, of the beloved. -The mother loses sleep thinking of the -child with its little worries and problems, its -willfulness or its frail health. There is always -some cause that seems to her reasonable ground -for worry. The father, too, plans for the future -of his son, and lies awake to map out a -life for another human being, as if that being -were a puppet and his father held the strings -by which it could be moved in his hands.</p> - -<p>Dickens showed the futility of such planning -in “Dombey and Son,” and we have all seen -it in actual life. Yet we go on doing as our fathers -did, and suffering, as we say, “because -of our love.” It is really only because we do -not understand what love is.</p> - -<p>What we usually call love is largely self-love; -that is why we hear so much of the pangs of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>163</span> -love. Love, being the essence of godlikeness, -ought to bring us the joy of the gods, and love -would bring only joy if we could forget ourselves. -We understand ourselves so little that -we do not know when our love is self-love. We -are always seeking some return upon our affection, -as if it were an investment that must pay -dividends to prove its profitableness. The price -of our love is generally the right to criticise, -to influence, to control; or, if we forego these -seeming advantages, we expect at least consideration -from those whom we have blessed with -our love. No relation of life seems too sacred -to escape the contamination of the selfish demands -of self or narrow love.</p> - -<p>The mother loves her child, cares for it in -its helpless years, gladly risks even her life for -it, and yet may be unwilling that that child shall -live its own life, follow its own yearnings, think -its own thoughts. The great stumbling-block -of the parent is the unconscious demand for -gratitude, the claim made upon the child of a -return for the effort and affection so freely bestowed. -It may be that the parent does not look -for material returns, such as money or position, -nevertheless a price is exacted every time -that the parent is surprised, disappointed, or -angered by the child pursuing some course contrary -to his teaching. The love that cared for -the helpless child becomes the tyranny that -would control its thoughts and action.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>164</span></p> - -<p>We say “This is natural,” but we seldom -say, even to ourselves, “This is selfishness.” We would not desire to compel another to think -as we think, if we were not sure that we could -not be mistaken. It is a conceit of ourselves -which makes us quick to thrust upon another -“ready-made” opinions because they are our -opinions.</p> - -<p>But there is a still more subtle selfishness -than this that may be at the bottom of things. -If we have earnestly advocated anything which -the world has been slow to accept, we feel that -it is a sort of attack upon us and our views -when our children do not support those views. -We say, “How can we expect others to heed -us, if our own children don’t heed us,” and so -we are hurt or angered. We think of their -opposition as disloyalty, and it does not occur -to us that it might be no advantage if others -did heed us; that the very opposition of our -children may be the best means of preventing -us from doing harm to our fellows.</p> - -<p>Besides, if we cared more that men should -see the right and love it, than that they should -heed us, it would not hurt or vex us whether -they listened or not. If we have a message, -it will find hearers and followers. “There can -never be one lost good,” says Browning, and, if -what we would teach is good, it will find its own. -It is self-love, not love for others, which makes -us sore or angry when they will not listen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>165</span></p> - -<p>It is a narrow love that makes us fail our -friends because they have not fulfilled the ideal -we had of them. We never really loved them. -We loved something that we thought they -should be, and were unwilling to find them -something different. We get pain out of our -relations with our fellow-beings because our -love is not big enough to exclude self.</p> - -<p>We make in our minds a model of what our -friends should be, and it takes up so much room -that we cannot accommodate so much as a mental -photograph of what they really are. And -just there lies not only the possibility but the -absolute assurance of “disappointment” in -them, and consequent “pain” for ourselves.</p> - -<p>If we knew our friends for what they really -are, and were willing that they should be themselves, -we could not possibly be disappointed -in them. We really insist upon our friends being -in “our own image and likeness.” Just -so the Hebrews, in the efforts to present God to -the world, made of him simply a man like themselves—big -and strong, to be sure, with sentiments -of love and pity and justice, but with a -lust of anger and revenge which almost blotted -out his tenderness. Many people still cling to -this idea of God, but they are mostly those -whose love is so full of self that even the Supreme -Being must conform to their standard -or they cease to believe in him.</p> - -<p>The “disappointment” that so often follows<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>166</span> -marriage, even between the fondest lovers, is -mainly caused by this narrow or self-love. -Most married misery is due to each trying to -improve the other instead of himself. “Because -I love him,” says the wife, “he should -do as I ask him, but he refuses. He does not -love me as I love him. I am almost broken-hearted -with disappointment.” -“Any wife who loved her husband would -find it a pleasure to be and to do what he asks. -My wife does not conform to my wishes, but -insists upon doing as she herself prefers. If -a man is not the head of his own house, how is -happiness possible? Marriage is indeed a lottery, -and I have drawn a blank,” says he.</p> - -<p>But there is one thing certain, if we find ourselves -suffering through our love in any relation -of life, whether as husband or wife, mother, -daughter, lover, friend, we may be sure that -it is because our love is not broad enough; because -we believe in ownership, or desire gratitude, -or are confident of our wisdom and ability -to control the life of another. In short, that -we love self best. “Love suffereth long and is -kind; ... seeketh not her own, is not easily -provoked, thinketh no evil.” The largest love -embraces, understands, and forgives everything, -and knows no disappointments and no end.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>167</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII">CHAPTER XXXIII<br /> - -<small>THE SPECTER OF DEATH</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Often</span> we are anxious and sleepless only -because we are afraid of what is not in -itself frightful. Like the little child in the picture -who mounts the dark stairs in deadly terror -of an imaginary bear, we are afraid lest we -should see a vague something that might terrify -us still more.</p> - -<p>But perhaps there is a real specter in our -path? Let us attack the most terrible foe; having -overcome him, we shall find that the lesser -ones have no power over us.</p> - -<p>A man was once walking alone a lonely road -on a dark, misty night, fearing every sound -and looking for danger. He had been told that -the road was haunted and this was the terror -that possessed him. As he neared the haunted -spot, he saw a white form rise from the earth. -It was barely discernible through the mist as -it waved thin arms and made soft moaning -sighs. His hair rose on his head, but his going -forward was imperative, so he took heart of -grace, and determined to face his adversary.</p> - -<p>“Spirit or human,” said he, “I shall settle -you before I leave this place to-night.” With<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>168</span> -this he dashed forward, and found that it was -merely a slender birch with white under-leaves -upturned in the wind, as the breeze sighed -through its branches.</p> - -<p>The rest of the road held no terrors for him. -The specter he had most dreaded proved to be -nothing at all. In conquering his first emotion -of fear he had vanquished all terror.</p> - -<p>Maybe we fear the possible death either of -ourselves or of some other dearer than ourselves. -Are we afraid of that? Let us look -calmly at it. Changes have taken place, and -are even now in progress in our bodies, yet we -do not fear them. For the most part we are -even unconscious of them: a change is not terrible -in itself, no matter how great it is. Death -is but another change, one that has not yet -come.</p> - -<p>A pious man once appealed in distress to the -late Rev. Dr. John Hall: he said he knew his -soul was saved, but he was afraid of dying. Dr. -Hall asked him, “But you are not dying now, -are you?” -“No,” he said, “but I know that I must die -some day.” -“Ah, well!” replied the doctor, “we hardly -need dying grace until our dying day.” -“As our day so shall our strength be”—the -bravest soldier may be nervous contemplating -the battle, but in the action he finds not only -courage but exhilaration. So, if we learn to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>169</span> -live from day to day, we may well put off fear -of death or dying until our dying day has come, -and then we may find that there is nothing to -fear. For the present, what we have to consider -is life, and what it may mean.</p> - -<p>There are two ways of looking at life: one -regards life as the changes that take place in -the body from birth to death. The body is always -changing, being almost all renewed at -least every seven years. Old hair is constantly -falling out, to be replaced by new; we cut the -excess growth of the nails, and rarely stop to -think that the nails we have to-day are not the -same nails we had a few weeks or months ago. -We get rid of dead skin, and our skin constantly -renews itself, and so we feel no worry -if we cut or scratch it. We say quite complacently, -“Oh! it will heal up and new skin -grow.” The whole body fades and is renewed. -It is not, then, the changes in the body that we -fear.</p> - -<p>We accept this series of physical changes as -physical life, for we know that, if the changes -stopped, life would stop also; but we must also -recognize them as death, for the beginning of -each new stage is the death of the previous -stage. Thus death is steadily going on in ourselves, -at the same time that life continues, and -we not only have no fear of it, but are unconscious -of the process: our body is constantly -passing from death to life, as well as from life<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>170</span> -to death, and we are not afraid of that; in fact, -we never give a thought to it.</p> - -<p>Even from the physical standpoint man need -not spend his best years fearing death. When -we live so that death shall round out a long -life, we shall have lost all fear of it. When -we say that a person did not die a “natural -death” we usually mean that he died suddenly -and violently. But death from disease is not -“natural” either, and in as far as we learn -how to live aright, harmonizing the physical, -mental, and spiritual natures, realizing that the -perishing body is not all of us, we can avoid -most of the fruitful sources of disease. As we -learn what true life is, and how natural the -eventual dissolution of the body is, we shall -cease to tremble at it.</p> - -<p>Metchnikoff, the eminent philosopher and -student who has devoted years of study and -research to the life and death of man, says: -“When diseases are suppressed, and the course -of life regulated by scientific hygiene, it is probable -that death will come only at extreme old -age. When death comes in its natural place at -the end of the normal cycle of the physical life, -it will be robbed of its terrors, and be accepted -gratefully as any other part of the cycle of -life.” -He thinks, in fact, that the instinct of life -may be replaced by an instinct of death. “It -is even possible,” he says, “that the approac<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>171</span>h -of natural death is one of the most pleasant -sensations in the world.” Perhaps the most -striking evidence of the truth of this so far -recorded is the case of Brillat-Savarin’s aunt—who, -at ninety-three, said to her famous -nephew, “If you ever reach my age you will -find that one wants to die just as one wants to -sleep.” -All of us know of cases where the very aged, -having lived their lives to the best of their -perceptions, awaited death willingly and almost -joyfully. As Browning says, “Thou waitedst -age; wait death, nor be afraid.” -Fear of the approach of death disturbs us -because we feel further possibilities of life. We -do not want to be cut off in the flower of our -existence; we think of death, not as a change of -existence, but as the end of it, and we think -there is no sure way of avoiding that. All of -us have felt the truth of Dickens’ idea of the -bells which toll almost gladly for the aged, but -seem to weep when the young die. We are sure -we should not fear death, nor be unwilling to -die if we had the privilege of living to a “ripe -old age.” For time is not measured by the -clock or by the calendar; those measure only -the revolutions of the earth and of the sun. -Time is measured by thought and act, and, more -than all, by feeling. And we can ordinarily -prolong our own lives to the time when we shall -willingly and gladly lay them down.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>172</span></p> - -<p>This willingness is by no means the same -feeling that prompts the useless and unmeaning -exclamation, “Oh, I wish I were dead!” The -average person gets into such an unreasoning -state over every little happening that he cannot -see any connection between the events in -his daily life. He becomes discouraged, and -thinks for the moment that he would like to -quit it all. No matter how many years such an -one has lived, he has not attained a “ripe old -age.” Ripeness has no part in petty impatience; -it implies mellowness, soundness, and -general wholesomeness of character.</p> - -<p>As man is learning more and more about his -life, he is finding that sickness, premature old -age, and untimely death are, in a large measure, -due to his own misunderstanding of the -purposes of life. It is this misunderstanding -that gives the mysterious air to life. We fear -the mysterious, for our ingrained habit of regarding -things that we do not yet understand as -insoluble mysteries is a relic of the days when -savage man found mystery and danger in -everything.</p> - -<p>So, if we are making ourselves unhappy, losing -sleep, and suffering physical and mental -distress because of the possible approach of -death, we may dismiss that cause of worry. As -soon as we begin to consider the purposes of -life and our relation to them, we shall naturally -avoid excesses in eating; live as hy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>173</span>gienically -as possible; harbor cleanly, uplifting -thoughts, helpful to others and to ourselves, and -so reach out spiritually for a fuller understanding -of the purposes of all life. And what we -cease to fear for ourselves, we soon cease to -fear for our other selves.</p> - -<p>Living thus, we shall not fear death, but shall -move toward it without thinking of it, knowing -that it is natural, merely the long sleep of -the objective consciousness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>174</span></p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep till the end, true soul and sweet!</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Nothing comes to thee new or strange.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sleep full of rest from head to feet;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Lie still, dry dust, secure of change.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Tennyson.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">O’er each vain eye oblivious pinions wave,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And quench’d existence crouches in a grave.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">What better name may Slumber’s bed become?</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Night’s Sepulcher, the universal Home,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Where Weakness, Strength, Vice, Virtue, sunk supine,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Alike in naked helplessness recline;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Glad for a while to heave unconscious breath,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Yet wake to wrestle with the dread of death,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And shun, though day but dawns on ills increased,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">That Sleep, the loveliest, since it dreams the least.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Byron.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>175</span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV<br /> - -<small>A NATURAL CHANGE</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Through</span> generations, perhaps for hundreds -of thousands of years, custom has -ordained grief for the dead, we have come to -feel that it is a proof of affection or of sensitiveness -or a sort of virtue: we indulge in the -luxury of woe, we nurse our grief until, like a -spoiled lap-dog, it becomes a burden. But we -know that the unselfish dead would only be distressed -at our grieving.</p> - -<p>When we look upon the change called death -as no more mysterious than any of the other -changes in our bodily or mental development, -which we either welcome or are unconscious of, -we shall lose our terror of it either for ourselves -or for others.</p> - -<p>Our terror for others is not really for those -others so much as for ourselves. The sense -of “our great loss” is really a piece of selfishness. -For life cannot mean one thing for us -and another for our brother; as we see our -own lives, so must we see the lives of those we -love. The purposes of life are the same for -all men, for all men are in the plan of the -Spirit.</p> - -<p>If for any reason our brother has passed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>176</span> -from our earthly cognizance, we cannot say -that we have really lost him. It is true that we -do not see him with our eyes or touch him with -our hands, but we have a remembrance of him -in the form of a mental picture down to the -minutest details of how he looked and moved, -and we also have a remembrance of his spiritual -character.</p> - -<p>For the character—that sum of the abilities -of those we love—remains with us after the -physical form has passed away. We are affected -by it just as we were when the loved one -lived. We can feel the appeal that that character -makes to us, its effect upon our thoughts -and actions, as strongly as if the absent one -stood beside us and claimed our attention. -How, then, can we say he is lost?</p> - -<p>The dead whom we have loved hold us as -securely as they did when they were living; it -is only that we do not see how. It has come -within the experience of many that the death -of father, mother, or some dearly loved one has -led to the awakening of some wayward or misguided -one who seemed to be wasting all the -opportunities of life. We know that it was not -the mere death which worked this seeming -miracle. That simply woke the dormant love in -the one who had hitherto desired only his own -way. As soon as he became conscious of his -love for the beloved one who has passed out of -his earthly life, he longed to be what his be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>177</span>loved -would have had him be, and so he turned -his attention to using the opportunities of life, -to the end that he might grow and develop. -Thus in death the loved one held the wayward -friend even more securely than he ever -had in life.</p> - -<p>We shall not fear death, even for those we -love, when we have realized that it is but a -passing from life to life—just as the falling -leaves do not mean the annihilation of the life -of the tree, but merely the end of one phase -of that life. Somewhere, some time, that which -was really our loved one will blossom again in -the world’s experience, and even now is continuing -to live through its influence upon our -lives. “There is no death; what seems so is -transition.” -The bodily companionship with all that it -implies, that we have lost: yet, if our beloved -had gone to be Viceroy of India, we should miss -him, but we should not put on mourning for -that, nor “grieve” that we had lost his companionship.</p> - -<p>“But we could write and hear from him and -so keep in touch with him.” True: it is then -for your own loss that you mourn.</p> - -<p>Nearly all the suffering that death causes us -is for ourselves. It is our feeling of helplessness, -the emptiness of the earth that is left, -the changed world that we look at in the sleepless -hours of the night, or, when we awake in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>178</span> -the morning, our pity for our own loss and the -seeming uselessness of what remains of our existence. -This consciousness of our loss numbs -us so that we cannot get a realizing sense of -the joys of the spirit set free from the limitations -of the body. Our love is still so earthy -that it demands fleshly as well as spiritual -communion.</p> - -<p>So real is our suffering when those we love -best are torn from us that for a time we are -inconsolable. Philosophy, religion, the affectionate -ministrations of those about us, avail -not to bind up the broken heart. There is but -one cure for such grief—to minister to others. -Unselfish devotion to a great cause—the cause -of our fellows, whether in the mass or individually—is -a sovereign balm for a bleeding heart.</p> - -<p>When we understand life we know this, for -we have learned that neither in joy nor in sorrow -can any man live to himself. Action of any -sort relieves tension and suffering. If we bottle -up all our sympathy for ourselves, it becomes -so tainted with selfishness and narrowness that -it loses its healing qualities. But if we let that -sympathy go out freely to others, forgetting -our “personal” needs, it blesses them and -blesses us.</p> - -<p>A friend of mine lost a son and daughter by -drowning, just as they had entered young manhood -and womanhood, and for a time his grief -threatened to crush him. He found no relief<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>179</span> -until he had his attention called to the sorrow -of another who, through a train wreck, had -lost his only child. Although a stranger to this -stricken father, he sought him out and, because -of his own double loss, was able to comfort him -as no one else could. Moreover, the restlessness -went out of his own heart; he realized his -kinship with all sufferers as never before.</p> - -<p>There is a story in “The Light of Asia” that Buddha, to comfort a mother broken-hearted -over the death of her only child, sent -her to get black mustard seed from a house -where death had never been. The mother carried -her dead babe about the village, and in each -house she was offered mustard seed, but each -giver said, “Death has been here.” At last -she realized that she was not the only sufferer, -that death was a necessary accompaniment of -life as shadow is a necessary accompaniment -of light. Her grief, she saw, was but a part of -the common sorrow. The recognition that -either joy or sorrow is common to all increases -the healing sense of unity, it is a “touch of -nature” that “makes the whole world kin.” -There is no wrong in our grieving, if it comforts -us: but to look thus each for himself dispassionately -at the cause and the nature of his -grief, will surely give so clear a view of it that -it will no longer deprive us of sleep.</p> - -<p>Then why lose sleep worrying about what we -know to be merely a change?</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>180</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXV">CHAPTER XXXV<br /> - -<small>THE DISTRUST OF LIFE</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Come Sleep, O Sleep! the certain knot of peace,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Th’ indifferent judge between the high and low.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Sir Philip Sidney.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">If</span> there is no cause to fear death, even when -one views life as purely physical, there is -still less cause to fear it when one holds the -second possible view of what life is—the view -that life is the Unseen Consciousness and is -within one’s self. These are two opposing -views; it is only when we try to combine them -that we find ourselves filled with fears. When -we reason about our bodily life, thinking of -ourselves as animals, and apply the conclusions -to our lives as men, we find confusion, uncertainty, -and fear: for our minds reach conclusions -that our hearts tell us cannot be true.</p> - -<p>What man fears is not death—<i class="em">as an animal</i> -he does not know or see death. As long as a -man is mainly animal he suffers only as an animal. -The deer that flees before the dogs is -not afraid of death, for it is not possible that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>181</span> -it could conceive of death: that is possible only -to the reflecting and comparing mind. He fears -the suffering that must follow from an attack -from creatures of superior strength and fierce -appetites. So man fears that his animal existence, -which he does know,—with all its -changes,—may be painfully cut off. As a rational -being, man knows that death is only a -natural and never-ending change. He knows -that life is only that which he recognizes as -humanness in himself when he meditates upon -it. He says to himself, “I feel my life, not -as I have been or as I shall be, but I feel it -thus: that I am, that I never began anywhere, -that I shall never end anywhere.” According -to this view, death does not exist.</p> - -<p>His animal view of life, as the changes in his -body, differs so much from the spiritual view -of life as Unseen Consciousness, that he cannot -reconcile them. They lead to “warring in -his members,” a conflict between the limitations -of the mind and the intuitions of the soul. -This causes fear.</p> - -<p>There is, of course, a merely physical shrinking -from death, the result of race inheritance. -In the early days of our race, before man had -learned to control the forces of material life, -those men or races of men that did not love -life, feared death and avoided it, made less effort, -and took less care of their lives, and, accordingly, -soon ceased to exist. Only the hardy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>182</span> -survived. The fear of death helped to preserve -the race.</p> - -<p>But this inherited shrinking from death is -not what tortures man. What causes the uneasiness -is rather that superstitious fear of -death, which is really fear of a life after the -throes of death. We have made this present -life so unreasonable and so inconsistent with -our own nature that we feel as if any life after -death must be just as incomprehensible and inconsistent -as this one, so we fear it. We fail -to see that all life goes on developing and improving, -and so we think our future life may -be much worse than what we have now; then, -like Hamlet, we ask is it really “better to endure -the ills we have than fly to others that we -know not of?” -Because we hold these two views of life, the -animal’s view and the spirit’s view, we seem -to hear two voices crying in our hearts when -we consider things: the voice of the Body and -the voice of the Soul. The Body says, “I shall -cease to be, I shall die, all that I set my life -in shall die.” The Soul cries, “I am, I cannot -die, I ought not to die,” and, as if from -still deeper depths, comes an appalling whisper, -“Yet I am dying.” (Tolstoy.)</p> - -<p>It is because of this contradiction that terror -seizes the mind when we think of the death -of the flesh. Man has so long assumed that his -fleshly life is the same as himself that he can<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>183</span>not -easily rid himself of the idea. Yet, if a -man lose a hand or an arm or a leg by accident, -he does not think that part of his consciousness -or self is gone. He knows that a part of his -body—through which himself is made manifest -to other men—is gone, but he does not for a -moment think that he, the human being, is any -less. And he is not.</p> - -<p>It is true that the automatic processes of his -mind refuse for some time to accept the loss -of the members of his body, he misses that way -of expressing his will. But that is not so -strange as it may at first seem. All voluntary -motion arises from desire, and is sent out from -the directing mind by means of the nerves to -the part of the body fitted to perform that -motion. We are not conscious of sending -an order to any nerve center when we wish to -put one foot before the other in walking or to -use our fingers in writing.</p> - -<p>Yet such an order is given, and the desire -and the nerve center have both learned from repeated -experiences just how properly to direct -that message to the foot or to the tips of -the fingers. If, for any reason, we miscalculate, -we find ourselves walking haltingly or -stumblingly along; or our fingers do not move -the pencil fairly so as to get the right results. -So, too, when we have lost a foot or a hand, the -nerve centers send out their messages with -the same force as before, but the messages<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>184</span> -find no way of being delivered. But at no -time does a man think that he is less -himself because of the missing member. For -myself and my body are not one and the -same. <i class="em">Myself</i> is that which lives in my -body, and neither that body nor the years it exists -in any way determine the life of myself. -This self of mine, which thinks and feels, is -older than recorded time; why, then, should we -think that it will end with the century? It -would not be possible, within the few years that -the body exists, for the intelligence or consciousness -of the individual to begin at nothingness -and attain the degree of development of a -human being.</p> - -<p>This self or consciousness is really the outcome -of the impressions, experiences, and conclusions -of my ancestors for thousands upon -thousands of years back, and this self began -to be shaped even by that from which man -sprang. It is continuous; just as it began before -my body was formed, so it must go on after -the body ceases to exist; it cannot be a mere -part of the body which will change with it or -end with it.</p> - -<p>We do not know, as yet, how we shall continue -to live after the body is laid away: -whether in the thoughts and feelings and deeds -we have done in the flesh; or in our unending, -though unconscious, influence; or in the lives -of the children of our bodies or of our minds<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>185</span> -and hearts. But we do know that the world -will never be the same as if we had never been -here. We do know that what has existed -through unnumbered ages will not end in this.</p> - -<p>Life does not cease with sleep nor end with -death. “I never was not,” says the Bhagavad -Gita, “nor shall I hereafter cease to be.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>186</span></p> - - - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI<br /> -<small>REST AND SLEEP</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">O Happy Sleep! that bear’st upon thy breast</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The blood-red poppy of enchanting rest.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Ada Louise Martin.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">One</span> of the main purposes of sleep is to secure -rest to men. But intelligence will -find rest in many other ways independent of -sleep or of promoting sleep. We are just beginning, -under the leadership of such people as -Miss Eva Vescelius, to make a full use of music -as a soother of the nerves: yet, as long ago as -the time of David, some persons knew its value. -Browning’s magnificent poem, “Saul,” recounts its force.</p> - -<p>As David exorcised Saul’s evil spirit by the -skillful harp and voice, so those who are studying -the therapeutics of music are now helping -the physically and mentally ill. Miss Vescelius -and those working with her claim that “music -is capable of great life-awakening energy.... -The use of music for healing the sick is therefore -a natural use of a natural power. Music, -like medicine, has been divided into classes as -stimulants, sedatives, and narcotics. It is now<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>187</span> -admitted that music can be so employed as to -exercise a distinct psychological influence upon -the mind, the nerve centers and the circulatory -system, and that by the intelligent use of music -many ills may be cured.” -For almost all of us “music hath charms -to soothe.” Others again find in some form of -massage a sweet though artificial sedative; -some even in the combing of the hair, which is -possibly connected with an electric effect, for -we know little definitely as yet of the principles -of the possible curative force of electricity.</p> - -<p>Others again rest by a mere mental change -in their ordinary avocations. My wife was once -talking with Mr. Stiegler, a well-known riding -teacher in New York, and he said that he was in -the saddle every day from six or seven in the -morning till eleven at night, with only short -intervals for meals. “It’s a hard life,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“But Sundays?” the lady asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Sundays! I have Sundays to myself.” -“And what do you do on Sundays?” -“Oh!” he said, “I take a ride in the -Park.” -The relief from the strain of watching the -pupils and their horses was rest to him.</p> - -<p>When Weston had won his first six days’ -walk in Madison Square Garden, he went out -to take a walk on Fifth Avenue on the Sunday.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>188</span></p> - -<p>To find harmony with our own natures, to -act in accordance with our natural or acquired -tendencies, is rest. A peaceful surrounding is -rest in itself, though sleep may not be wooed. -One may be rested by a walk in a country lane, -when a walk in the bustle of Broadway would -only tire him the more.</p> - -<p>And this peaceful surrounding may be interior -just as well as exterior. Mrs. Elizabeth -Burns Ferm, who has a playhouse for children -on the East Side in New York, and does a great -deal of other work, recently said: “I could -never accomplish what I do if I did not sleep -so well. That rests me completely. I do not -dream nor stir. I drop into the homogeneous, -forgetting myself and becoming just a part of -life. In this way I rest.” -The oldest books show that, ever since there -have been any records of man, he has been -seeking happiness and rest, yet he has not attained -either happiness or rest. But the seeking -has helped in his growth upward and progress -has been his reward. As Browning -says:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Progress is man’s distinguishing mark alone;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Not God’s; not the beasts’: He is; they are;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Man partly is and wholly hopes to be.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Even though man seeks in wrong directions, -he is sure to move onward so long as he continues -to seek, for, if we sufficiently desire any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>189</span> -goal, we shall eventually find it. “What d’ye -lack? quoth God,” says Emerson, “take it -and pay the price.” Jesus put the same thing -in another form. Said he, “Ask and it shall -be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and -it shall be opened unto you.” -Those who misunderstand life and its purposes -apply this only to what are called religious -matters, but those who see farther into -life know that it applies in every way. It all -depends upon what we feel that we lack. If we -feel we lack pleasure, or happiness, or rest, we -seek them along the lines we think they may be -found. And we pay the price that is asked. We -cannot avoid this so long as cause and effect -follow each other.</p> - -<p>If we seek happiness through selfish gratifications, -we pay the price of disappointment and -pain, if we are at all enlightened. Of course, if -a man lives the life of the animal merely, cutting -himself off from any recognition of the -claims of his fellows, he may get all the happiness -he can understand through self-seeking. -But the price he pays is that he is not able to -understand or to appreciate more than this -lesser happiness. As Walter Scott says:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“For him no minstrel raptures swell.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Proud though his title, high his fame,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Despite those titles, power and pelf,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The wretch, concentered all in self,</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>190</span> - <div class="verse indent0">Living shall forfeit fair renown,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And, doubly dying, shall go down</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To the vile dust from whence he sprung,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Unwept, unhonored, and unsung.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>This is the price he pays.</p> - -<p>If we seek happiness through the happiness -of all; if we forget self, understanding that all -are One, seeking that wisdom which comes only -from seeing all life as one, we, in like measure, -get the reward.</p> - -<p>Men, mere animal men, who understand nothing -but self-seeking, may speak evil of us, they -probably will, but even that cannot “hurt” us. -We shall understand that such evil speaking is -the best they know, and that, therefore, it is -not evil to their minds. Moreover, the further -premium to us will be a broader understanding, -a deepening love, an increase of happiness, an -influx of peace, a pervading sense of rest, and -quiet sleep.</p> - -<p>This is a premium most of us would be willing -to work for, did we but see it. And we may -see it if we will. If we ask of life that we get -into harmony with its purposes; if we seek diligently -even into our own hearts for those purposes; -if we knock at the door of man’s full life, -we shall find our asking answered, our search -rewarded, and the door wide open. What a man -desireth most, that, somehow, somewhere, shall -be gain. Desire creates function.</p> - -<p>And, when the soul has gained what it sought,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>191</span> -we shall find beauties and virtues hitherto unsuspected -in every human being; we shall learn -that, above the turmoil and noise of our rushing, -jarring, modern civilization, we can hear -the morning stars sing together for joy, the -music of the spheres, that which shall yet soothe -man’s fear and teach him to find restful sleep.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>192</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII<br /> - -<small>THE NEED OF REST</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">The bliss of an unbroken sleep.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Thos. W. Parsons.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">To</span> go in the wrong direction delays our journey -and brings fatigue, but that fatigue -may teach us needed lessons.</p> - -<p>Man seeks happiness through outer things, -hoping to find it in wealth, excitement, travel, -self-gratification, and in countless other ways -that the age-long experience of men have -proved to be ineffectual; but he usually forgets -that the wellspring of happiness is within. -Long before Solomon had announced that “this -also is vanity and vexation of spirit,” men had -observed that riches do not bring happiness; -that excitement wearies us, that travel is unsatisfying, -and that gratification of the senses -ends in exhaustion.</p> - -<p>At last, in despair of satisfaction in the -world, we have accepted the teaching that there -is no rest on this side of the grave. We have -even learned to glorify strain and the strenuous -life as natural and desirable. At best, men -have thought of rest as something that con<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>193</span>cerned -the body, and have confounded it with -sleep and inaction.</p> - -<p>If we think we have important work to do, -we say, “We have no time to rest,” as if any -work would be laid upon us that ought to prevent -us having rest. Draught horses have been -bred for centuries for the sole purpose of work, -yet a wise driver never overloads nor overworks -his horse. He sees that it is comfortably -housed, well fed, and has its needed rest. Shall -we think that the Spirit of Life has less consideration -for man than man has for the horse? -That were in effect to say that man were -greater and wiser than that which caused man, -and which man has spent the ages trying to -understand.</p> - -<p>When we stop to think of this we can see how -foolish it is, but we seldom stop to think until -something “happens” that stops us. We go -on from day to day thinking that we have no -time to rest. This state of mind, which leads -to trouble, is possible only because we do not -understand what rest is, nor how easy it is to -have it. We ordinarily seek rest only after we -have become exhausted.</p> - -<p>When we have wearied ourselves with worry, -useless exertion, and fretting, or with envy, -hatred, or malice; when we have bent all our -energies to some low aim or selfish purpose; -when we have broken nearly all of Nature’s -laws and are called upon to pay the penalty, we<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>194</span> -seek a physician. A man sets a shifting standard -of wealth as his goal, and strains to attain -it; he eats improperly and in great haste, his -thoughts filled with the problems of the market; -he is forever on the alert for any advantage -that he may take of his fellows; he cannot endure -to have another reap an advantage that -is denied him; he is envious of every bit of -success that, passing him by, goes to another; -he makes of his life one fierce round of money-getting. -Then, perhaps before attaining his -goal, perhaps after reaching it, he discovers -himself a physical wreck, and hastens to his -physician, seeking external means to cure that -which has its root in internal conditions; asking -the man of drugs to “minister to a mind -diseased.” -To the nervous, worried, hurried person, -from whatever cause, the physician’s advice is -generally the same—“Take a complete rest,” meaning thereby that all work be given up and -inaction take the place of activity. When circumstances -allow it, we try to follow this advice, -but it usually results in boredom and impatience -at the lost time; when circumstances -do not allow the inactivity, we get discouraged -and complain of life as a series of mysterious, -unjust happenings. The physician’s advice -proves a mockery and we become listless and -discouraged.</p> - -<p>We hardly ever seek our rest from moment<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>195</span> -to moment; for we continue to look upon it as -something we shall find after our work is done. -The laborer, the merchant, and the professional -man think of the end of the day as resting-time, -just as the busy housewife does. It matters -not how much we may love our work, we expect -to be exhausted by our efforts before the day -is over. We feel hurried, anxious, fretted, and -overworked all day long, and comfort ourselves -with the prospect of rest at night. And all the -time we might rest and never find the day so -short as to cause worry, nor the hours so long -nor the work so hard as to tire us.</p> - -<p>It is only when we are burdened with distracting -cares that we get tired by what is a joy -to us. The true artist wants no eight-hour day; -he laments only that daylight fades so soon. -When we are doing only what we love to do, and -doing it well, we run and are not weary, we walk -and do not faint.</p> - -<p>Of late years the trainers of athletes have -recognized this—they think it more important -to keep the men buoyant and fresh than to increase -the muscles at the risk of bringing them -“stale” to the day of contest. They insist -that the men shall not exhaust themselves at -any time before the race.</p> - -<p>Exhaustion shows either that we have been -doing the wrong thing or doing it wrong, and -kindly Nature reproves us with the loss of -Sleep.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>196</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII<br /> - -<small>SAVING OF EFFORT</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Rocked in the cradle of the deep</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I lay me down in peace to sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Emma Willard.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">The</span> unsatisfied longing for rest in all mankind -will be attributed to different causes -according to the way we look at life. The -physical or animal man desires rest because -of the relief it will bring to nerves and muscles -wearied by the strain of activities; he feels that -to relax will bring him some ease and that -relaxation will help him to forget the bodily -weariness. Recovering from weariness or pain -is a pleasure in itself. The sigh of relief is -really a sigh of pleasure.</p> - -<p>When the mind reigns, it instinctively recognizes -that rest would restore the balance disturbed -by feverish exertions. Our whole lives -seem passed in a struggle to attain something, -and the law of rhythm, which is the law of -action and reaction, requires that, after struggle, -effort should cease. One implies the other; -neither effort nor true rest can continue stead<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>197</span>ily. -Effort is the breaking of rest; shadow is -only the relative absence of light.</p> - -<p>It is contrast that makes sensations; the -shadow serves to make the light brighter; the -night makes the day more fair; and noon makes -the night darker. Tennyson recognized this in -the line, “Sorrow’s crown of sorrow is remembering -happier things.” He might have said, -with equal truth, that the present joy has a -warmer flush because of forgotten pain.</p> - -<p>Wagner understood that, and so we find crash -and seeming inharmony so often a prelude to -the softest, tenderest strains. The mind first -wearies of monotony, even of harmony, and -then ceases to be able to perceive it. Wagner -saw this, and introduced clashing sound that -seems like discord until we feel its connection -with the emotion and the context of the piece. -These relieve the emotions and throw the harmonies -into relief. Says Hobbes: to have one -sensation and to have it continually would be -to have none.</p> - -<p>The mental man feels and knows all this, and -to him rest becomes necessary to restore that -balance of things that contrast suggests—rest -after effort, peace after turmoil.</p> - -<p>The spiritual man goes still deeper into true -conditions in his longing for rest. Rest carries -with it the idea of attainment. He who has -attained has peace: “Peace I leave with you; -my peace I give unto you.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>198</span> -The unity of all three desires—that of the -body, that of the mind, and that of the spirit—cannot -fail to strike the thinker. To cease to -strain is the keynote of ease. Why? Because -man sees, however dimly, that agonizing, like -antagonizing, is really futile, and that the only -thing that is necessary is to put one’s self in -harmony with the Universe.</p> - -<p>Herbert Spencer has shown that grace of -movement consists in the economy of effort, in -doing every act with the least possible waste -of power. The same thought is the basis of the -teaching of the great Delsarte. As Ruskin -says: “Is not the evidence of ease on the very -front of all the greatest works in existence? -Do they not say plainly to us, not ‘there has -been a great effort here,’ but ‘there has been -a great power here’? It is not the weariness of -mortality, but the strength of divinity, which -we have to recognize in all things; and this is -just what we now never recognize, but think -that we shall do great things by the help of iron -bars and perspiration. Alas! we shall do nothing -that way, but lose some pounds of our own -weight.” -The best way to attain anything is to move -towards it with the least possible jarring or -friction. In every struggle we lose force, because -we are sure to make unnecessary motions. -Men do not learn this from their daily work as -unconsciously as they once did, because ma<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>199</span>chinery -has so largely displaced handwork. -But, even in using machinery, he is the best -workman who has learned to run his machine -and get good results with the least expenditure -of physical effort. Such a workman remains -fresh for a longer period, and accomplishes -more in a given time. The machine itself is -constructed upon the principle of saving effort—it -cuts out all unnecessary motion and reduces -friction as much as possible.</p> - -<p>If you watch a skilled typesetter at his case, -you will find that apparently he is never in a -rush. The beginner, especially if he is one of -the more nervous type, looks anxious, pauses -with hand fluttering above the case while he -considers in which box he will find the letter he -seeks; then, when he has made a decision, he -will pounce upon it and deposit it in the stick -with breathless haste. Not so the seasoned -compositor. There is no haste, no fluttering, -no waste motion. His hand goes unerringly to -the box where he will find the letter he wants, -in a twinkling it is in place in the stick, and -another letter disposed of in the same way, and -you are scarcely conscious of motion. The perfect -workman is he who has learned to accomplish -most with the least expenditure of effort. -It is toward this perfection that Frederick W. -Taylor and others are striving in the new -“Business Efficiency.” -Every day we are surprised to learn that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>200</span> -what <i class="em">we</i> gained by hard struggle has been -gained with scarcely an effort by another. It -does not always make us happy to learn it. We -often feel as if we had been tricked, and we -think that effort spent in what we now see was -not the most effective way, was wasted. This -leads us sometimes to persist in a mistaken -course, because we are unwilling to believe that -we have lost so much time and missed so much -result. But no effort is ever wasted: it is only -by the effort to do well that we can learn to do -better.</p> - -<p>Nothing is commoner than to hear our friends -say, “I don’t sleep—the work is so hard and -exacting I get dead tired and then toss about -all night.” But it is not the work, rather it is -the worker that is exacting.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>201</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXXIX">CHAPTER XXXIX<br /> - -<small>ANTAGONISM</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Lord of the Darkness, Master of the Sun,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Strip me of all my strenuous life has won,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But let Sleep’s sweet oblivion o’er me sweep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Closing Night’s leering eyes—oh, give me sleep!</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Anonymous.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Though</span> you want rest, peace, sleep—the -opposites of strife—yet people will oppose -you and want you to go their impossible -ways. That need not arouse opposition, nor -break your rest, nor disturb the even tenor of -your way. One disadvantage of allowing ourselves -to be disturbed is that we cannot be -angry with one person without being angry -with all about us. Or at least the harmony of -our relation is broken, because, despite our effort, -we cannot succeed in separating ourselves -from our brothers. The next time you are -angry or impatient with someone who has opposed -you, take note how it affects your tone -and your feeling toward those who are innocent -of any offense.</p> - -<p>One such investigation into our own condition -when annoyed will help to cure us of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>202</span> -being angry; for there is no use in trying to correct -all the mistakes or worrying over the neglects -of others, even of the children of our own -bodies. Other people, “the same as us,” have -to learn by their mistakes, and often do learn -by some success that we considered manifestly -impossible.</p> - -<p>As we could not be wisdom and conscience -to the whole world, Providence has kindly given -us enough to do in taking care of our own -actions.</p> - -<p>When Mosenthal was organist at Calvary -Church, the brides used to give him directions -about just what pieces they wanted played at -their weddings; Mosenthal would say, “Ah! -that is a beautiful selection,” or “A magnificent -march!” As he said, “I listen to all the -lovely ladies’ orders—then I play what I think -best—and it always goes all right.” He did -not make rows by trying to convince excited -girls that the “Mikado” would not be just the -thing for the church, or to persuade nice -mammas without musical education that “Traumerei” would not do for a wedding. It was -not necessary to lie, only to give what approval -could be given and then to “gae his ain gait.” -Most people are not really much set in their -own ways, they only seem to be. They have an -idea (or they think they have one—an idea is a -rare and precious possession) and they want to -“get it off.” Let them; why should you make<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>203</span> -the explosion dangerous by confining it? -Maybe they were only trying to argue with -themselves, and, having got rid of the idea, -they are content, if their self-love is not roused -in defense of it. Like the codfish which deposits -her eggs and has no more care about -them, they are quite content to leave the results -to Nature.</p> - -<p>There was a tract called the “Oiled -Feather,” which was very popular in England -forty years ago. Sam, a wagoner, has a bottle -of oil with a feather stuck in the cork, and, -when a barn-door sticks or harness creaks or a -king-bolt binds, instead of using force, he always -brings out his oil bottle and feather. His -friend has not learned the usefulness of gentle -methods and gets into all sorts of trouble, until -he sees that the Oiled Feather principle applies -to horses and to people and to difficulties, -as well as to things.</p> - -<p>“Est modus in rebus”—which means that -“there is a way in things” just as much as in -people: get into key with it and all will go -smoothly. Did you ever try to split trap-rock -with a hammer? You may batter all day at -one side and you will only knock off chips, spoil -your hammer, and hurt your hands: but, when -you have found the right spot, a tap knocks it -in pieces. That tap is the “open sesame” to -which alone the stone will yield. You may -storm at it all day with your “open millet”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>204</span> or “open wheat,” but its heart can be reached -only by its own word. So the stony heart of -the world can be broken only by the Master -Word of Love.</p> - -<p>Now, if you have made what is said in Chapter -<span class="allsmcap">XXVII</span> your own, you do not need all this; -for you know that, as long as you arouse antagonism -in others, you can be annoyed and irritated -by others, but not one moment longer. -The punching-bag can neither dent nor be -dented: if it is so made that it injures no one, -it turns out that no one injures it, no matter -how roughly he strikes it.</p> - -<p>When your lovelight shines in darkness, not -only will your own path be bright, but you will -be a guide and a comforter to others, and they -will follow you.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>205</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XL">CHAPTER XL<br /> - -<small>STRUGGLE IN THE FAMILY</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">How happy is that balm to wretches, sleep!<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Beaumont.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">If</span> all that we have learned were that some -persons “naturally” work harder than -others to achieve anything, we might say that -this was unavoidable; and there would be a -degree of truth in it. It is true that the intelligence -of some people is so sluggish that they -learn little from experience. They continue to -work towards any end in the same way that -they have always worked, wasting both strength -and time. For them there is nothing but repeated -experiences and patient guidance until -they learn to apply their knowledge practically.</p> - -<p>But the intelligent man learns that, often -where he has worked in the hardest possible -way, he has had the most unsatisfactory return -for his effort. The good housekeeper, for instance, -wishes above all things to make her -family comfortable; she has inherited a feeling -of the requirements of healthy living, and decides -that she must have a scrupulously clean -house to protect her loved ones from the dangers -of germs and microbes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>206</span></p> - -<p>So she sweeps, scrubs, cleans from morning -until night; carefully removes every trace of -dust, follows her family with dust-pan and -brush, and at least looks reproachfully at the -offender who does not remove every trace of -street or garden dirt from his shoes before entering -the house. She cleans so hard that she -forgets that the real object of cleaning is to -make her family safe and comfortable. They -may be safe, but they are a long way from being -comfortable, and she knows no more comfort -than they; cleanliness has become a fetich -with her, and some day, perhaps, she comes to -her senses, finding herself chasing the motes in -a sunbeam, lest by chance they should rest upon -her sacred furniture.</p> - -<p>If she then sits down to take stock of things, -she finds that husband and children almost -dread to come home. However serene and -happy they may be before reaching the garden -gate, or the apartment door, they then become -nervous and distrait. They look themselves -over, to be sure that nothing is amiss, for -“mother is so particular.” An anxious expression -settles upon their faces, for, with their -best endeavors, they may have overlooked -something that mother’s trained and suspicious -eye may note. The joy of life abates, and a -sort of painful hush falls upon things.</p> - -<p>The average child cannot see that this condition -grows out of misdirected love and care;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>207</span> -he sees no connection between it and his well-being, -but, if he thinks of it at all, he concludes -that “the house” counts for more with mother -than anything else. Husband and children unconsciously -come to regard her as mainly a -housekeeper, with interests bounded by the four -walls of the home. The very gifts they make -her are of a useful nature—“something for the -house”—as if the “house” were some special -thing in her personal life but meant nothing to -them.</p> - -<p>When the hungry heart of this woman pains -her, she resents the condition that she herself -has created, but does not see the correct remedy. -Her husband and children have put her -out of their inner lives; they take their pleasures -away from home, they find their confidantes -among outside friends. Who should -share their thoughts and their pleasures? she -asks. Who has worked day and night for their -comfort and happiness as she has? And the -chances are that she considers them ungrateful -and herself a martyr, when all the time she herself -builds the barrier between them and herself -by striving to make them happy in her way. -That it is not their way, and so could not be -in harmony with the natural trend of things, -does not once occur to her. As the French say, -“Madam costs herself too much.” She has -not learned, and may never learn, that the only -way to make others happy is to love them sin<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>208</span>cerely -and unselfishly enough to allow them to -be happy in their own way.</p> - -<p>Sometimes it is the father who destroys the -joy of home. A many good men think that -their duty is done when they provide food, -clothes, shelter, and education for their children, -and insist upon obedience from them. -They are so busy attending to these things that -they have no time to get acquainted with their -children, to know or be known by them.</p> - -<p>There is too much truth in the newspaper -joke on the suburbanite. A mother found her -little boy crying bitterly on the doorstep quite -early on a Monday morning.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter, Freddie?” she asked, -anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Why,” sobbed the child, “I was just running -down the street when the man who stops -here on Sundays spanked me and sent me -home.” There are many children who have no -cause to welcome “the man who stops here on -Sundays,” even though he may be counted “a -good father.” Very often he “takes a nap,” and all noise must cease for his benefit; or, he -cannot read his Sunday paper while they are -playing about. He speaks testily to his wife, -blaming her that she does not quiet the children. -“They have all the week to play,” he -complains, “I should think they could keep -quiet on Sunday. It is the only day I have -to rest, and you ought to see that I am not dis<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>209</span>turbed.” And the mother, who hasn’t even -Sunday to rest, quiets the children in the only -way she knows, and everybody is wretched.</p> - -<p>As fast as the children grow up they leave -home gladly for college or business, and, -though they respect and fear “the Head of the -Family,” they have no real love for him; they -never consult him on their intimate, personal -worries or problems, and he many times carries -a sore heart behind his seemingly stern manner. -He wonders why his children are so ungrateful, -when he has spent his whole life toiling for -them. In his bitter moments he may even call -them monsters of ingratitude; forgetting, as -Dickens says, that he is really looking for -“monsters of gratitude.” -These parents, like everyone else, have it in -their power to attract to themselves the affection -and the surroundings that they need, and -to create a center of repose even in the midst of -strife; rest we may attain even amid turmoil; -but true repose means that quiet shall spread -from us to others.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>210</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLI">CHAPTER XLI<br /> - -<small>UNNATURAL LAWS</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">So many Gods, so many creeds,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">So many paths that wind and wind,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">When just the art of being kind</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Is all this sad world needs.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Ella Wheeler Wilcox.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">But</span> the harmony of the home does not depend -upon the parents alone. If it did, -it would forever disprove the statement that it -is only by a working together of all parts of -any organization that its real purpose may be -accomplished. A clock is intended to tell the -time, and its mechanism is so constructed that, -by its working together, the hands and chime -will mark the hours. But, if we could imagine -the hands of the clock refusing to move in the -direction that the springs, wheels, and pendulum -required, and insisting upon going their -own way, the usefulness of the clock would be -destroyed.</p> - -<p>So, in the matter of family harmony, it may -be merely some self-willed son or daughter, -even a child, that causes the discord. And he -is not necessarily a “bad” child, either. He -may be endowed with special gifts, and be par<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>211</span>ticularly -adapted to give joy to those about -him. He loves his parents, his brothers and -sisters, and also that intangible “home” that -counts for so much in life—yet, because he loves -his “own way” more than all else, he makes -“home” impossible. He is so sure of his -infallible judgment that he opposes every suggestion -that does not come from himself; he -offers free advice on every possible and impossible -occasion; he “takes sides” on every -question that arises, and considers any opposition -as a personal attack or affront. He is not -conscious of these or of any other faults, yet -every remark, every act is tested by its possible -reference to himself. He looms so large in -his own foreground that he cannot see how he -could be unimportant to anybody’s life or -thought. He broods over fancied wrongs and -thinks himself the most ill-used of mortals. -Everybody is unhappy where he is, and he is -most unhappy of all.</p> - -<p>For it is a well-established fact, one which -we may find proved every day both in our own -experience and the experience of other people, -that he who makes another unhappy generally -makes himself still more wretched.</p> - -<p>If our experience shows us any exceptions to -this rule, it is, after all, only in seeming. He -who can make another unhappy and not be conscious -of it, is among those whom Epictetus -calls blind in that knowledge which distinguish<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>212</span>eth -right from wrong. He has not felt his close -relation, or, indeed, any relation to his fellows. -He cannot know any of the joys of fellowship, -and he will not find the pleasure he expects even -in his own pursuits. For it matters little, so -far as seeing is concerned, whether a man be -born blind, or whether he keeps his eyes tightly -bandaged all his days. In either case he gets -none of the sensations of pleasure that come -from being able and willing to see. If we persist -in having “our own way,” we must pay -the price. Most of the miseries of life are -caused by failure to get in harmony with the -laws of life. This is as simple and self-evident -as walking up the street. If we persist in keeping -to the left on a busy sidewalk, we shall be -jostled and pushed until we are sore and out -of breath and make but little headway withal. -But, if we are careful to walk with the crowd -going in our direction, if we remember always -to keep to the right, we shall find it easy to get -along even at the “rush” hour. Those who -do not observe this rule of harmonious progress -not only find walking on a busy street hard -work, but they also make it harder for others. -One man walking the wrong way may compel -twenty more to violate the sidewalk customs to -overcome his opposition. But, when everyone -observes the rule, it leads to a saving of time -and temper and makes life safer for all who are -in the crowd.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>213</span></p> - -<p>Generally speaking, we recognize no law but -that of our own will, which is by no means the -same thing as the far-wider law of our being. -We cannot separate our lives from the greater -life. While we follow the law of our own will, -self-will, we never know real happiness or rest. -Like many another man-made law, our antagonistic -wills are a perversion of the natural law -which governs our lives.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>214</span></p> - - -<h3>SLEEP’S CONQUEST</h3> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Invisible armies come, we know not whence,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And like a still, insinuating tide</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Encompass us about on every side,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Imprisoning each weary outpost sense,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Till thought is taken, sleeping in his tents!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Yet now the conquerer with lofty pride</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Becomes our guardian, with us doth abide</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And plans all night our wondrous recompense.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He takes away the weary, worn-out day,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And brings to-morrow—bride without a stain;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Gives us fresh liberty, a chance to mend;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Life, hope, and friends enhanced with fresh array.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Then when we fail he conquers us again,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Paroling us each day until the end.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Charles H. Crandall.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="center">(Courtesy of Harper & Brothers.)</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>215</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLII">CHAPTER XLII<br /> - -<small>THE NATURAL LAW</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">But</span> what is the law of our being? It is harmony, -peace, rest. We have but to look at -the workings of our own marvelous physical -bodies to perceive that law. The more we study -the human body, the more we wonder at its -mechanism. Yet every part of this intricate -machinery, in harmony with each other part, -finds its own work, unless man, through his misunderstanding, -throws it out of order.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the strongest proof of the naturally -harmonious working of the body is found in the -responsive distress or disease which result -from the wrong use of any one function. It is -not necessary to cut the heart itself to injure -it. To sever an artery anywhere will interfere -with the perfection of the heart’s work as effectively -as a direct injury to the heart. To -bring bad news may stop its action forever.</p> - -<p>It is not necessary to strike the head to cause -a headache; that will follow if we abuse the -stomach, or live so that the liver becomes deranged. -We get these results because of the -perfect harmony in which all the parts of the -body work when we conform to the law of our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>216</span> -being. The pain is a kindly monitor, warning -us that we have violated some law and bidding -us get into line once more. It is always wise -to heed such warning, gratefully.</p> - -<p>Suppose that a man has a cellar which is so -dark and damp and dirty that he hates to go -into it, and tries to forget it. But it is flooded -in a storm, and he is forced to go down to examine -it, and then finds that the wall is unsafe, -and must be supported, else the house may fall. -Will he not say, “It was well that the flood -came that took me down into the depths, so that -I might find what was endangering my property -and the lives of my family?” -And if, in addition, he not only reinforces and -buttresses the wall, but also lets in the light and -cleans up the cellar, he will actually remove out -of his life what was always a disagreeable and -neglected task. He will add to the value of his -property, and have besides a security in his -house that he would never have had but for -the “accident.” -So we, if we heed the first pain that tells us -we have violated the law of harmony in our -physical body, may be led into a better and -truer understanding of ourselves than ever -before.</p> - -<p>If the law of the physical body is harmony, -peace, rest, it must be true that the law of the -intelligence and the law of the spirit are the -same. If it were not so, there would be con<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>217</span>stant -warring between the three natures—physical, -intellectual, and emotional—and happiness -and rest would be impossible.</p> - -<p>Harmony, peace, rest are the blessings that -all men crave, even when they do not understand -their own desires. To say that peace and -rest are inherently impossible of attainment -is to say that we are formed with desires that -tantalize and torment us, as a mirage tantalizes -the traveler dying of thirst in the desert, with -no hope of satisfying those desires. It is in -effect to say that a cruel monster governs this -world and takes delight in our suffering.</p> - -<p>He who tries with apparent disregard of harmony -to enforce his own will is, after all, striving -in his blind and hopeless way for harmony. -He thinks that to make his will supreme would -bring peace, and so he tries to have his own -way: that accounts for much tyranny, especially -domestic tyranny.</p> - -<p>That so few do attain happiness and rest in -their lives is because of this misunderstanding -of life rather than from any inability to gain -happiness and rest. We allow trifles to distract -us from our real purpose. We feel ourselves -so pressed and oppressed by petty cares -that we cannot find time during the day to do -all that we feel we must do. It would be well -for us to follow Pitt’s rule, to do our part in -the world instead of trying to run it.</p> - -<p>If that rule worked in his high and re<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>218</span>sponsible -position, it would probably work in -our less important places. Most of us spend -our strength for that which is naught, largely -because we do not examine the nature of the -“duty” which presents itself to us. We should -probably find that our duties are not worth doing, -or else that another could do them as well.</p> - -<p>Rest brings sleep more than sleep brings -rest.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>219</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIII">CHAPTER XLIII<br /> - - -<small>“LETTING GO”</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="center">In sleep’s sweet fetters bound.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Lord Neaves.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">A frequent</span> cause of suffering among -men and women is their idea that they are -necessary to the running of things. Usually -they find themselves mistaken. The head of a -firm was once warned by a physician that he -must take a rest to avert a breakdown, but the -man declared it to be an impossibility for him -to get away from the office for even a week. He -gripped his business so tight that he could not -let go, nor could he see that others could do -it as well as he could. In such a state of mind -the doctor’s warning added another worry, fear -for himself,—so at last the predicted breakdown -came. He had reached the point where he had -to let go, for his grip, both physical and mental, -was gone. For six months he could not -concern himself with business affairs, the necessity -of fighting for life and renewed health -occupying all his faculties. He refused to let -himself think of the outcome, but put his attention -upon getting well.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>220</span></p> - -<p>When he returned to his business, with his -mind braced to stand any disasters that he -might discover, he was astonished to find everything -in perfect condition, and that his assistant -had even corrected the errors he had himself -made in the last weeks of overworked body -and fagged brain. It was at first a blow to -his pride that he was not essential to the success -of his own business, but, as he realized -how big a price he had paid to learn this simple -lesson, he made a decision that showed how -far he had advanced beyond his former -condition.</p> - -<p>Turning to his assistant, he said: “Smith, as -you can carry on this business so well, I shall -take three months’ vacation every year, and -have no more expensive breakdowns; and, as -I want you to continue to carry it on as well -while I am away, you would better take three -months’ vacation every year, too, so there shall -be no breakdowns for you.” He had really -learned two lessons in one—what things were -not worth doing, and what things could be done -by somebody else. He still had left “the -things that were quite enough for any man to -attempt.” -No man is really indispensable to any undertaking, -however much it may seem so to -him. When James Alexander controlled the -Equitable Life Assurance Society, he made it -his rule to discharge anybody who seemed to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>221</span> -be indispensable. His reason for this was that, -the longer such a man was retained, the more -indispensable he would become, until the association -would be in danger of going to smash if -anything happened to that one man. Common -prudence dictated the advisability of getting -rid of him while the company could manage to -get along somehow without him.</p> - -<p>There was once a Dutchman who was of much -the same opinion as Mr. Alexander. His manager -applied for an increase of salary.</p> - -<p>“I t’ink I buys you bretty dear, alretty, -Hans.” “Yes,” said Hans, “I get a good salary, -but then I am worth it. I know everything -and do everything about the business; in fact, -you couldn’t get along without me.” -“Ach, ish dot so? Vell; vat I do if you vas -deat, Hans?” -“Oh, well! if I were dead, you’d have to get -along without me.” -“Ach!” replied the Dutchman, slowly, -“den, Hans, I t’inks we gonsiders you deat.” -It is well to think sometimes of how nicely -the world got along before we came to it, and -how likely it is to do just as well after we have -left it. If, when we are rushing around, -weighed down by anxiety and a feeling of our -own importance, we should “consider ourselves -dead” for a few moments, we might find that -the fever of life had subsided.</p> - -<p>We should have to admit that, judging from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>222</span> -the past, the world would not even slip a cog -if we were to pass from it. And even if we -were ready to claim that no one heretofore had -been so important, and no one could ever again -be so necessary, even then it were the part -of wisdom to cease hurrying and worrying. -For, as the human frame can be exhausted by -overwork and overworry, it behooves the indispensable -person to preserve himself as long as -possible, so as to save the world from the catastrophe -of his loss. The very thing he aims to -do—save the world—he defeats by his anxiety -and haste.</p> - -<p>Proper prudence tends to prevent trouble, -not to prevent worry. No amount of precaution -and care will cure worry. In fact, the -prudence and care help to fix the thought on -all the mischances, however improbable or impossible, -that may be imagined.</p> - -<p>Elaborate precautions often defeat themselves, -like a corporal who kept all his squad -out as pickets till they were cut off one by one.</p> - -<p>I once saw a family going off to the country, -five “masters” and three servants, eight hand-packages, -coachman, footman, and an extra -servant, and the family doctor to get them off. -The cautious doctor got the tickets days before, -and even got checks for the trunks. An extra -trunk, taken at the last hour to hold some extra -things that might be needed, upset all that -arranging.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>223</span></p> - -<p>The doctor went to the baggage-room in the -gray dawn to get that precautionary trunk -checked: after a long discussion about the place, -he arranged to meet the family at the railway -news-stand. The caretaker was shown once -more how to work the burglar alarm, from -which a necessary knob came off in the nervous -hand of the Master of Cares—“telephone for -the electrician” but at last the blinds were -carefully pulled down, the house shut up -and committed to Providence and the caretaker, -and the family and its familiars arrived -at the station nearly an hour before train-time, -“getting off so nicely.” -The Genius of Forethought sent out a pair -of scouts to find the doctor. They returned, to -report that there were three news-stands, but -the doctor was not at any of them.</p> - -<p>Then this Genius of Care went himself with -one of the scouts, a long and hurried walk to -the baggage-room,—not there.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the doctor, who had stayed to -see the trunks off, had found the main body -with its camp-followers and light baggage. All -stood in the station near a news-stand and -waited for the return of the expedition, till -the doctor got impatient as train-time approached -and went off to find the Head of the -House, who arrived in a flurry, having lost his -own head a few minutes after he had gone -with the tickets.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>224</span></p> - -<p>At last, after the pilgrimage from the ticket-gate -down to the parlor-car, they are in the -train, all safe, thank God; but the Genius of -Care did not sleep that night “on account of -the worry and fuss of getting off.” That was -not the doctor’s fault. Like Martha, he had -made his own punishment the same as the rest -of us by being “<i class="em">careful</i> about many things.” -I remember an Irish servant who was shown -one of our big banks with its huge window-bars, -to make it safe. “Sure,” she said, “what’s -the good of them things? The thieves is inside -and not out.” -Worry is inside and not out, and Sleep, like -the Kingdom of Heaven, is not taken by force.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>225</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIV">CHAPTER XLIV<br /> - -<small>REST IN TRUTH</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center"> -The timely dew of sleep.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Milton.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">It</span> is not our work that wears us, but the way -we take it. So long as we think of rest as -meaning only inactivity, just so long will the -activities of life exhaust us. Goethe said:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Rest is not quitting the busy career,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rest is fitting oneself for one’s sphere.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>When we do that, we find rest. But we may ask -what is one’s sphere and how may one fit one’s -self for it? If we wish to answer that truly, -we must be willing to have some common misconceptions -brushed away. The sphere of any -individual is limited only by the possibilities of -his own body, mind, and spirit. Our sphere is -not a small circle of activities whose boundaries -any man may mark. It widens as our -inner nature expands, and what was the horizon -line yesterday will be but a tiny hillock near -at hand to-morrow. It includes all that has -been achieved, and all that may be attained by -the race.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>226</span></p> - -<p>The best standard of our life is not only what -the race as a whole has achieved in the way of -development, but the highest and best that any -person has yet taught or lived; this is the true -measure of man’s sphere to-day. Ordinarily, -we talk of man’s sphere and woman’s sphere -as if there were a clear line of separation between -them, and each were continued in its own -little space. This could not be, for, so long as -men and women have the same three natures—bodily, -mental, spiritual—so long as we have -similar needs, aims, and aspirations, the larger -sphere of man, whether male or female, is the -same, and is bounded only by the possibilities -of the life of all three natures.</p> - -<p>To fit one’s self for such a sphere should -bring rest while we are doing it, because -that fitting means becoming harmonious with -the purposes of the larger life; and rest is -simply harmony, at-one-ness with the Universe.</p> - -<p>The possibilities of the life of all three -natures are inexhaustible. We have never -touched the limit of even the physical man. -Man at one time had only his hands for tools, -and so was limited in his powers. But he used -his mind to increase the power of his hands, and -reached out for sticks and stones to help him. -In time his thought devised implements that -increased his physical power a thousandfold, -until now he has harnessed not only steam, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>227</span> -the very currents of the air, and is making himself -all-powerful.</p> - -<p>He does not wholly understand the forces he -tries to control, but he studies them, experiments -upon them, and makes servants of them -as far as he has grasped their laws. Had he -insisted upon considering his mind and his -physical powers as entirely separate and refused -to use them together, he might still have -claws for hands, and might still be a mere -burrower in the earth. Moreover, his mind -would not have developed as it has. Steam -and electricity might have aroused his curiosity, -but he would not have known how to make -them to do his will.</p> - -<p>Further, if man had been able to keep his -intellect apart from his spirit, he would not -have developed the qualities that lift him -above the more intelligent animals. Sympathy -and justice and love would not have come into -his relations with his fellow-men.</p> - -<p>These moral feelings expressed in our -bodies, our minds, and our hearts are some of -the possibilities of the life of all three natures, -and to endeavor to know and harmonize them, -thus “fitting one’s self for one’s sphere,” would bring us the happiness that follows action -and the rest that flows from selfless purpose -or harmony.</p> - -<p>If we consider what the true object of life -is, we cannot help trying to see the connection<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>228</span> -between the three natures of man. It does not -seem possible that the life of any thinking being -was intended to be a purposeless jarring jumble, -or, as poor Stephen Blackpool said, “a’ a -muddle.” We find such harmony in the life -of the material world that we may expect to -find a similar harmony in the life of man. So -soon as we discover this, we see also that there -must be harmony between the life of the material -world and the life of man, and further -harmony between both the material and the -human life, and the Source of all life. Seeing -this, and living it, is fitting ourselves for our -sphere, preparing ourselves to take our destined -places in the Universe as Men and -Women.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>229</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLV">CHAPTER XLV<br /> - -<small>THE SPAN OF LIFE</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Is rounded with a sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Only</span> a generation ago it was the custom -for men and women to begin to grow old -at about forty-five. A person of fifty was always -called “old,” and a man was expected to -be decrepit at sixty, a woman much earlier. It -is not wonderful that such men begrudged the -time spent in sleep.</p> - -<p>When I was a boy, we used shamelessly to -print books in big type, indorsed “For the -Aged,” on the theory that everyone must be -nearly blind at maturity. Even now Dr. George -F. Stevens thinks that everyone “ought” to -wear glasses after forty, notwithstanding that -many Christian Scientists and Mental Scientists -discard them long after that age.</p> - -<p>There is as much truth as wit in the saying -that “A man is as old as he feels, a woman -as old as she says she is.” We used to insist -upon every year being counted and noted, too,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>230</span> -in dress, occupation, and general demeanor. -But we have changed all this—even natty dress -now common to older people shows it—but the -change has come about slowly, and there are -still many who think that people of sixty should -give up all active life and prepare to “grow old -gracefully,” that is, to drop willingly into -senility. Those who are willing so to slip into -uselessness quietly, need much sleep; but even -for them the sleep is not a waste of time, but -an aid to length of days.</p> - -<p>There has been a great deal too much willingness -to let go of active life, because of the idea -that “threescore years and ten” was the natural -limit of man’s life, and that to live beyond -seventy-five was to live upon “borrowed -time.” There is a sort of tickle for the mental -palate in that expression “borrowed time,” but -there is no substance in it, if we will but examine -it. How can there be “borrowed” time -and from whom is it borrowed?</p> - -<p>Life is not a thing that begins to-day and -ends to-morrow. So far as we know, it has -neither beginning nor end. It is beyond our -power to picture a limit to all life. Well, if -life has neither beginning nor end, if it has no -limits, and if time is merely the unit by which -we measure seasons, why should there be a -limit to what we can use of it, and how could -a continued use of it be called “borrowing”?</p> - -<p>In the earlier days of the race, when all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>231</span> -progress was made through might, and war -settled every question, when a man’s “work” meant chasing over the hills, when men fared -hard, and knew little of Nature; when fear was -the supreme emotion—it is probable that seventy -years represented a long life. To escape -all the chances of death from accident and ignorance -for so long a time was an achievement, -and, in this way, doubtless, seventy years came -to be regarded as the natural period of man’s -physical existence.</p> - -<p>But with our increasing knowledge, with the -extension of means for making life easier, with -our conquest of Nature, there is no excuse for -limiting ourselves or our fellows to the same -short span. Consequently man’s life began to -extend over a longer and longer period as the -risks of living were diminished by civilization. -War became a less common condition; the very -inventions for making war more destructive of -life helped to make people consider whether -disputes could not be more wisely settled. The -next step was a natural outcome of that reasoning. -The latest wars have had more casualties -and less fatalities; partly because the effort -has been to incapacitate the fighting-men rather -than to kill them off. We have begun to see -dimly, at least, that the taking of life does not -settle any question. This leads to a greater respect -for life, and from respect to preservation -is an easy step.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>232</span></p> - -<p>The intelligent man to-day does not make his -whole life a mere struggle to exist for his “allotted -span.” Rather, he aims to preserve and -prolong his life by exertion and, even more, -by repose. He has learned that, while it is -true that “not enjoyment and not sorrow is -our destined end or way,” yet to enjoy, in the -sense of understanding life and living, is to -live so that “each to-morrow find us farther -than to-day.” -To enjoy life is to use it wisely; to get the -most out of it that will make for happiness -and development. It will not help to that end -to worry or lose sleep, because man’s span of -life is short. Love with your whole heart, and -live according to reason, and you will win the -prize of sleep, and happiness and length of -days shall be added thereunto.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>233</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVI">CHAPTER XLVI<br /> - -<small>WASTE STEAM</small></h2></div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">If</span> there is one thing more than another for -which Americans are noted, it is “nervous -energy.” To this we attribute our notable -achievements in science, industry, and literature. -To this energy, also, or rather to the -misuse of it, may be attributed the dyspepsia, -the nervous headaches, the general “breakdowns,” and the suicides so much more prevalent -of late years.</p> - -<p>An abundant supply of nervous energy is one -of the blessings of life, it denotes almost unlimited -capacity for work and enjoyment. It -is the steam that drives the engine; and which, -under the control of a skilled engineer, pulls -the train upgrade as well as on the level. It is -only through ignorance or carelessness that the -engine is allowed to run wild, and destroys -that which it was meant to convey safely.</p> - -<p>So with the people who “go to pieces nervously.” There has been an unskilled hand on -the lever. Through ignorance or carelessness, -the nervous energy has been badly handled, and -the force that should convey us safely through<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>234</span> -life has caused our destruction. We should be -as careful with our minds as with our -machines.</p> - -<p>When we find ourselves getting nervous and -worried, sleepless, “blue,” or dyspeptic; or -showing any of the numerous signs of misdirected -energy, such as short temper or headaches, -we should take a day off to examine the -engine. It is time well spent, as we may thereby -learn something that will avert a complete -breakdown.</p> - -<p>If we find that we are not overeating, overworking, -or overworrying; not feeling animosity, -nor suffering from an excessive idea of personal -importance—if, in fact, there are no -fears gnawing our heartstrings nor any other -large and well-defined cause of trouble, we may -well look closer for small causes. “The foxes—the -little foxes that spoil the vines.”</p> - -<p>There are often disturbing causes that we -fail to notice as disturbing. For instance, disorder -about us, the habit of stirring everything -up and throwing everything around when we -set to work. The confusion communicates itself -to our feelings, besides which the uncertainty -as to where we have put what we want next -upsets our nerves.</p> - -<p>It is a good plan, when we find ourselves -“rattled” or not working easily, to stop and -clear things up, put everything in order. It -is marvelous how often that will smooth out<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>235</span> -the creases both in face and temper and make -the world look pleasant again.</p> - -<p>If that itself proves to be a certain strain or -an annoyance, leave the whole thing and go out -for a while, or take a nap, or even smoke, if you -do not feel that smoking hurts you. Anything -that will distract the attention from the seemingly -annoying circumstances will relieve the -pressure on overwrought nerves and allow the -system to regain its poise.</p> - -<p>At this point it will sometimes serve to put -into practice the rule that William Pitt, Prime -Minister of Great Britain, laid down for himself: -When overwhelmed with official duties, he -divided his work into three parts—that which -was not worth doing, that which would do itself, -and that which was quite enough for any -man to attempt. Make a list of all the things -you have to do, then go over that list and make -it into three. Pick out first the things that -could be left undone, because not really worth -the effort they require. Having settled them, -you will find your load already lightened.</p> - -<p>Next select those things that you want to do, -but which somebody else could do just as well. -Make that list carefully. It is the hardest one -of the three. It is comparatively easy to decide -that a thing we may wish to do is not -worth the effort it will cost, but it is quite another -matter to admit that somebody else could -do those things just as well.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>236</span></p> - -<p>And there is a reason for this feeling apart -from mere ordinary conceit, although it may -only be a more subtle form of conceit—self-approbativeness, -as the phrenologists call it. It -has its rise in our belief that, while our way of -doing that particular thing may be no better -than another’s way, yet it is “different,” and -we long to see the result of that different way. -Nevertheless, it may be that the best good of -all concerned requires that somebody else do -that thing, and our nervous restlessness is -merely a warning for us to omit doing it ourselves.</p> - -<p>Then, in the things left on the original list, -we shall find all that one person should undertake, -and we shall do them with a zest and ease -that could not have been ours working in any -other way. For myself, when all else fails, and -none of these devices does away with the feeling -of being pushed by my work, I close my -desk and go for a walk. If soothed, I return in -an hour or two and take up my work easily; -otherwise, I leave it all until another day; it -saves time in the end. Circumstances prevent -many persons from doing that: but we can do -it, in greater or less degree, far oftener than we -think.</p> - -<p>It is always advisable to stop long enough -to find out what is the matter. If a good engineer -finds his engine running hard, he examines -it to finds the trouble. If your watch<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>237</span> -goes irregularly, you take it to an expert to -find the cause of irregularity. Why should we -be less careful with our minds?</p> - -<p>What is needed is simply obedience to the -laws of Nature that we know, but the case may -be one for the physical culturist, for the mental -therapeutist, for the moral teacher, or even for -the alienist. Where common sense fails or is -wanting, we should consult an expert before it -is too late. (See Appendix A.)</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>238</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVII">CHAPTER XLVII<br /> - -<small>UNDERSTANDING</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Thou hast no figures and no fantasies,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Which busy care draws in the brains of men;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Therefore thou sleep’st so sound.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">All</span> unrest and uneasiness, all impatience -and disharmony are due to some misunderstanding -of life and its unity, of its unchanging -and unchangeable laws. Froebel’s -recognition of this principle created his idea of -education as growth by exercise, the greatest -definition of training that has yet been given to -the world. He says that education consists in -relating the individual life to the external life, -the inner to the outer, or, in other words, it -consists in getting the individual into harmony -with the whole of life.</p> - -<p>This is the substance of the doctrine of all -the great thinkers of the world, the essential -oneness in the teachings of all the philosophers -of every race and of all the ages. Each gives -expression to the special side of this oneness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>239</span> -that presented itself most strongly to him, but -on the plan of life they agree.</p> - -<p>Although many of the followers of these -great teachers have been able to see the beauty -of their conceptions, few have been able to -transmit them as pure and bright as they received -them. It is by no means easy to avoid -interpreting what we hear in a merely personal -way. Seldom do the “hearers of the -Word” have the humility “of the broken and -empty vessel,” so well expressed in a hymn at -one time popular among revivalists:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Empty, that He might fill me</div> - <div class="verse indent0">As forth to His service I go;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Broken, that so unhindered</div> - <div class="verse indent0">His life through me might flow.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="pnind">Instead of that, we have tried to make the truth -fit our ideas of “personal” life, when we -should have made our “personal” life fit the -truth.</p> - -<p>One cannot conceive of the Universe growing -weary, of infinity becoming exhausted, because -material science has shown us that harmonious -laws govern all life. Scientists have -been able to state laws that experience has -shown to be unfailingly true. For example, take -the heavenly bodies: through the study and comparison -of their motions, astronomers have -stated laws that apply to all that is known of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>240</span> -them, and which illustrate the perfection of the -solar system. To-day, if some asteroid is discovered -which seems to move in opposition to -known laws, no one supposes that the laws are -wrong. So impossible is any haphazard occurrence -in the solar system that astronomers -know that any disturbance simply shows some -existence or activity not hitherto observed. -They do not doubt the unchangeable universal -nature of the laws; but they recognize that only -lack of knowledge prevents our understanding -the relation of what we see to the laws that -govern it, and they bend every effort to the -solution of the mystery.</p> - -<p>If we but look upon the occurrences of human -life with the same confidence, there is no -cause for worry and uneasiness. Why should -man chafe? Because of those who do ill? -“Fret not thyself because of evildoers,” for -they, too, have their uses. Every man is in the -plan of God. It may be that he is here simply -to show us something that we should not otherwise -have seen. Had not someone done the ill -and made the results known, many men might -have made like mistakes and the consequences -have been much worse than they are. Says -Ernest Crosby:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“I thank the kind round-shouldered men</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And treat them with respect</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For teaching me to raise my chin</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And hold myself erect.”</div><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>241</span> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>No man can tell how much more he owes to -the things that he would have made different -had he shaped his own life, than to the things -he regards as good.</p> - -<p>Most advances that we accomplish are forced -upon us by circumstances with which we are discontented, -and our happiness consists in recognizing -that there is, in effect, no such thing as -misfortune. There is no chance in the world: -everything is the result of Energy; nothing -ever happens by accident. I said once to a -woman standing beside the coffin of her husband, -trying to comfort her and trying to teach -myself, “You know, this did not happen by -chance.” “No,” she said, “I know that; if -one chance got loose, it would wreck the world.” So it would.</p> - -<p>You toss up a coin and it seems to you to be -chance whether it comes down heads or tails. -It isn’t chance at all. If one thing happened -by chance, you would know that it was the end -of natural law. Suppose that the thing to be -tossed were an iron plate, ten feet across by -two feet thick, then the engineer could figure -out just how many pounds of powder would turn -it once and how many would turn it twice or -three times; and, if you told him when he had -adjusted his charge that it was chance which -side would come up, he would say that you did -not understand dynamics. He knows that there -is no chance about it; that the number of turns<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>242</span> -depends exactly upon the amount of force, and -how it is applied. So it is with the tossing of -the penny; it may seem to be chance to us because -we cannot measure or perceive the -causes, but its fall is as directly and fixedly -due to causes as the sinking of an ocean-liner.</p> - -<p>It is not likely that Charles Dickens would -have chosen the hard childhood he had if he -could have arranged his own life, but there is -little room to doubt that much of his understanding -and sympathy, much of the power -that made him the novelist of the masses, was -due to those experiences. Even though he may -never have seen during his life how necessary -those experiences were, nor accepted them philosophically, -that did not alter their use. The -work of the “evildoers” in giving Socrates -hemlock to drink did not destroy Socrates’ usefulness; -the death by the cross did not check -the spread of the good news the Nazarene -brought to man.</p> - -<p>Men have always stoned the prophets and -killed those who would bring deliverance. This -is an expression of the conservatism which is -the balance-wheel of the race: if it were not for -that, the leaders of the people would get so far -in advance as to be clear out of sight. But -the prophecies have been fulfilled, and, step by -step, deliverance has been won. Moreover, -whom one generation destroyed, succeeding<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>243</span> -generations have honored; it is impossible to -get the rear rank in line with the vanguard. -But wherein has evil triumphed or the law of -good been set aside?</p> - -<p>In the study of history we see the persistent -progress of the race. However slow the march, -it has always been from darkness into light, -from low aims and small ideas to higher purposes -and larger thoughts. Each nation has -contributed something to the sum of that progress. -Not only have they had glimpses at their -best of better things, but even at their worst -they have caused other nations to see and avoid -like errors or cruelties. In this way the -civilized and the savage have both helped to -advance civilization. And, if the blind works -of evildoers do not triumph over the plans of -Good, if they do not even hinder the working -of the law of universal Good, why should we -fret ourselves because of them?</p> - -<p>But the unrest may be caused by our lack of -that worldly success which we think would -bring us happiness. Of course, if the real desire -be worldly success, and there is no other -way in which we can learn that it will not bring -happiness, then we must attain worldly success. -To-day, this demands a resolute will, -concentration, a steady nerve, and a lack of -human sympathy. It is difficult for us to see -this in our own case when we make worldly -success our aim, but, if we examine the career<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>244</span> -of any “successful” man, we shall see how -true it is.</p> - -<p>Nothing is truer of modern business life than -that the success of one involves the failure or -seeming failure of many. We have but to look -around at the few who are acclaimed by the -world as successful business men and the many -who toil for a bare subsistence, to find the proof -of this. To succeed, a man must first resolve -to succeed, and must concentrate all his powers -to that end. He must have iron nerves so that -unexpected good-or ill-fortune may not upset -him, and he must so steel his heart that he may -not see the needs or hear the groans of his -suffering fellows, if to hear or heed would interfere -with his purpose.</p> - -<p>After men have attained worldly success, -they sometimes give liberally to charity and -public purposes. Nobody has yet revealed how -much of that giving is atonement for the half-remembered -times when some heart was hardened, -some ear deafened, and some hand tight -closed against the cry of the needy. Some rich -men unhappily become so hard of heart, so -bound by the habit of refusing, that giving becomes -an impossibility.</p> - -<p>Now worry and unrest upset the nerve, disturb -the concentration, and keep alive at least -one phase of human sympathy—that which we -call irritation. We do not usually regard irritation -as an expression of sympathy, but that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>245</span> -is just what it is. Irritation towards our fellows -is an indication that we cannot rid ourselves -of the knowledge that they have claims -upon us. It is an evidence that we do not understand -them, or that we are not in harmony -with them. That may be because their aims are -so different from ours that they are a standing -rebuke to our selfishness, or because their aims -are so similar to ours that they become a threat -to us. In either event they are forced upon our -attention, and we are unable to forget them. -We are not able to crush them ruthlessly if -they stand in our way, for to do so causes us -pain and dissatisfaction, and prevents our joy -in our success. Sometimes, when the pain and -dissatisfaction become keen enough, they may -even turn us from our purpose, and thus destroy -our chance of worldly success.</p> - -<p>Thus worry and unrest defeat the very thing -we are aiming at, and leave us out of harmony -with the laws governing the accomplishment of -our purpose. Even in business and in matters -of health, that rest which comes from a cool, -steady purpose, undisturbed by fretfulness or -impatience, is the main factor of success.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>246</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLVIII">CHAPTER XLVIII<br /> - -<small>THE SUPERSTITION OF FEAR</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center"> -Fear of Death thus dies in senseless sleep.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Beaumont.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Primitive</span> man feared thunder, and, -being unable to explain it, made a god of -it, offered sacrifices to it in the hope of averting -the harm it might do. Fear has perverted -many religions. What man feared he first -crouched before in helpless terror, and afterwards -knelt before in wonder and worship. In -the early days of the race he looked upon every -new or strange thing with terror, because he -did not understand its connection with the -things he knew.</p> - -<p>Man first knew himself as a physical creature -with certain needs and cravings that must be -gratified if he were to live at all. He did not -at first realize that the presence of another person -would make life easier and more secure for -him; rather, he feared that every other would -injure him. Later, as men formed themselves -into groups, clans and tribes, each recognized -the interests of the immediate group as of supreme -importance, but feared the other groups.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>247</span> -This was the origin of “Honor thy father and -thy mother, that thy days may be long in the -land.” Those families that obeyed their natural -leader, the patriarch, held together and survived; -the others were separated and destroyed. -The early records of the Jews are -scarcely more than a chronicle of the wars of -a coherent race against various other tribes inhabiting -that part of Asia, together with the -lessons to be drawn from its experience. Even -in the vast new continent of America, different -tribes of Indians roving its plains looked upon -other tribes with distrust and hatred, and made -war upon them. There was plenty of land; animal -life abounded; there was nothing in the -aims and pursuits of one tribe that was necessarily -injurious to any other, yet apprehension -and the superstition of enmity kept them apart.</p> - -<p>The world has not yet got rid of this old superstition. -In this modern Christian era there -is scarcely a civilized nation which does not -keep itself in readiness to attack its neighbor. -All the peace the nations yet know is an armed -peace, so that even when we cry, “Peace, -peace!” we know “there is no peace,” because -man does not yet trust his fellowman. He is -fearful of him, not only as encroaching upon -his actual territory, but he resents his competition -even in the making of the tools and goods -that civilized life demands.</p> - -<p>We erect tariff walls, that the people of other<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>248</span> -countries may not easily sell to us the goods -they make, forgetting that, even without those -walls, they could not sell their goods to us, if we -did not want them. For, in free buying and -selling, the desire must be mutual, else there -will be no exchange.</p> - -<p>In all the relations of the most modern -civilized society the effect of this distrust, of -one toward another, is plain to be seen. Even -those who devote their lives to preaching the -doctrine of the gentle Nazarene do not always -grasp the full significance of that doctrine. The -city of Toledo, Ohio, is blessed with a mayor -who has lost all distrust in man (or perhaps -he never learned it) and, in his efforts to administer -civic affairs on a basis of love and -understanding, he is finding his strongest opponents -in some of the preachers of the community. -Such is the blinding effect of misunderstanding -the unity of all life.</p> - -<p>It cannot, therefore, be a matter of surprise -to the student of present-day affairs that his -ancestors were slow to learn about other groups -what their still earlier ancestors had learned of -individuals. As the circle of man’s interests -enlarged, including more and more fellow-creatures, -he began to come more and more -into harmonious relations with the Universe. -Out of his personal experience he began to perceive -the mutual interests and the underlying -oneness of human life, and, through that per<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>249</span>ception, -some have now begun to realize the -oneness of all life.</p> - -<p>This is the road along which man must travel -to reach harmony, and harmony is rest. It is -living in accord with the universal law which -regulates the growth and development of all -things as well as their activities. To the undeveloped -savage the whole material universe, -so far as he could see it, was a jumble of inharmonious -and unrelated things—he saw no -relation between the different bodies in the -heavens as they circled in their orbits; each -created thing seemed to have its separate existence, -which had to be maintained without -regard to any other form of life. But science -has shown us that the heavenly bodies, however -huge or remote, are all parts of one great system, -under one perfect law. We know now that, -instead of the earth being the center of the -universe, round which all the stars, suns, -moons, and other bodies revolve, it is itself but -a tiny unit in a tremendous system of systems.</p> - -<p>All of these bodies have been circling in their -orbits for untold millions of years, unaffected -by the fact that no man knew of them. It is -not too much to expect that they will continue -to perform their circlings according to those -same laws even after science has taught us all -it is possible to discover. Man may profit from -his knowledge of universal laws, but he cannot -alter them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>250</span></p> - -<p>And yet the man of average intelligence even -to-day feels that things universal in relation to -humanity and its needs are at “sixes and -sevens,” and that his anxiety and feverish activity -are needed to alter or better them. He -still sees men as separate beings with interests -that clash.</p> - -<p>It is this failure to understand that every -life is bound up for good with all other lives -which leads us to worry about our “personal” affairs, and thus to miss the rest that clear understanding -would bring.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>251</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XLIX">CHAPTER XLIX<br /> - -<small>IMAGINARY FEARS</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center"> -O soft embalmer of the still midnight.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Keats.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">When</span> we learn to confine our attention to -“the things that are quite enough for -any man to attempt,” we shall find that there -is little real ground for worry or fretting in our -daily life. It is a fact that, if our work wearies -or exhausts us, either we are doing the wrong -thing or else doing it in the wrong way. For -the Spirit of Life is no taskmaster. It is we -who make this world a daily grind. It is not -naturally a “vale of tears” nor a “wilderness -of woe.” </p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Joy upon joy and gain upon gain</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Are the destined rights of my birth,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>and we may all have those rights if we claim -them as our own. Worry is a disease that some -people enjoy as much as some others enjoy invalidism. -There are some people who can -hardly speak and think of anything but their -physical ailments; they never recall the morn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>252</span>ings -when they felt strong and vigorous, the -nights they slept soundly, but only the days -when they had uncomfortable sensations of -weakness or distress, and the nights when sleep -was somewhat broken. And you will notice -that they will say they “did not sleep well” when they mean that they did not sleep much. -We may always sleep <i class="em">well</i>, even though we do -not sleep much.</p> - -<p>There are other people who, though they do -not weary us with accounts of their bodily -symptoms, tell us always of their cares. They -revel in tales of distress which shall go to show -how much more oppressed they are than their -fellows. They take their worries as the healthy -farmer takes his food, eagerly, and would be -distinctly upset if anything happened to interfere -with their enjoyment of them. If they are -going somewhere, they worry lest it should -rain, or lest something unforeseen should happen -to prevent the expedition. It is the same -old story, they want their “own way.” They -cannot conceive of a disappointment being a -blessing in disguise; they know of nothing so -hard to be borne as the setting aside of a passing -desire.</p> - -<p>For such as these life is full of “bitter disappointments”; -cares and worries naturally -fall to their lot; the sun seldom shines for them, -and even when it does they think they can note -the spots upon it,—while the rain falls so heav<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>253</span>ily -and so frequently that it makes runnels over -their whole plan of life, reducing it to a scene -of desolation. And all the time the sun is shining, -and joys are awaiting them did they but -look in the right direction. They are “pulling -the wrong string,” as it were. A little child -kept calling to his mother that he could not find -what he was seeking, because he could not -“make the light come on.” His mother wisely -replied: “You are probably pulling the wrong -string, Harold. Pull the other.” The moment -he did so the electric light flooded the room, -and the child found what he sought. It had lain -right to his hand all the time, but he did not -know to pull the right string. Our heart’s desire -lies just as close to us.</p> - -<p>Many a person who is always having trouble, -who is worried and uneasy, longing for rest and -comfort but never finding it; to whom “life -is a dreary puzzle scarcely worth the solving,” is simply “pulling the wrong string,” the -string of self-will, of separateness. His soul -is darkened by his refusal to turn on the light, -and the shadow covers the whole of his life.</p> - -<p>The darkness is filled with imaginary terrors. -We people the corners with hobgoblins that do -not exist, and that in our hearts we know -could not exist. Little Bessie had for several -nights cried out in terror after she had been -put to bed, so that her mother was compelled -to go to her. At first she would not say what<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>254</span> -had frightened her, but at last the story came -out.</p> - -<p>“I was thinking how frightened I should be -if there was a bogey-man in the closet and he -should suddenly put his head out and make -faces at me.” -“But, child,” said her mother, “you know -there is no such thing as a bogey-man, so he -could not be in the closet, nor make faces at -you.” -“Yes, mother, I know that,” answered the -child, slowly; “but, mother, <i class="em">if</i> there was a -bogey-man, and he did get into my closet, and -if he did put out his head and make faces at -me, wouldn’t I be awfully frightened? Well, -it’s <i class="em">that</i> that makes me scream.” -And often the thing that makes us “scream” has no more existence in fact than Bessie’s -bogey-man. We get to turning things over in -our minds, dwelling upon dire possibilities until -they become actual to us, and we get as much -pain and suffering from them as we should if -they were real.</p> - -<p>It would puzzle ourselves, if we gave the matter -attention, to discover why we are more -given to worrying than to rejoicing, if it is not -that we misunderstand life and its purposes.</p> - -<p>Consider life just on its physical side, and we -shall see, as the Creator saw when he looked -upon it, that it is all very good. There are -more sunny days in the year than stormy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>255</span> -ones; there is more growing time than decaying -time, for spring, summer, and autumn comprise -three parts of the year, and growth continues -through them all; the moon shines always -somewhere, and “the stars come nightly to the -sky.” The bright-colored blossoms show more -than the somber-hued; more birds sing -sweetly than croak harshly, and even the croak -melts into the symphony as a needed note. The -purely material world points to joy and gladness -rather than to sorrow and repining.</p> - -<p>Then, when we come to man, we find that he -has more strength than weakness, more health -than sickness, more power than inability, else -man had not survived the ages. Moreover, man -must have more capacity for enjoyment than -for sorrow, else he would abandon life in weariness, -or at best he would forget how to laugh; -the mere animal does not laugh, that is one of -man’s accomplishments.</p> - -<p>Man has also more desire for knowledge than -for ease, else he would never have penetrated -into the secrets and mysteries of Nature; -man’s strong aspirations surmount his groveling -tendencies, else he had never come up out -of savagery into the light and development of -kinship with the high gods.</p> - -<p>Then, why should we give way to repining? -All things point to the apostolic truth that -“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy -cometh in the morning.” And always the morn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>256</span>ing -comes. Moreover, the darkest night is seldom -starless if we look up intently enough. If -we blind our eyes with tears, we cannot see the -light even when the horizon is rosy with the -rising sun. Better by far is it to feel with -Browning:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent28">“How good is man’s life,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The mere living! How fit to employ</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy.”</div> -</div> -</div></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>257</span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_L">CHAPTER L<br /> - -<small>ILL SUCCESS</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“And comfortress of Unsuccess</div> - <div class="verse indent0">To wish the dead good-night.”</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Kipling’s</span> “True Romance.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">If</span> we aim at worldly success, thinking that -thereby we shall be able to do more for -mankind and be more useful, we may defeat -our own purpose by worry and anxiety. The -present moment is all that any man has in -which to come into agreement with his fellows.</p> - -<p>If for lack of understanding he spends that -moment in worry and unrest, he makes himself -and everybody else more or less unhappy, -thereby destroys his own usefulness, -and proves his unfitness to gain success. But it -may be that he is deceived as to his motive; he -may desire success really for the satisfaction -of winning against his less fortunate fellows.</p> - -<p>Why should we desire worldly success to enable -us to help our fellows? No amount of benevolence -or philanthropy can atone for the -selfishness, inhumanity and the greed necessary -to acquire great wealth under modern conditions. -The widow’s mite or the cup of cold<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>258</span> -water given from moment to moment is of -greater value than the millions bestowed upon -charity as a sop to one’s conscience, or as a -pacifier of public clamor.</p> - -<p>There is a degree of satisfaction in giving -<i class="em">all</i> that can never come from giving a portion -of superabundance. We never hear of a very -rich man giving all that he hath, over and above -a comfortable, or even a luxurious, living. His -giving hardly requires the sacrifice of even a -whim. How can a man like Rockefeller, with -an admitted income of nearly a dollar every -second, be generous? How much would he have -to give in order to feel it?—and what mischief -would he not do in giving such a sum! The -“luxury of giving” can never be his, for that -is the result of giving at the expense of our -daily desires. The widow who cast in her mite -enjoyed the luxury of giving, and many still -give in that way. This gift of somebody’s mite -incited the giving of millions.</p> - -<p>But it is not possible that the gift of millions -should bring the giver much happiness, if it -brings any. There is too much publicity and -display in such a gift; it is noised abroad from -press and platform, and creates a new distress -in the mind of the giver. The giver knows that -unscrupulous, undeserving persons or causes -will now lay siege to a share of his wealth, because -of the notoriety his great gift has brought -him. Some are so oppressed with appeals that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>259</span> -they have to appoint committees to give away -the money. There must be about as much satisfaction -in that as in having a committee to -kiss the women you love.</p> - -<p>Besides this, great benefactions cause uneasiness, -lest they be misapplied or unwisely -distributed, or lest the glory may be eclipsed -by some other millionaire giving a larger sum -to a more popular cause. Thus donations become -a source of unrest and worriment, and -the donor’s last state is worse than his first. -The giver of the mite is generally unknown of -the crowd, sometimes unknown even of the one -to whom he gives, so that his joy comes from -the giving, and cannot be taken from him. To -him alone is it true that “the gift is to the -giver” and that “it is more blessed to give -than to receive.” -If there is no real joy to be had from giving -of great wealth, why should we desire to have -it, or fret ourselves that we do not win it? -Neither to acquire wealth nor to possess it can -bring happiness or peace. We have seen how -great is the price we must pay to get great -riches, and it is easy to see why their possession -cannot bring peace or happiness.</p> - -<p>Man has a limited number of wants, and -there is an end even to whims. When all of -these have been satisfied, what is left? The ordinary -man must give time, skill, thought, and -labor to satisfy his needs, and from the effort<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>260</span> -he gets a large measure of joy and satisfaction. -Even if he never gets what he is after, the effort -has given him pleasure, strengthened his -purpose, and developed his whole nature. But -the wealthy man is denied this natural satisfaction. -He does not even have to seek what he -wants; servants do that for him; he speaks and -the thing is done. For him there is no joyous -effort; no increase of pleasure in the very delay -of fulfillment; no sense of achievement when -he gets what he desires. For this reason he -soon wearies, and, having run the whole gamut -of pleasures, and exhausted his idle fancies, he -becomes a prey to ennui, has no object in life, -and finds no delight in the days. It could not be -otherwise. As an old servant in my family once -said, “If the rich were happy, we should know -there was no God.” -“How hardly shall a rich man enter into -the kingdom of heaven,” said Jesus; meaning -thereby that the possession of wealth destroys -our sympathy with our poorer brethren and -prevents a man from seeing his true relation -to those who have it not; makes it difficult for -him to recognize his oneness with all mankind, -and so cuts him off from that heaven of love -and peace on earth that can come only from -agreement of his own life with the life of others -outside his circle.</p> - -<p>If we are worried or ill at ease for any other -cause, such as ill-health, disappointed affec<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>261</span>tions, -unsatisfied desires, or from any of the innumerable -causes to which we attribute our ill, -we have but to examine them to find that in -every instance the underlying error is the same. -It is that we think of our separate interests, -that we are for self; that “me” has a deeper -significance to our mind than “us” that the -“I” blots out the “thou.” All worry, all unrest -comes from self-seeking, from the feeling -of separateness rather than of oneness; from -an inharmonious attitude towards life and its -underlying verities.</p> - -<p>“Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” said -the Teacher, “and all these things”—material -things, food and clothes that he had been speaking -of—“shall be added unto you.” Now God -is love, and the kingdom of God is universal -love, the love that knows no separateness; -therefore let not your heart be troubled, neither -let it be afraid. Believe in God. The man who -seeks first the wide Universal Peace does not -worry nor fret. He has, by that very seeking, -put himself in tune with the Infinite, and he -finds that the sounds which have seemed to him -like harsh discords are, to his listening ear, -blended into harmony. He has heard the -“sweetest carol ever sung” and nothing can -drown its melody. With that song in his ears -he can “run and never be wearied, he can walk -and not faint.” He loses his feverish impatience, -for “he that believeth shall not make<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>262</span> -haste”; he sees himself in every man and -every man in himself; he has found rest for his -soul.</p> - -<p>When this peace reigns within, the seeming -ills of life do not disturb us. We are not conscious -of ungratified desires, and in this lies -the truth of the promise—“all things shall be -added unto you.” For, if man is not conscious -of any ungratified want or desire, then, though -he be poor in this world’s goods and entirely -unknown, he is richer by far than the multi-millionaire -who is compelled to heap silver upon -gold, or the pushing politician whose thirst for -fame can never be slaked. He is in harmony -with the Universe, he has allied himself with -moral gravitation, and, going with its force, he -is upheld and supported, so that he has rest -now and is neither worried nor afraid.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>263</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_LI">CHAPTER LI<br /> - -<small>SOCIAL UNREST</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Peace, peace, thou over-anxious, foolish heart;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rest, ever-seeking soul; calm, mad desires;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Quiet, wild dreams—this is the time of sleep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Hold her more close than life itself. Forget</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All the excitements of the day, forget</div> - <div class="verse indent0">All problems and discomforts. Let the night</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Take you unto herself, her blessèd self,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Peace, peace, thou over-anxious, foolish heart;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Rest, ever-seeking soul; calm, mad desires;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Quiet, wild dreams—this is the time of sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Leolyn Louise Everett.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">Inquiry</span> into the causes and the cure of -sleeplessness leads us inevitably to one conclusion: -there must be peace of mind, harmonious -action and interaction of mind and body in -order to command the most refreshing sleep. A -man may not know which of the many theories -of sleep is correct—indeed, he may not know -that there are any theories about it, but, if he -lives a normal physical life and is at peace with -the world, he is likely to sleep well.</p> - -<p>Since health of body, mind, and soul is essen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>264</span>tial -to our best development, and since sleep, -restful sleep, is essential to such health, -it would seem that such sleep is one of the -things which rightly belong to every individual. -And, if to individuals, then to groups of -individuals, to nations, to the whole race. The -race is subject to the same influence as the individual, -and, since the chief cause of the unrest -of individuals is their inharmonious relations -towards one another, so the chief cause of the -unrest of the race is its inherent discord.</p> - -<p>Underlying the antagonisms of men to men -is the question of economics—“the science of -... living well for the state, the family, and -the individual,” as the Standard Dictionary defines -it. While the question of how he shall sustain -his mere physical existence—obtain the -food, clothes, and shelter so essential to his -maintenance—occupies all a man’s thought and -energy, he does not readily turn toward the -consideration of his deeper life. He feels that -every man is his enemy, ready and willing to -take from him, either by superior sharpness, -fraud, or force the opportunity of supplying -his needs.</p> - -<p>So long as conditions lead anyone to adopt -this attitude towards his fellows, he is not apt -to give much time or thought to discovering -his proper relations toward them. Forces -stronger than any number of individuals, acting -separately, may drive men into combinations<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>265</span>— -such as labor organizations among the masses, -or large corporations among the privileged -classes—until we find a sort of spurious co-operation -taking the place of individual effort.</p> - -<p>But this co-operation is based upon the necessity -of combining to oppose and crush, not -upon the desire to avoid friction and bring -about harmonious relations between men. -Wherever either labor or capital organizes -to protect itself from the oppression of the -other and to dictate terms to it, that other in -its turn organizes to protect itself and to crush -the opposing power. Neither party to the -struggle sees its dependence upon the other. -Capital forgets that labor called it into existence, -that without labor there had been no -capital, and that should labor cease capital -would soon disappear. Labor does not see that -capital is its own product, drawn from the land -and used to enable men to produce more wealth. -And neither sees that the object of producing -wealth is not wealth for its own sake, but that -man may, through its use, develop himself to -an ever higher state.</p> - -<p>It is scarcely possible that men should see -this under present economic conditions; how, -then, can it be possible for men to understand -their relations to one another or the advantages -of harmony?</p> - -<p>And, if economic conditions destroy man’s relations -to man, how much more completely do<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>266</span> -they destroy man’s relation to the higher life, -to Nature or God? Even in his bitterest struggles -with his fellows, man recognizes that he -and those who oppose him are alike victims of -circumstances and must fight. The resentment -which he feels is less toward individuals than -to the circumstances which make them antagonists -when they should be coworkers, and he -does not see that the circumstances are of man’s -own creating.</p> - -<p>So long as he regards these conditions as natural, -ordained by some power outside himself, -he cannot be expected to feel drawn towards -closer relations with that power. While he has -to watch his chance in the battle of life, he can -hardly see that to get in harmony with the laws -of the Universe, to recognize his oneness with -all life, is to leave struggle and unrest behind. -If life is nothing but struggle, he wonders how -any attitude can destroy or obviate struggling.</p> - -<p>Viewed from his standpoint, he is right. If, -as man progresses, the desire to live well -strengthens and deepens, and if this desire can -be gratified only by waging relentless war -against men and conditions, then no study of -the relations of man to man or of man to life -can lead to anything but greater cunning and -more destructive methods of opposition. As -the individual finds no way to fulfill his desires -without fighting his neighbor, so the nation -learns of no way to advance except through<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>267</span> -crushing other nations. There can rarely be -true internal peace for the individual and no -true rest and healthy growth for the nation -while unjust economic conditions are maintained.</p> - -<p>Wherever an individual feels the pressure of -economic conditions too keenly he loses what -little poise he may have had. He becomes restless -and sleepless and the whole tone of his -mind and body is lowered. Where the distress -from such pressure becomes general, there the -nation loses tone; quarrels are readily picked -with other nations, and war is resorted to as a -means of reducing population and of destroying -all forms of wealth, so that a new demand may -be created and the economic pressure for a time -be lessened. These conditions recur again and -again at longer or shorter intervals, and always -the same futile means of meeting them is -adopted. Man so little understands life that -he has not learned that harmony with the laws -of the Universe underlies his economic relations -as well as his physical relations. If he -knew this, he would know that the distress and -dissatisfaction common to all nations could -come only from the violation of natural laws, -and he would begin to search out those laws. -Men for a long time held false ideas of the -laws of the solar system, and exhausted ingenious -devices and systems to explain its phenomena. -Then they began to discover under<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>268</span>lying -laws which explain phenomena more satisfactorily: -some of those laws were found, and -our knowledge of the solar system to-day is -based upon these sure fundamentals.</p> - -<p>It is as possible to make sure of the laws -governing our economic conditions as of those -that govern the solar system. They must lie at -the root of all things economic and must -explain all phenomena that any condition of society, -whether the most primitive or the most -complex, can produce. Until these laws are discovered -and applied the earth will “turn, troubled -in sleep,” and men may not know peace.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>269</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_LII">CHAPTER LII<br /> - -<small>ECONOMIC REST</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center"> -Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep.<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Shakespeare.</span></p> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">There</span> are deep-lying causes of anxiety, -unrest, and sleeplessness that more or less -affect us all: yet, eighteen hundred years ago, -One cried, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Not, to come eventually, or to future peoples, -but “the Kingdom is at hand.” We have -looked over a world filled with injustice, for the -coming of the kingdom—but we have not seen -it. What is it that hides “the Kingdom at -hand” from our eyes? Is it not iniquity? -What kind of iniquity? We once had chattel -slavery, which was denounced as “the sum of -all villainies.” We still have monopoly of the -gift of God, which is the fundamental iniquity. -For every one of his children a loving father -made ample provision in the earth, but we have -allowed a few to monopolize it all; some nine -out of every hundred own our earth, and we -find that, under such circumstances, the laws of -God are impracticable; therefore, we say “the -Kingdom is not a real Kingdom—it is only in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>270</span> -men’s minds, only in some far-off imaginable -day it may be in their hearts.”</p> - -<p>The kingdom of God is in our hearts, and, -if to-day we will but allow all our fellows to -share in the bounty of Nature, the kingdom -will be around us also, here and now.</p> - -<p>For there is a divine order, a natural law, -obedience to which brings its own immediate -rewards; disobedience to which involves its own -punishment. The first order of Nature is that -men should derive their subsistence from the -land and the products of land, provided by an -all-wise Creator. From what else can we derive -it? Does not everything we need, from the -wheat to the wheel of the watch, come from -the earth? By many hands, by many processes, -through many stages, all forms of wealth are -obtained by labor from the land. Food, clothing, -fuel, machinery, buildings, capital are all -results of men working on the materials of the -earth. So it is clear why, when we have allowed -men to be shut out from that earth, we -find ourselves surrounded by poverty and -misery.</p> - -<p>Like all fundamental laws, the law of our -economic relations is simple and easily understood, -even by children. It may be stated thus: -food, clothes, and shelter, being essential to the -maintenance of human life, all human creatures -have equal need of and, therefore, equal -right to access to the source of food, clothes,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>271</span> -and shelter. This source is the earth, and the -only method known whereby the earth may be -made to yield food, clothes, and shelter is by -the application of labor to land. For, no matter -what picture we conjure up, whether it be -of the farmer tilling the soil, the carpenter -building a house, the factory operative weaving -cloth, the engineer driving the locomotive that -draws the produce to markets—there we find -labor. And, if we try to imagine any of these -forms of labor as cut off from land, we shall -find our very concept of labor and of life wiped -out.</p> - -<p>Everything necessary to life, whether it be -the life of the individual, the nation, or of the -whole race, can be produced by the combination -of land and labor. Anything that restricts or -hampers the application of labor to land leads -to suffering on the part of those deprived of -this access. When the government of a new -country wants to increase population, it offers -free land to settlers. It does not say, “If you -will come to this country, the government will -build mills, factories, stores, offices, banks, and -churches for you”; it says rather, “Here is -land, come and use it; build for yourselves out -of its materials.” All other forms of prosperity -flow from the application of labor to -land, and, therefore, it is sufficient to give to -men free access to natural opportunities. If -the government of a country owned all the land<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>272</span> -of that country, it could increase, restrict, or -otherwise regulate population, and better or -worsen the condition of that population by the -way in which it granted or withheld the land -under its control.</p> - -<p>This is in effect what government has done. -It first bettered conditions by allowing free access -to land, and then worsened them by allowing -a few to make the land their private property; -this appropriation of the land carries -with it the power to hold it out of use, thus -depriving all men of their equal right to the use -of the earth, the source of supply for all men’s -wants. Instead of these favored few being -made to pay those deprived of the land an -equivalent for the privilege enjoyed, the disinherited -many are compelled to pay a premium -to the landholder for the opportunity to labor.</p> - -<p>When there is a lockout, is it not the pressure -of want that brings the men back, hat in hand, -to the factory door? If one could go to the outskirts -of this town to cultivate a bit of the unused -land, could he not hold out till he got all -that his labor was worth? And, when he and his -fellows are offered less, if they could but get -at the unused mines and quarries and coalfields -and factory sites, and vacant lots, they -would not need to seek an employer at all—they -could get credit, if needed, and produce for -themselves the capital which they now produce -for others and employ themselves in doing it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>273</span></p> - -<p>So many evils flow from the fundamental -wrong of shutting up the earth, that rest, the -peace of mind and body that makes for refreshing -sleep, is to many impossible.</p> - -<p>And who that understands would wish it otherwise? -Were the power of rest and peace universal -now, it would be a denial of the very -cause of rest,—the proper understanding of -man’s relations to humanity and to life. Until -man has adjusted his economic contrivances -to the underlying laws of a true Social Science, -he cannot have national or racial rest. The -material science, biology, is proving this ethical -truth. Recently Dr. Woods Hutchinson has -shown that it does not take even three generations -to make a high-class man a “thoroughbred,” as he terms it. If good food, light, air, -proper clothing, and wholesome recreation were -extended to the masses, each generation would -produce its own “thoroughbreds” from the -“common people.” -He says: “Men not only can but do get to -be as able, as useful, and as desirable citizens -for the community, in every possible regard, -in one generation as they will ever get or are -capable of becoming. Give the unspoiled, warm-hearted -mass of humanity a fair living chance—good -food, fresh air, sunshine, decent homes, -no overwork, plenty of healthful amusements—and -you will reap a far larger crop not merely -of happiness, of justice, and of well-being, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>274</span> -also of geniuses, of great men and of all leaders -and illuminators than any nation can possibly -utilize.”</p> - -<p>Until the privilege-created aristocracy of -other countries and plutocracy of this country -get off the backs of the people and cease to -exploit them by monopolies, there can be no -complete and permanent rest, for the “mania -for owning things” possesses the rich, and the -fear of want makes restlessness for the poor. -The burden-bearing masses have not yet seen -the cause of their burden, even though they feel -its intolerable weight at times and make efforts -to throw it off. All this deepens their unrest.</p> - -<p>The very oneness of all life will put sound -sleep and true rest ever beyond the general -reach until all are given equal opportunity in -Nature’s great gift to man, the Earth.</p> - -<p>Then the worker, free of the taxes of rent -and monopoly, free of cut-throat competition -forced by monopoly, would have some leisure in -which to use his brains and cultivate his affections; -and liberty—moral, intellectual, and economic—would -be here.</p> - -<p>Was it not something like this which Jesus -had in mind when he said “the Kingdom of -God is at hand”? Did not he say that obedience -to the laws of the Universe would bring -their own immediate and immense reward? -The kingdom and the peace of God is within -our reach, did we but realize it.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>275</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_LIII">CHAPTER LIII<br /> - - -<small>“IF HE SLEEP, HE SHALL DO WELL”</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Oh! thou best comforter of that sad heart</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Whom Fortune’s spite assails; come, gentle sleep,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The weary mourner soothe.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Mrs. Tighe.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> believe in a ruling Principle of Order -in the Universe, in accordance with -which everything lives and moves—planets, -plants, and man.</p> - -<p>We call this “God,” “the Spirit,” the “Nature -of Things,” or by some other name, but -we find that, in crystal, vegetable, or animal, it -always works: and we see that it tends forever -toward a more harmonious arrangement and -better relations of the whole system.</p> - -<p>There are seeming lapses, where we cannot -yet see, in this instance or in that, how it will -work out; but in the arrangement of the stars, -the growth of knowledge through experience, -and in the history of man, we see in the -broad view that it does so work out well. Probably -Mary, certainly the disciples, thought at -the time that the death of Jesus was a horrible -mistake and misfortune. Now we see that it -was “needful that this one man should die for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>276</span> -all the people” and that to him, even then, it -was no misfortune. The sacrifice of one for -many is a great principle of life. The development -of the earth from chaos to fruitfulness, -the development of man from brutality to the -rule of mind, the development of ourselves -from single selfishness to the wider love, shows -that there is a beneficent Force and that “all -things work together for good.” If each of us -considers himself alone, as having separate interests, -this truth will be obscured; but when we -recognize that each of us is a part of the whole, -as the tongue is a part of the body, we see that -no part can be favored without injuring the entire -system.</p> - -<p>If we unduly gratify the taste, the tongue -is the very first to show that the stomach is -“out of order,” and this disharmony is felt in -the whole body.</p> - -<p>Sometimes we have done wrong, or have seen -others do wrong apparently with profit; but the -wider view will always show that the way of -the transgressor is as hard as his heart, that -the wicked man is in truth the fool. We know -that any attempt that man makes to disturb the -right order for the sake of any separate interest -must react upon himself, destroying his own -happiness as well as the happiness of those -about him.</p> - -<p>Similarly we see that the prophet, the cultivator, -the inventor, the martyr, the benevolent<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>277</span> -man, each doing what he is inspired to do, is -working just as much for all mankind as for -himself, that he cannot reap the benefit except -as others share it. For our good, we are joined -together in one connected whole, so that no man -liveth, or so much as dieth, to himself.</p> - -<p>We see how the Spirit makes “even the -wrath of men to praise him” that the tyranny -of a king was necessary to drive out colonists -to proclaim liberty, and the fierce rivalry of nations -in armament is needed to usher in a Court -of International Peace. Since that is so, since -we know that in great or universal affairs the -eternal purposes cannot be interfered with, why -should we think that it fails to work in our -own little interests?</p> - -<p>We see beautiful, symmetrical shells and -well-adapted organs in creatures so small that -we know of their existence only through high-power -microscopes. In them we find the same -rule of law, the same adaptation to supreme -ends that we find in the measureless suns and -in the measureless souls of men.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, when what seems evil “happens,” as we say, to us, upon what principle -can we conclude that this is an exception, that -in this case something has occurred that ought -not to have occurred? If one thing went wrong -in the divine intent, it would show a limit to -the rule of Good. We know that there can be -no such limit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>278</span></p> - -<p>It is not fatalism to believe that the same -holy order rules over us, for each of us and -each of our efforts is a part of the divine plan, -and a means of carrying it out. We should -strive for those things that seem to us desirable -and good; although we may not have success, -as we call it, so kind is the constitution of -things that the effort to direct things right dulls -the pain of finding that the event shapes itself -in a way that we do not like.</p> - -<p>We are threatened, perhaps, with what seems -a horrible disaster: why, the very derivation of -the word disaster refers to the influence which -the stars are supposed to have upon our destinies. -Some power there is that controls those -destinies, in spite of our human limitations of -time and space. Who would take the job, -though he had the power, of controlling even -the material world, arranging the growth of -plants, the rise and fall of nations, the birth -and waning of the stars?</p> - -<p>Yet we do wish to assume just such Omnipotence -and Omniscience in our personal affairs; -to say that this possession must not, shall not -slip from me, this one must not die. And, if -this that is so dear does go away, then in that -one instance, because it concerns us, we refuse -to admit that that instance is no exception to -the rule of Love, or to recognize the kind watchfulness -of Him that, keeping Israel, slumbers -not nor sleeps.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>279</span></p> - -<p>And yet the loss hurts, and the fear of it -hurts still more, with a pain that seems past -endurance—it hurts, and for ages long it has -been necessary that we should have just such -pain in order that we may make the efforts that -contribute our part to the progress of the -world.</p> - -<p>But some of us do not in our hearts believe -in a beneficent Order of the Universe. We think -that some persons may seize what they want, -regardless of others, and yet no evil come to -them. Even if that be so, still it is wise to act -so as to gain the most happiness and, therefore, -to accommodate ourselves to the Nature of -Things.</p> - -<p>If we could but leave out the unreasonable -self-pity and get into our hearts, as knowledge -that is a part of ourselves, this understanding -of the goodness and the loving kindness of God, -we should be as gods ourselves, seeing the end -from the beginning and recognizing that, success -or failure, loss or gain, life or death, the -times are in his hands, and it is all very good. -And our hearts should not be troubled, nor our -rest disturbed.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>280</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_LIV">CHAPTER LIV<br /> - -<small>CONCLUSION</small></h2></div> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">When the shining day doth die,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Sweet is sleep.</div> - <div class="verse indent22"><span class="smcap">Dora Read Goodale.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap">We</span> have finished our long inquiry, and it -has brought us to thoughts and perhaps -to conclusions for which we did not look. Such -is the leading of the Spirit, into ways that we -know not of.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“So read I this—and as I try</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To write it clear again</div> - <div class="verse indent0">I find a second finger lie</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Above mine on the pen.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Much of the ground we have merely passed -over, it may be hurriedly, but we have seen -a promised land of Peace, and, wherever the -soles of our feet have trodden, the land shall -be given to us and to our children for an inheritance—if -we will.</p> - -<p>Now, once again, dear reader—dear, for, in -striving and in helping each other to get a clear -view of these important matters, we become -dear to each other—try these things.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>281</span></p> - -<p>If you have read and merely approved or disapproved, -you will get little good from the -reading. You remember the pathetically comic -story of the little boy who was asked if his father -was a Christian:</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he said, “pa is a Christian; but he -does not work much at it.” That man might -more hopefully have been an infidel. You must -put all that you can accept into practice if it is -to be of any use.</p> - -<p>We have found that what we call body and -mind and soul are so closely bound together -that no one of them can be well or ill independently -of the others. We divide them in our -thought and speech; but we cannot find any line -of separation. Every state joins on to the next -one: mineral and vegetable and animal are -composed of the same elements which pass from -one state to another. The silex and the lime -are taken up to make the wheat hard, we eat -wheat and these elements pass into our bones, -and, when our bodies return to Mother Earth, -the rootlets take them up again to run the round -once more.</p> - -<p>So the body and mind and soul are all one -Life. There are no divisions in Nature. The -form differs, but the essence is uniform. We -classify for the sake of convenience and of clear -statement. As Sir Oliver Lodge says, in “The -Survival of Man”—“Boundaries and classifications -must be recognized as human artifices,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>282</span> -but for practical purposes distinctions are necessary”; -but the philosopher never loses sight -of the fundamental fact that each animal, flying-fish -and whale, seal and polar bear, bat and -bird, can be classified only by seizing on some -acquired characteristic, such as the temperature -of the blood, the method of birth, or the -structure of the bones. These mark the animal -as belonging to an order.</p> - -<p>We see, then, that all are One, different manifestations -of the Universal Life, which must be -understood and treated as a whole to see and -avail ourselves of the Universal Harmony. Accordingly -we find that we must work with Nature -if she is to bring forth abundantly, of -bodily or of spiritual things, to satisfy our -desires. Only in the sweat of our faces do we -absorb the full comfort and strength of the -bread of life.</p> - -<p>Whatever you have willingly received, willingly -give to others. Only when you cast the -seed, this your mental bread, upon the fertilizing -waters, shall it return to you in the -harvest after many days.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>What I have written, I have written as much -for myself as for you: if it were not so, -it would be useless both to you and to me. We -must go up each for himself and take the -strongholds of our own Ignorance and Distrust -and Fear. Let no one think that he can<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>283</span> -get life by merely reading these words of -life.</p> - -<p>Try these things for yourself—teach these -things to your other selves; breathe them in -and live them out. Open your mind and enlarge -your heart so that the Spirit may be able -to bless you and keep you with him, and to be -kind to you, and to lift up the Light of his countenance -upon you and give you</p> - - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Peace.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>284</span></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDICES_AND_BIBLIOGRAPHY">APPENDICES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY</h2> -</div> - - -<p>Some matters of interest mainly to students -of sleep phenomena have been mentioned in the -text and put in these appendices. In this way -the general reader is saved the trouble of skipping -in the body of the text.</p> - -<p>Appendix “A” contains some medical information -on the subject of Insomnia and -sleep-inducing drugs.</p> - -<p>Appendix “B” and “C” have been translated -from the Latin by A. T. Craig especially -for use in “The Gift of Sleep.” They are of -value chiefly as showing the attitude of the -ancients towards this natural function.</p> - -<p>Appendix “D” gives some provisional conclusions -based on a Questionnaire on Sleep. -The returns are as yet incomplete.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>285</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX_A">APPENDIX A</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine” (1892), giving the terms used in medical psychology -with the symptoms, treatment, and pathology of insanity. -Two vols. Edited by D. Hack Tuke, M.D., -LL.D., Examiner in Mental Psychology in the University -of London; lecturer on Psychological Medicine, -etc., says:</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Loss of Sleep as a Cause and Consequence of -Insanity</span>: Insomnia is the indication of a morbid -condition. It is also, when prolonged, something -more. Loss of sleep may frequently be a cause, or one -of several causes, of mental disorder. To remove it -is therefore of the greatest consequence in the early -treatment of the insane. <i class="em">In a large number of instances -it is doubtless the consequence and not the -cause of mental trouble.</i> The agony of mind associated -with melancholia, or the rapid flow of ideas in -acute mania, may render sleep an almost unattainable -boon, and in these cases it requires great discrimination -to decide when, if at all, to administer hypnotics. -(P. 1173.)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Remedies Known as Somnifacients, Soporifics, -Hypnotics, and Narcotics</span>: At the outset we must -put the question, Is there a distinction between hypnotics -and narcotics? Dujardin-Beaumetz answers in -the affirmative. He holds that for the drug to be hypnotic -it must imitate the natural condition of sleep -by effecting a lowered intra-cranial pressure, and that -drugs which, though bringing about unconsciousness, -do not lower cerebral pressure, or which increase it, -cannot claim to be hypnotics. On this line he sepa<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>286</span>rates -chloral as a hypnotic from opium as a narcotic -... in the different forms of artificial or drugged -sleep it is probable that these two factors—quantity -of blood, including blood pressure, and quality of -blood, do each play a part. (P. 1129.)</p> - -<p>Medical science has been able so far to do little for -sleeplessness, except to call it “Insomnia.” -<span class="smcap">Insomnia</span>: Loss of sleep has been classified under -various heads by writers on wakefulness. Thus -German-Sée has made no less than nine divisions:</p> - -<p>a—dolorous insomnia.</p> - -<p>b—digestive.</p> - -<p>c—cardiac and dyspnoeal insomnia.</p> - -<p>d—cerebros-spinal, neurotic insomnia comprising -lesions of encephalon, general paralysis, acute and -chronic mania, hysteria, hypochondriasis.</p> - -<p>e—psychic insomnia (emotional and sensational).</p> - -<p>f—insomnia of cerebral and physical fatigue.</p> - -<p>g—genito-urinary insomnia.</p> - -<p>h—febrile, infectious, autotoxic insomnia.</p> - -<p>i—toxic insomnia (coffee, tea, alcohol).<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>Among the causes of insomnia those of a predisposing -character are the female sex, old age, nervous -temperament, intellectual pursuits.</p> - -<p>Of exciting causes may be enumerated organic or -functional diseases of the brain, worry, anxiety, grief, -and bodily pain; noise, if not monotonous, fever, coffee, -tea, etc.</p> - -<p>Among the insane, insomnia is one of the most frequent -symptoms, except in chronic dementia. In -melancholia it is the most distressing accompaniment -of the disorder, and is especially marked in the early -morning.</p> - -<p>A careful analysis of the conditions or causes of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>287</span> -insomnia has been made by Dr. Folsom (U. S.). The -principal ones may be briefly enumerated as follows: -Habit, reflex causes, as indigestion, genito-urinary disorders; -autotoxic causes, as gout, lithæmia, syphilis, -habitual constipation; anæmia, vaso-motor changes, -neurasthenia, hallucinations of sight or hearing, astigmatism—the -strain of the eye which in health may -be unnoticed, producing “in states of debility, headache, -dizziness, spasmodic muscular action or wakefulness” -and the neurotic temperament.<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX_B">APPENDIX B<br /> - - -<small>ABSTRACT FROM ARTICLE: “LUMINOUS -SLEEP”</small></h2></div> - -<p class="center">By <span class="smcap">P. Arunochalam</span></p> - - -<p>Deep sleep is a sleep of darkness, that is, the sleep -of the nerves, and the utter relaxation of the body. -Its refreshment is due to absence of thought.</p> - -<p>Is there a sleep of light, a luminous sleep, in which, -while there is absence of thought, there is not darkness -and oblivion, but perfect consciousness? To suppose -this did not seem irrational to the Greeks. (An instance -is cited of the abstracted moods of Socrates, -Sympos: 174-5.) (Further citations of this eccentricity -of Socrates are in: The Tamil Sage; Charmides; -Phaedrus; The Republic; also Tennyson, “The -Ancient Sage.”)</p> - -<p>This reality, sleep that is a sort of abstraction from -the bodily condition, is pure consciousness of spirit, -“Luminous sleep,” an intellectual and spiritual condition -as contrasted with physical sleep. To the gen<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>288</span>eral -aspects of the genius and life of Ancient Greece, -to its philosophy of the reality of pure abstraction, -of absolute knowledge and the possibility of attaining -it, such a theory would seem reasonable.</p> - -<p>Dr. Jowett is cited as maintaining that pure abstraction -is mere negation.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX_C">APPENDIX C<br /> - -<small>THESE CLASSICAL, THOUGH ENTIRELY A PRIORI, THEORIES -OF SLEEP ARE NOT WITHOUT INTEREST</small></h2></div> - -<h3>SLEEP AND WAKING</h3> - -<p class="center">By <span class="smcap">Giovanni Argenterio</span> (<span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1556)</p> - - -<h4>PREFACE</h4> - -<p>That it may well be difficult to explain the nature, -differences, causes, and importance of sleep and waking, -I think is made clear enough by the fact that -concerning them there is great doubt and dissension -among the highest philosophers and physicians. For -Galen, when he questioned what sleep was, and what -waking, decided at length that he could not be certain -in what order of phenomena to classify them. Aristotle -indeed, in his definitions of sleep and waking, -arranges them in different places. Judging from -selected books of all authors, no one, in my opinion, -has been able to enumerate the general differences of -sleep and waking by any certain method. Alcmœn -thinks sleep is produced when the blood in the veins -flows back and becomes congested. Empedocles -believes it to arise from the chilling of heat in the -blood. Diogenes states that sleep is induced by the -blood pushing to the inner cavities of the body the -air that is introduced into bodies. Plato and the -Stoics taught that it arose of itself by the letting go<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>289</span> -of the spirit (or the releasing of the breath) and the -consequent relaxation.</p> - -<p>It is needless to refute the cause which Aristotle -gives for sleep, and Galen for waking. They do not -accord. The one thinks the true cause arises and has -its seat in the heart,—the other in the brain. On -account of which disagreement, great contention has -been excited among more recent philosophers and -physicians, as to which view to adhere to. Some attribute -one significance, others another to these things. -And so, because of the great difficulty introduced, -there is nothing relative to the matter which is not in -the deepest obscurity and doubt. A knowledge of this -thing is, nevertheless, most useful, even if come upon -by any other fortunate means, and not only through -the knowledge of the doctors; by such means, for instance, -as through the study of the general arts; for -if it is joyful to philosophize, and to happen upon the -hidden and abstruse things in the secret places of -nature,—who would not find great pleasure in learning -the causes of the sleeping and waking of creatures, -why now they take long, now short sleeps; why at -one time it is difficult to capture sleep,—at another -time impossible to dispel it?</p> - -<p>We wonder how at one moment sleep leads to waking; -how waking and sleeping mutually succeed each -other; why diverse things serve to explain each other, -as sleep, waking,—and waking, sleep.</p> - -<p>Sometimes these, sleep and waking, are injurious,—at -other times beneficial. For sleep and also waking -bring forth diseases, intensify them; both equally -drive them away, soothe sorrows and likewise intensify -them; by one and the other alike, morbid -causes are often destroyed more effectually than by -any other remedy; indeed, in conjunction with the -benefit of these (sleep and waking), concoctions, food,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>290</span> -purgatives, and finally all the functions of the different -parts of the body may be exercised to the best -advantage; nor is it possible, indeed, for a creature to -live, or to maintain his life, without sleep and waking.</p> - -<p>There is no action of the body or mind which has -greater values to the body, nothing which supplies -more reliable signs for discerning bodily ills, and -showing how to be rid of them.</p> - -<p>Of which things, indeed, the investigation and -knowledge is most useful, and not without pleasure -to those who delight in the understanding of things; -that is what Aristotle, prince of philosophers, notices, -when he writes his whole book concerning sleep and -waking,—and often elsewhere at random in his writings. -Not the less does Hippocrates notice them in his -citations, for he wrote most sayings on the subject, -so many that I omit them; and there are many in -other books, of which a definite impression does not -remain in my memory. But as I have said, when all, -or certainly most writers on this subject may be perplexed -with regard to these things, and involved in -many difficulties, no one ought to condemn me, if, -after them, and many men, I presume to write on this -subject.</p> - - -<h4>CHAPTER I<br /> - -<small>BY WHAT CAUSES AND MEANS SLEEP AND WAKING ARE -PRODUCED, ACCORDING TO THE OPINION OF ARISTOTLE</small></h4> - -<p>To refute the opinion of the philosophers concerning -the causes of sleep and waking, I think superfluous; -because, with Aristotle’s views surviving now many -centuries, no authority among these other writers -may be greater than his; and because the ignorant -premises of the others makes all discussion of them -become inane.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>291</span></p> - -<p>Because of this I think I should be excused for introducing -the opinion of Aristotle among all the -philosophers, that is, for choosing it from among them, -for if we show it to be equally probable with the -others which we presume to refute, it will be because, -unlike them, it extinguishes them by its own plausibility.</p> - -<p>Aristotle thinks sleep to be produced by a vapor -generated by the heat energy in food, the fumes of -which, rising to the brain, are there converted into -moisture by the coldness of the brain itself, because, -as he says, cold is felt at the contact just as rain is -known to be made from vapor in contact with cold -air; which moisture or humor, by force of gravity, is -pushed downward, descends through the veins, drives -the heat from the heart, and makes that cold also; -whence, the cold spreading about, sleep, he says, generally -arises.</p> - -<p>This moisture, or humor,—ought to be warm, he -writes; when it is cold, sleep will not be produced,—just -as those affected with sleepiness show that their -systems are in warm and at the same time humid -condition; and children, who have abundance of this -warm moisture, sleep the most; whence he states that -this sleep chill has in fact its causes at the outset in -this very warmth. These things he discusses partly -in the book on “Sleep and Waking,” partly in the -second of “The Parts of Animals,” and in “Problems.” I am not able to judge concerning the first -matter, the idea of giving a single cause of sleep. -For, according to this author, waking brings sleep;<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> -since even animals, by means of waking and exercising -their functions are known to become quiet and sleep, -and it is said by him, that since animals become help<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>292</span>less -in sleep, this helplessness is produced by the -excess of waking that precedes it.</p> - -<p>But not in waking, in food, or in this reason of -generated vapor, is it possible to place the cause of -sleep. Exercise produces this very effect. For -through labor, deep and sweetest sleep falls upon the -creatures; and this not on account of vapors rising -from food, nor on account of a natural moisture, so -much as by the violent exercise of the body. Foods -that are cold or dried, as the hull of the mandrake,—taken -into the body, induce sleep; which therefore is -not accomplished because these foods give rise to -vapors, since they would rather banish the vapors by -their dryness; nor would these foods supply to the -head what vapor is generated, since, repelled by the -cold of such substances being taken into the body, the -moisture would be repelled and chilled, and prevent -the vapor from being carried to the brain. This -would be so, as he says, only if the generation of -vapors, and their ascent arose from the heating of -this natural humor or moisture.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Other chapters of interest in Argenterio’s “Sleep -and Waking” are:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter II</span>: What may bring sleep, and by what -method, according to Galen.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter III</span>: The causes producing sleep, which are -thought true.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter XI</span>: In what way sleep may be produced -from natural heat.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter XIII</span>: Concerning natural causes of Sleep -and Waking.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter XIV</span>: Concerning unnatural causes of Sleep -and Waking.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chapter XVII</span>: Of causes of long and short sleep.</p></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>293</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX_D">APPENDIX D<br /> - -<small>QUESTIONNAIRE ON SLEEP</small></h2></div> - - -<p>In order to get the facts about <span class="smcap">Sleep</span> we sent a question -sheet to a large number of persons selected by -classes. We began with a thousand professors in -order to get suggestions which might make the investigation -more useful. The following request was -sent out:</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Please Fill Out and Return</span>—</p> - -<p>We shall be glad to supply additional copies of -this slip upon request—we desire the largest number -of replies possible and it is hoped the scientific interest -of the subject will lead you to aid us in procuring -them.</p> - -<ul> - -<li><span class="gap4">Age</span> <span class="gap4">Weight</span> - <span class="gap4">Height</span> <span class="gap4"> Health</span></li> - -<li>Married?</li> - -<li>Do you sleep well?</li> - -<li>How many waking hours in bed?</li> - -<li>How many hours’ sleep on an average, and at what -times?</li> - -<li>What do you consider sufficient for yourself?</li> - -<li>Any difference during vacations?</li> - -<li>Do you use any means or devices for inducing sleep?</li> - -<li>Similar observations on members of your family, if -any?<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>294</span></li> - -<li>Are your dreams usually rational or fantastic, pleasant -or unpleasant?</li> - -<li>Do you have nightmare?</li> - -<li>Are you given to worry?</li> - -<li>Does physical, especially agricultural, work relieve -this?</li> - -<li>Do you take artificial exercise, or does your work involve -exercise?</li> - -<li><span class="gap4">Appetite good?</span> Simple diet or -elaborate?</li> - -<li>Is the “sleep of the laboring man sweet” in reality?</li> - -<li>Name</li> - -<li>Profession</li> - -<li>Address</li> -</ul> - - -<p>No scientifically complete tabulation and study of -data has yet been made on <span class="smcap">Sleep</span>.</p> - -<p>Moffat, Yard & Company is publishing a book entitled -“The Gift of Sleep,” by Bolton Hall. For the -purpose of this book it is desired to obtain full information -concerning the amount of sleep needed by -individuals in different walks of life, the circumstances -under which the soundest and most restful -sleep is obtained, and the amount necessary for individuals.</p> - -<p>You will confer a great favor if you will fill out -this sheet and return to the publisher.</p> - - -<p class="psig">Yours very truly,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Moffat, Yard & Company</span>,<br /> -31 East Seventeenth Street,<br /> -New York.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>295</span></p> - - -<h4>ADDITIONAL REMARKS</h4> - -<p>At the date of going to press we have not received -answers sufficient in number to warrant very definite -statements in regard to sleep and dreams. A thorough -report must be reserved for a later edition. Nor -was the time sufficient for the very considerable labor -of examining and tabulating the replies. It appears, -however, that about one person in thirty regards himself -as a poor sleeper, and only two others in thirty -will say they sleep only fairly well. About three -persons out of five report that they spend no time -in wakefulness in bed; the remaining two persons -spend from fifteen minutes to five or six hours each, -the average among this group being one hour and ten -minutes per person per night. Among professors in -our leading universities the prevailing hour for retiring -is between 10 and 11 o’clock; four-fifths of -this group say they retire either at 10, 10.30, or 11 -o’clock; but this class of people retire on the average -about one-half hour later than persons of the other -classes from whom we have received replies.</p> - -<p>The average duration of sleep is, roughly, seven -and one-half hours. One-third of all replies gave -eight hours as the length of sleep; and the professors -are inclined to sleep a slightly longer period than -those in the other occupations taken together.</p> - -<p>The age of the individuals seemed to have no effect -on the averages of the daily amount of time spent in -sleep. Persons under the age of forty differed in no -marked degree from persons over forty either in -length of sleep or frequency of dreaming. There is -general agreement on the point that they get just -enough sleep, and that vacations make only a slight -increase. The data is not yet sufficient to justify a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>296</span> -conclusion as to the average time of sleep at different -ages.</p> - -<p>In reference to dreams, about 15 per cent. report -that they do not dream, and about 30 per cent. say -they dream “rarely,” “seldom,” or “occasionally.” We are disposed to question these returns on the -ground that they give an impression that dreams are -less frequent than they really are. The investigations -of most experimenters who have made special -studies of dreams seem rather to show that the number -of our dream-experiences grows as soon as we -give our attention to them, just as, on a clear night, a -hasty glance at the sky may reveal many stars, but -a steady gaze reveals very many more.</p> - -<p>Our returns are interesting as to the character of -the dreams. The favorite adjective used to describe -dreams was “rational.” A lesser number of persons -said their dreams were “pleasant,” less still that -they were “fantastic.” Three times as many persons -describe their dreams as pleasant than those who -describe them as generally unpleasant. Either Professor -Freud’s conclusion is correct, that we tend to -forget unpleasant experiences more readily than -pleasant ones, or else the dreams really afforded more -pleasurable than they did disagreeable feelings. The -most typical combination used to describe the nature -of the individual’s dream-life was that it was “rational -and pleasant.” Less than one-third of all the -answerers confessed to having ever experienced nightmare.</p> - -<p>It should be observed that thus far we have encountered -a group of replies from persons who, as a -group, are remarkably healthy, normal, and fairly -free from worry. Particularly, worry does not seem -to be a vice of professors, as only 8 per cent. confess -to it. About 17 per cent. of them say they need more -physical exercise than they get, which is mostly walk<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>297</span>ing. -There is also a gratifying unanimity as to good -appetite, simple diet, and absence of need for artificial -means of inducing sleep.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX_E">APPENDIX E<br /> - -<small>BIBLIOGRAPHY</small></h2></div> - - -<p>It is surprising how little has been written about -Sleep, and what a small part of what has been written -is worth reading. Perhaps the best book, certainly -the most exhaustive, is Marie Manacéïne’s “Sleep,” which contains a full but disorderly Bibliography.</p> - -<p>Except in the case of American works, which might -easily have escaped Marie Manacéïne’s attention, I -have not tried to go further back than that Bibliography, -as she was most industrious in research; -I have only cut out from her list what seemed the -more obsolete or needless works. But with the help of -A. T. Craig and others, I have carried it, as far as -may be, down to date.</p> - - -<p>Bibliography Selected from that Given in “Sleep” (Manacéïne).</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Abercrombie</span>: Inquiries Concerning the Intellectual -Powers, p. 283 et seq., 1840.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Baillarger</span>: De l’influence de l’état intermédiare à -la veille et au sommeil sur la production et la -marche des hallucinations. <i class="cite">Annales Médico-psychologiques</i>, -1845, tome vi.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bichat</span>: Sur la Mort et la Vie. Paris.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brierre de Boismont</span>: Etude médico-légales sur les -hallucinations et les illusions. <i class="cite">Annales d’hygiène -publique et de médicin légale</i>, 1861, tome xvi.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>298</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Broadbent</span>: Insomnia, <i class="cite">Lancet</i>, April, 1887.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Burnham, W. H.</span>: Memory, Historically and Experimentally -Considered. Part III, Paramnesia, -<i class="cite">Amer. Jour. of Psychol.</i>, May, 1889.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Byford</span>: On the Physiology of Exercise. <i class="cite">Amer. -Jour. of the Med. Sciences</i>, 1855, No. 59.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>On the Physiology of Repose or Sleep. <i class="cite">Amer. -Jour. of the Med. Sciences</i>, April, 1856.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Catlin</span>: Shut Your Mouth, 1870.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Condillac</span>: Essai sur l’origine des connaisances -humaines, Sect. I, chapter ix.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Crichton-Browne, J.</span>: Dreamy Mental States. <i class="cite">Lancet</i>, -1895, No. 3749.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Delboeuf</span>: Le Sommeil et les Rêves.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">De Sanctis and Neyroz</span>: Experimental Investigations -Concerning the Depth of Sleep. <i class="cite">Psychol. Rev.</i>, -vol. ix, pp. 254-282. 1902.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dufay</span>: La notion de la personalité.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Durham</span>: The Physiology of Sleep.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i class="cite">Guy’s Hospital Reports</i>, vol. vi, 1860.</p> - -<p><i class="cite">Psychol. Jour.</i>, vol. v, p. 74 et seq.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Errera, Leo</span>: Sur le Mécanisme du Sommeil. -Brussels, 1895.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fazio</span>: Sul Sonno naturale, studio teoretico sperimentale, -<i class="cite">Il Morgagni</i>, 1874.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Frölich</span>: Ueber den Schlaf, Berlin, 1799.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fucker</span>: Light of Nature Pursued, 1805, vol. i.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Greenwood, Fred</span>: Imagination in Dreams, and their -Study, 1894.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hammond</span>: On Wakefulness, 1866, 1873.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Sleep and Its Derangements.</p> - -<p>A Treatise on Insanity, p. 115 et seq. Philadelphia, -1869.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hartmann</span>: Philosophy of the Unconscious.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Henne</span>: Du Sommeil Naturel.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Herbart</span>: Sämtliche Werke, Bd. V., p. 541 et seq.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>299</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Howell</span>: A Contribution to the Theory of Sleep, <i class="cite">Jour. -of Exper. Med.</i>, 1897.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Judée</span>: De l’état de rêve. <i class="cite">Gazette des Hôspitaux</i>, -1856.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lange</span>: Geschichte des Materialismus, 1875. (English -trans. by E. C. Thomas, 1881.)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lemoine</span>: Du sommeil au point de vue physiologique -et psychologique, 1855.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Liébault</span>: Du sommeil et des états analogues, 1866.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Maudesley</span>: Body and Will, 1883.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Meyer, Bruno</span>: Aus der Æsthetischen Pädagogik.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Moore, C. A.</span>: On Going to Sleep, 1871.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Nagel</span>: Der natürliche und künstliche Schlaf, 1872.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Nudow</span>: Versuch einer Theorie des Schlafes, Königsberg, -1791, p. 129 et seq.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Patrick and Gilbert</span>: On the Effects of Loss of Sleep, -<i class="cite">Psych. Rev.</i>, Sept., 1896.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Paulhan, A.</span>: De l’activité de l’esprit dans le rêve, -<i class="cite">Revue Philos.</i>, Nov., 1894, p. 546.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Plattner</span>: Von dem Schlaf der Kinder, welcher durch -das Einwiegen hervorgebracht wird (1740).</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pierrot</span>: De l’insomnie, 1869.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Radestock</span>: Schlaf und Traum, 1879.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>(In <i class="cite">Rev. Philos.</i>), April, 1897: La rapidite de la -pensée dans le rêve.</p> - -<p>Le sommeil et la cérébration inconsciente.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sanctis, Sante de</span>: I Sogni e il Sonno; I Sogni -nei Deliquenti, <i class="cite">Archivio di Psichiatria</i>, 1896, -vol. vi.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Emozioni e Sogni. <i class="cite">Dritter Internationale Congress -C Psychol.</i>, Munich, 1897, p. 348.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Scherner</span>: Das Leben des Traumes, 1861.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Schubert</span>: Geschichte der Seele, p. 420 et seq.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Serguéjeff</span>: Physiol. de la Veille et du Sommeil, t. i. -and ii., 1890.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Siebeck</span>: Das Traumleben der Seele.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>300</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Stewart, Dugald</span>: Handbook of the Philosophy of -the Human Mind.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Strümpell</span>: Die Natur und Entstehung der Träume.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sully, J.</span>: The Human Mind, vol. ii.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Illusions, International Scientific Series.</p> - -<p>Dream, (Article) Encyclop. Brit.</p> - -<p>The Dream as a Revelation, <i class="cite">Fortnightly Rev.</i>, -March, 1893.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Symonds, J. A.</span>: Sleep and Dreams, 1851.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Tarchanoff</span>: Observations sur le sommeil normal. -<i class="cite">Atti dell’ XI Congresso Med.</i>, Roma, 1894, vol. ii.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Verity</span>: Subject and Object as Connected with our -Double Brain, 1872.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Volkelt</span>: Die Traum-Phantasie, 1875.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Walsh</span>: On Sleep, <i class="cite">Lancet</i>, 1846, vol. ii., p. 181.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Weygandt</span>: Entstehung der Träume, 1893.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wigan, A. L.</span>: The Duality of Mind, 1844.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wilks, Samuel</span>: On the Nature of Dreams, <i class="cite">Med. -Mag.</i>, Feb., 1894.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>On Overwork, The <i class="cite">Lancet</i>, June 26, 1875.</p></div> - - -<h3>ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY</h3> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Ackland, Theodore Dyke</span>: Circular letters relating -to hours of sleep necessary for schoolboys (particularly -in English public schools), 1905.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Alsberg, Moritz</span>: Die protoplasmatische Bewegung -der Nervenzellenfortsätze in ihren Beziehungen -zum Schlaf. <i class="cite">Deutsche Gesellsch. f. Anthrop.</i></p> - -<p>Ethnol. u. Urgeschichte, <i class="cite">Correspondenzblatt</i>, vol. -xxxii, pp. 2-8, München, 1901.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Anastay, E.</span>: L’origine biologique du Sommeil et de -l’hypnose, <i class="cite">Archives de Psychol.</i>, Paris, 1908, vol. -viii, pp. 63-76.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>301</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Argenterio (Giovanni)</span>: De somno et vigilia, libri -duo, in quibus continentur duae tractationes -de calido nativo et de spiritibus. (Florentiae, -1556.)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Arunachalam, P.</span>: Luminous Sleep, <i class="cite">Westminster -Rev.</i>, vol. clviii, pp. 566-574, London, 1902.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berger, E.</span>, and <span class="smcap">Loewy, Robert</span>: L’état des yeux -pendant le sommeil et de la théorie du sommeil. -<i class="cite">Jour. de l’anatomie et de la physiologie</i>, Paris, -1898, vol. xxxiv, pp. 364-418.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bigelow, John</span>: The Mystery of Sleep. Harper & -Bros., New York, 1903 (2nd edition).</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Binns, Edward</span>: The Anatomy of Sleep, or the Art of -Producing Sound and Refreshing Slumber at Will. -London, 1842.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brush, C. E., Jr.</span>, and <span class="smcap">Fayerweather, R.</span>: Observations -on the Changes in Blood Pressure During -Normal Sleep. <i class="cite">Amer. Jour. of Physiol.</i>, vol. v, pp. -199-210, 1901.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Calkins, Mary W.</span>: Statistics of Dreams, <i class="cite">Amer. -Jour. Psychol.</i>, vol. v, pp. 311-343. 1893. Investigation -of over 500 dreams showing the relative frequency -of different sorts of sense imagery.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Claparède, Edouard</span>: La fonction du sommeil, <i class="cite">Riv. d. -sci.</i>, Bologna, 1907, vol. ii, pp. 143-160.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Corning, J. Leonard</span>: Brain-rest, Being a Disquisition -on the Curative Properties of Prolonged Sleep. -New York, Putnams, 1885.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Demoor, Jean</span>: La plasticité des neurones le mécanisme -du sommeil, <i class="cite">Bull. de la Soc. d’anthropologie -de Bruxelles</i>, vol. xv, pp. 70-83.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Donaldson, H. H.</span>: The Growth of the Brain, chapter -xvi, p. 309. Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1897.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ellis, Havelock</span>: The Stuff that Dreams are Made -of. <i class="cite">Pop. Sci. Monthly</i>, 1899, pp. 721-735. Man -and Woman, chapter xii. 1894.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>302</span></p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Fisher, Irving</span>: Report on National Vitality, Govt. -Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1909.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fosgate, B.</span>: Sleep Psychologically Considered with -Reference to Sensation and Memory. New York, -1850.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Foster, Henry Hubbard</span>: The Necessity of a New -Standpoint in Sleep Theories. <i class="cite">Amer. Jour. of -Psychol.</i>, vol. xii, pp. 145-177, 1901.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Frensburg, Dr. J.</span>: Schlaf und Traum. Article in: -<i class="cite">Sammlung</i> (R. Virchow und Fr. v. Holkendorff), -20th Series, Bk. 466, Berlin, 1885.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Freud, S.</span>: Die Traumdeutung. Leipsic, 1909.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Gemelli, Agnostino</span>: Fatti ed ipotesi nello studio -del sonno. <i class="cite">Rivista di fisica mat. e sci. Nat.</i>, vol. -xiv, pp. 48-77, Pavia, 1906.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hall, W. W.</span>: Sleep—or: The Hygiene of the Night. -First edition 1861, New York (5 or 6 editions), -one edition 1870, published by Hurd and Houghton, -New York.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Heubel, E.</span>: <i class="cite">Pflüger’s Archiv</i>, xiv, S. 186.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Jastrow, J.</span>: The Subconscious, Chapter on Dream-consciousness, -pp. 175-265. 1906.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Judd, C. H.</span>: <i class="cite">Psychology</i>, Pt. I., Chapter xiv, pp. 337 -et seq. Giving a clear account of sleep in relation -to other states of consciousness, 1907.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Kohlschutter</span>: Messungen der Festigkeit des -Schlafes, <i class="cite">Zeitschrift für rationelle Medicin</i>, -1863; Mechanik des Schlafes, <i class="cite">Zeitsch. f. r. M.</i>, -1869. (His results are very similar to those of -Michelson in Art. Tiefe des Schlafes.)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lafitte, Jean Paul</span>: Pourquoi dormons nous? (<i class="cite">Rev. -d. mois</i>, vol. ii, Année 1, No. 10, pp. 461-475.)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Macnish, Robert</span>: The Philosophy of Sleep. London, -1838.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Manacéïne, M. de</span>: Sleep. Walter Scott Ltd., London, -1897. (The Contemp. Sc. Series.)</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>303</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Michaelis, Adolf Alfred</span>, 1854: Der Schlaf nach -seiner Bedeutung für den gesunden und kranken -Menschen. Eine physiologisch-pathologische Abhandlung. -Leipzig, 1894.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Michelson, Edward</span>: Untersuchungen über die Tiefe -des Schlafes, <i class="cite">Psycholog. Arbeiten</i>, vol. ii, pp. 81-117. -Leipzig, 1899.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Moll, A.</span>: Hypnotism. Scribner’s Sons, New York, -1909.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mortimer, Granville J.</span>: Sleep and Sleeplessness. -S. E. Cassino, 1881. Boston. D. Bogue, London.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Oppenheimer, Z.</span>: Zur Physiol. des Schlafes. -<i class="cite">Archives f. Anatomie u. Physiol.</i> 1902, Leipzig.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Parish, E.</span>: Hallucinations and Illusions. Scribner’s -Sons. New York, 1897.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Philip, A. P. W.</span>: An Inquiry Into the Nature of -Sleep and Death. London, 1834.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Picton, Nina</span>: The Panorama of Sleep; or Soul and -Symbol. Philosophic Co., New York, 1903.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pieron, Henri</span>: La Polygenèse des états de sommeil -(Assoc. française p. l’avancement de sci. Compte -rendu pt. 2). Notes et mém. Paris, 1908, Sess. -36 (1907), pp. 672-678.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pilez, Alexandre</span>: Quelques contributions à la -psychol. du sommeil chez les sains d’esprit et chez -les aliénés. <i class="cite">Annales médico-psychologiques.</i> Sér. -8, vol. ix, pp. 66-75. Paris, 1899.</p> - -<p>La Plasticité des Neurones et la mécanisme du -Sommeil. <i class="cite">Bull. de la Soc. d’Anthrop. de Bruxelles</i>, -vol. xv, 1896-7.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Powell, Rev. Lyman Pierce</span>: The Art of Natural -Sleep,—with different directions for the wholesome -cure of sleeplessness. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, -1908.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Preyer, W.</span>: Ueber die Ursache des Schlafes. 1877.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>304</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rosenbaum, E.</span>: Warum müssen wir schlafen? -Eine neue Theorie des Schlafes. Berlin, O. Hirschwald, -1892.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Schleich, Karl Ludwig</span>: Schlaf und Traum. <i class="cite">Die -Zukunft</i>, Jahrg. 8, vol. xxix, pp. 14-27. Berlin, -1899.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Schultz, Paul</span>: Schlaf und Ermüdung, <i class="cite">Deutsche -Rev.</i>, Jahrg. 24, vol. iii, pp. 81-92. Stuttgart, -1899.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sidis, Boris</span>: An Experimental Study of Sleep. -Badger, Boston, 1909.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Stiles, Percy G.</span>: Theories of Sleep, <i class="cite">Pop. Sci. -Monthly</i>, vol. lxiii, pp. 432-438. New York, 1903.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Strümpell, A.</span>: <i class="cite">Pflüger’s Archiv</i>, xv, S. 573. Contains -an account of Caspar Hauser, mentioned on -p. 78 of this book.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Surbled</span>: Les Théories du Sommeil, <i class="cite">Rev. d. questions -scientif.</i>, Sér. 2, vol. xviii (1900), pp. 40-78.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Taylor, J. Madison</span>: Sleep and Its Regulation, <i class="cite">Pop. -Sci. Monthly</i>, vol. lxvii, pp. 409-422. New York, -1905.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Tuke, D. Hack</span>: Articles on “Sleep” and “Dreaming” in <i class="cite">Dict. of Psychological Medicine</i>, 1892.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Weyer, Edward M.</span>: “Dreams,” in <i class="cite">Forum</i>, May, -1911.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Weygandt, Wilhelm</span>: Experimentelle Beiträge zur -Psychologie des Schlafes, <i class="cite">Zeitschr. für Psychol. -und Physiol. d. Sinnesorgane</i>, vol. xxxix, pp. 1-41. -Leipzig, 1905.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wundt, W.</span>: Grundzüge der physiologischen Psychologie, -cap. xix, Schlaf und Traum.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>305</span></p> - -<h3>SOME OTHER BOOKS AND MONOGRAPHS USED IN -THE PREPARATION OF “THE GIFT OF SLEEP.”</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Camp, Carl D.</span>: Morbid Sleepiness, <i class="cite">Jour. Abnormal -Psychology</i>, 1907.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Elwin, Fountain Hastings</span>: Mens Corporis.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fletcher, Horace</span>: The A. B. Z. of Our Nutrition.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Granville, Mortimer</span>: Sleep and Sleeplessness.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hammond, W. A.</span>: Sleep and Its Derangements.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Haskell, N. W.</span>: Perfect Health: How to Get It and -How to Keep It, by One Who Has It.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Metchnikoff</span>: The Nature of Man.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The Prolongation of Life.</p></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">McCarthy, D. J.</span>: Narcolepsy, <i class="cite">Amer. Jour. Medical -Science</i>, 1900.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Quackenbos, John D.</span>, A.M., M.D.: Hypnotism in -Mental and Moral Culture.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Rowland, Eleanor H.</span>: A Case of Visual Sensations -During Sleep, <i class="cite">Jour. of Philosophical, Psychological, -and Scientific Methods</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Scholz, F.</span>: Sleep and Dreams.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Thompson, Sir Henry</span>, M.D.: Diet in Relation to -Age and Activity.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Upson, Dr.</span>: Insomnia and Nerve Strain.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Worcester, McComb, and Coriat</span>: Religion and -Medicine.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="footnotes"> -<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> It is said, however, that in later life Napoleon carried this -too far, and was sometimes stupid for lack of sleep.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> In an examination of the theory of the “subjective” and the -“objective mind,” see chap. vii.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> “Law of Psychic Phenomena,” chap. vi.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> Arcana Coelestia, § 1772.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> Tolstoy has traced out the working of that curious and -benign dispensation. See chap. xvii, “Life and Love and -Peace,” where the present author has fully considered his -views.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> Republished by permission of the Century Company.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[7]</a> It is interesting also to note that a similar pressure on the jugular -veins produces loss of consciousness, but from just the opposite -cause, that is, from congestion of blood in the brain. This -state of unconsciousness resembles coma just as the other resembles -sleep.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>E. M. W.</p></div> - - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[8]</a> There are grave dangers attendant on hypnotism for entertainment. -Prof. C. H. Judd of the University of Chicago says: -“There is no justification whatever for the use of hypnosis as a -means of amusement.” See Judd: Psychology.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[9]</a> See chap. xxi on “Natural Living.”</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[10]</a> Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine,” vol. i., p. -703.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[11]</a> Tuke’s “Dictionary of Psychological Medicine,” vol. i., pp. -703-4.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[12]</a> It appears that Argenterio thinks Aristotle inconsistent in -his proposition here.</p> - -</div></div> - - -<div style='display:block;margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SLEEP ***</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0;'>This file should be named 64138-h.htm or 64138-h.zip</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0;'>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in https://www.gutenberg.org/6/4/1/3/64138/</div> -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block;margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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