THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ®:f)C ffilitci)erB ot Sle^P '• SLEEP," BY Gabriel Max SJe ^itcjetg of Sleep << J0^ Fair thoughts be your fair pillow'''' — Shakespeare compiled by WILLARD MOYER New York OSTERMOOR ^ COMPANY 1903 ^ I COPYRIGHT, Ig02, BY J. W. W. MOVER THE MILLER PRESS NEW YORK Come^ Sleep ! Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed; A chamber, deaf to noise and blind to light ; A rosy garland, and a weary head. — .S'^y Philip Sidney Come^ Sleep, and kiss my eyelids down ; In thy twinklings of oblivion. Let me forget^ INTRODUCTION In putting forth this book I have tried to cover in logical continuity, a number of important features which have seemed to me heretofore neglected, or in any case merely touched upon fugitively by others. The theme of Sleep is an exhaustive one. It has so many aspects, so many faces and forms, that to take it all in one must needs be endowed with the qualities which go to make the poet and philosopher, linked with the knowledge and experience of the specialist in science and physics, as well as the historian of evolution and the student of the occult. Although disclaiming registration in any of the above departments, a keen interest in the subject, combined with considerable personal study and inves- tigation along the above mentioned channels, have been the motives which impelled my work. I have only taken those which have long been recognized as the best thoughts, and what I feel positive are the surest facts, concerning sleep, no matter how obscure, and brought them together my own way, in an endeavor to form a sequence of interest. As much of the material I have assembled has never before appeared in book form, and still more has not heretofore been given — in the "art preservative" — its best apparel, I sincerely trust, that notwithstanding what I may have left undone, my readers, appreciating the witchery of sleep, its poetical, refining beauty and its marvelous import to human life, will feel that I have given it the full dignity to which so vital and important a theme is entitled. The unique illustrations of "Sleeping Places," gathered from various sources, are most interesting examples of sleep — in many countries, by many people, through many epochs, extending over a period covering many centuries. It is indeed curious to find there is not a more marked difference between them, notwithstanding the extreme dissimilarity in design, treatment and decora- tion ; with the possible exception of the early Egyptian and ancient Chinese. WiLLARD Mover. Shakespeare's "great bed of ware," foriMerly of rye house BUT NOW at Saracen's head, roxbury, England CONTENTS. Page Sleep: — WhenceCometh, How Goeth I.An Allegory 15 The Phenomena of Sleep An Analysis 21 The Import of Sleep A Study 27 The Value of Sleep A Thought 33 The Habit of Sleep A Suggestion 39 Sleeplessness A Little Advice . . . 47 Importance of the Bed A Necessity 61 Sleeping Places A History 77 Dreams A Reverie 103 The Poetry of Sleep A Review 105 Shakespeare on Sleep. Selections from Henry IV., Richard III., Hamlet, Julius Coesar, Macbeth, Othello in Sonnets on Sleep. Sonnet Shakespeare 115 Sleeplessness Dante Gabriel Rossetti 116 Sleep Samuel Daniel 117 The World's Prayer Anonymous 117 Invocation to Sleep Sir Philip Sidney i iS Sonnet to Sleep Keats 119 To a Girl Asleep A. E. Lancaster 120 To Sleep Wordsworth 121 Sleep's Conquest C. H. Crandall 122 The Poetry of Dreams. Dream- Pedlary Thomas Lovell Beddoes 123 She I Love Walter Savage Landor 124 Abou Ben Adhem Leigh Hunt 125 The Poet's Dream Percy Bysshe Shelley. 126 Song of the Night Benjonson 127 Heartsease M 127 Rest and Sleep. Serenade Longfellow 129 Oh, the N'ight Barry Cornwall 130 Oblivion Byron 131 The Sleep E. B. Browning 132 In the Night Town Topics 134 Sleep Thomas W. Parsons. . 136 Night Thoughts Edward Young 137 The Long Day Closes Anonymous 138 Sleep Ada Louise Martin . . 139 Cotne, Sleep Dora Read Goodale. . . 140 Sleep Dora Read Goodale . . . 141 To a Lady Sleeping Tennyson 142 The Peace of the Rain Mabel Earle 142 Lines Thomas Hood 144 To a Friend who has Slept III Edgar Fawcett 144 The Sleeping Beauty Tennyson 146 Sleep Jean Ingelow 147 Curfew Longfellow 148 When Allah Sends the Gift of Sleep. . .Mary A. Mason 149 Insomnia Dante Gabriel Rossetti 150 Love Asleep Lord Neaves , 151 Sleep From the Spanish .... 152 Night Thought From the German .... 153 Sleep Mrs. Tighe 154 Sleep F. S. Saltus 154 Slumber Songs and Lullabies. Lullaby on An Infant Chief Sco(t 155 A Child's Evensong Richard Le Gallienne . 156 The Child Asleep Longfellow 157 The Sandman Chicago Daily News . . 158 A Cradle Hymn Isaac Watts 159 A Mother s Song Alexander Smart .... 160 Sweet and Low Tennyson 161 The Castles of Drowsy Town Carrie Shaw Rice. . . . 162 Nurse's Song William Blake 164 Bye, Baby, Bye Anonytttous 165 Shoheen Sho ... Irish Cradle Song ... . 166 Sleep, Baby, Sleep Elizabeth Prentiss . . . . 167 The Happy Child William B. Rand. .... 168 Good Night Alice Locke Pitman ... 1 70 Cradle Song John P. Jackson 171 Lullaby Dolly Radford 172 Sleepy Man C. G. D. Roberts 173 Cradle Song Samuel Btirnham 1 74 Slumber Song Arthur Macy 175 A Review of Sleep Anonymous 177 Hygiene of Sleep Rules to observe 180 How Royalty Sleeps When slumber reigns. 183 Mechanical Sleep Curious devices 187 An Inspired Sleeper Swedenborg 190 Poor Richard Says : — ^ . . . . Benjamin Franklin . . 191 A Symposium of Sleep: Contributions by Dr. Orison Sweet Marden, Rev. Dr. C. H. Parkhurst, George H. Daniels, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, Citizen George Francis Train, Rev. Dr. Edward Everett Hale, Wu Ting Fang, John Ernest McCann, Henry Clews, Dr. Cyrus Edson, Thomas A. Edison, N. C. Goodwin 193 Sleep Facts and Fancies 201 ^ We sleep to wakey Yet wake to sleep again.'' €i)e ^itcijerg of Sleep WHENCE COMETH— HOW GOETH ? LEEP is an enchanting subject, its phenomena most baffling. Stealing as subtly o'er us as night o'er the day, obscure, and as little understood as the tides — there is nowhere where it is not. Coming whence — going whither ? It is formless, permeat- ing, evanescent, and of an indescribable witchery. Sleep, next to love, has seemed to fascinate and inspire the poets by its delicate substance and mysterious shadow. And yet who can adequately expound the nature of sleep, that priceless gift of God to man. Witching mystery 15 The Witchery of Sleep It has been the theme of the world's greatest writers, from PHny, Lucretius, Dante, Ovid, Virgil, Horace, and Shakespeare, down to our own days and nights and dreams. Philosophers and others who have felt and Alpha and expresscd themselves deeply and clearly along Omega certain lines of nature and human nature, have not as yet, strange to say, opened up that un- known vista where the avenues of sleep begin and end. They have ceased to explore beyond the myriad by-paths. Love, the highest of all the spiritual emotions, has been led out into the clearing and exposed in the lime-light to all of us. Poetry and religion have both told us of its meaning and essence ; but, apart from these forces, who is there among us that does not feel that he himself has been to school to this divine teacher, and that his lesson has been well learned ? But the whys and wherefores of sleep are Problems mysterious problems, which have never yet been solved, and doubtless never will. Scientists to the contrary notwithstanding, there are certain psychological elements of our existence, which i6 The Witchery of Sleep serve a higher purpose than man can fathom and were never intended for the ken of mortals. There is no illusion or inspiration behind the scenes. If all the attributes of sleep were laid open and bare, some of its features which have been glorified for us — which we ourselves have conjured into pleasing forms — would lose their beauty of perspective and proportion. These, however, are but the ways of near-by views ; which always rob us of the fine imagination and pretty sentiment that glosses over prosaic things. Probably lamblichus, the Neoplatonist mystic ''The philosopher, who lived in Coele-Syria seventeen ^y-'^^>^' centuries ago, has most beautifully expressed the soui" meaning of sleep as, " The night-time of the Body — and the day-time of the Soul." Mythology, which has given form, character and history to all its deities, has enrolled Sleep as the greatest of all the gods. In ancient Latin mythology — Somnus, son of Night (Hypnos in Greek), the God of Sleep, tranquilizer of mortal minds, soother of careworn mortal hearts, and giver of temporary oblivion, was most beloved. 17 The Witchery of Sleep Morpheus, son of Somnus, the God of Dreams, was prime favorite of the Muses, as Dreams distiller of mortal's dreams of things mortal ; as were Phoebactor, who presided over dreams of animals, and Photaessae over inanimate dreams. Ovid and Statius describe minutely and most charmingly the palace of the King of Sleep, where dwelt also his mother, Night, goddess of that soft and murmuring darkness, which lulls to sleep. According to Virgil, the Palace of Sleep was found near the entrance to Hades, by the river YirM Lethe. Ovid places it in our own world, in Ovid Italy, near the Lake Avernus ; while Statius most clearly points to a remote situation in un- known parts of Ethiopia. All image the place — most singularly alike — and with a wealth of detail, as walled in, with five gates, named Rest, Ease, Silence, Indolence, and Oblivion, each gate at all times surrounded by various attendants. Inside the grounds are found a multitude of Dreams, — inspirers of various kinds and forms, — all subject to Morpheus, or his two lesser satellites, Phoebactor and Photaessae. Immediately before the exquisitely fashioned Statius The Witchery of Sleep palace, built of bronze, ebony, basalt, and various dark colored inlaid marbles of enormous size, softly murmuring fountains are ever flowing, encircled by quantities of brilliant, perennially blooming poppies, mandragora, and various somniferous herbs of many kinds. Entering the palace, gloaming silence reigns. There Somnus is found profoundly sleeping upon a picture a couch strewn with poppies. By his side a lion ^^suef crouches, one arm carelessly hanging over the lion's head, the other holding a horn of poppy juice that ever drips inducing slumber. Drowsy vapors of heavily laden fragrance fill the air. The space is vast, peopled by many. Poppies are everywhere. Innumerable forms lie postured in all the abandonment of unconscious sleep. Arch upon arch rises one after the other. Ever the shadows are deepening, until impene- trable darkness ends the far perspective in the dim beyond. " Darker and darker The black shadows fall Sleep and oblivion Reign over all. " 19 THIS CELEBRATED COLONIAL FOUR-POST BED (NOTE THE CURIOUS OLD HAND MADE counterpane) is the one upon which henry clay SLEPT AND DIED. THE PHENOMENA OF SLEEP. HE cry for sleep is ever greater than the cry for bread. Existence depends on both; but we eat to sleep, while we sleep to live. Sleep is of far greater importance than food for the preservation of life. Sleep is the chiefest thing in physic. It has neither substitute nor rival. Take away sleep, hope even is gone, nothing is left. Sleep is the "off duty" time of consciousness ; that period when nothing matters, when every- thing is immaterial, and mysterious nature is alone triumphant. The onset of sleep is gradual, sleep general, being made up of many little sleeps, premonitory intimations that nature is preparing to take com- plete possession of our body. These little sleeps obscure each sense as well as the physical and muscular organs, slowly, separately, in regular order, one after another, until each becomes in- volved. Simultaneously the brain is in repose. The chiefest thing Many little sleeps 21 The Witchery of Sleep Sentries volition ceases, unconsciousness is complete, and our sleep is profound. Every twenty-four hours we go to sleep and wake up, and thus every day we prove Nature's marvelous wisdom, even to the smallest details of the immutable laws ever guarding us. Our five senses act as our guardians, guides, protectors, and when we sleep the most vigilant and important of them is last to go oflF duty and first to come on duty again. By considering these little things we become interested in the big things of the universe ; we learn to take interest in ourselves — which is the beginning of philosophy ; and we learn that reverence for divine wisdom, which is both the beginning and end of philosophy. The body we inhabit is most marvelously constructed. The brain, undoubtedly the high- est development of the body, a wonderfully complex machine, the seat of thought and will, is the controlling motor of the entire body. Our individuality, a wonderful, many-sided mystery, without form, matter or name, sits in the brain, guiding the body, like a grand central Power 22 THE MAGNIFICENT STATE BED OF LOUIS XV., HANDSOMELY CARVED AND BURNISHED IN GOLD ^he Witchery of Sleep operator with a million wires controlling an im- mense electrical system. The heart, an engine, works on forever, pumping the blood that feeds the brain and Engine makes possible its work. The eyes, danger signals, with the aid of the nerves, perceive light, and the ears, also danger signals, aided by the nerves that interpret sound waves, are the sentinels of nature, while the machinery is in operation. During sleep only, this complex internal mechanism, through a multiplicity of sub centers, does that peculiar daily housekeeping on which our very existence depends. Does it, too, in a • ^ ^ • -1 r 11 Mechan- certam orderly co-operative way, curiously follow- i^j^ ing a regular method of work both intricate and elaborate in repairing waste, actively forming new tissue, and giving just the proper amount of care and nourishment required to all parts, both men- tal and physical, in regular sequence. Sleep is a condition of recuperation, and a condition of danger. The forces of the body, that protect us and guide us through our waking hours, all suspend their activities, as each of our 23 The Witchery of Sleep vital centers stores up fresh energy for the work of the coming day. During sleep we are unprotected and at the j^ mercy of enemies, but nature cautiously does Natures what she Can to protect us. Our guardian senses ^eping ^^ j^^j. jg^yg yg ^ ^^ once. Each in turn suc- cumbs to sleep and gives up its watchfulness. Of all things that protect us from danger when awake, our eyes are most important ; but sleep normally comes with darkness, when sight is useless. Therefore, when we sleep the eyes close first of all, and the sense of seeing is at rest. Next after sight, taste goes. As a man gets drowsy, the nerves of taste follow the optic nerves into oblivion. Then the sense of smell goes to sleep. Smell is but a minor protector, and therefore among the first to depart. When a man is "half asleep" his sight is gone, his sense of taste and smell are gone. Next / ohtioii <-> ceases hearing succumbs, and, last of all, he loses the sense of touch. The sense of touch, warning us of the closest possible approach of danger, is most important, 24 The Witchery of Sleep and stays awake and on guard to the very last ; and in many people is so acute that it is never more than merely dormant, and due to its impor- tance is the very first of our senses to wake up. The same gradual loss of power is observed in the muscles and sinews. Slumber begins at the feet and slowly spreads up the Hmbs and oblivion trunk until it reaches the brain, when uncon- sciousness is complete, the body is at rest, and we are fast asleep. When we awake the same process occurs — but reversed. The quickest way to awaken a man is to pinch him, for the sense of touch acts most quickly. The next quickest way is to shout at him. Then, but more slowly, he can be awakened by some strong odor. Finally, last of all, the sense of taste comes back as an awakener. All these are normal end- ings of healthy, refreshing sleep. 25 MODERN REPRODUCTION OF AN OLD FASHIONED FOUR-POST BEDSTEAD WITH EMBROIDERED LINEN HANGINGS (FROM A NEWPORT " COTTAGE ") FRENCH RENAISSANCE CARVED OAK BED (15TH CENTURY) THE IMPORT OF SLEEP. LEEP is the resting time of conscious- ness. During sleep, when the brain and the whole nervous system is "off duty," and in a quiescent, somnolent, unconscious state, recuperation really occurs. Unconsciousness represents the best condition for recuperation, and what we understand as normal unconsciousness, is sleep. Nature then is in absolute control of that wonderful mechanism which mysteriously results in ultimate nutrition; that is, the restoration .of all the vital forces, by the conversion of the blood elements contained in food, and their perfect absorbtion into the various structures and blood cells of the body. Recuperation comes from the upbuilding of the nerve centers and muscular structures, and a general reconstruction of the tissues, including the fluid of the body. The ultimate nutrition — that exchange between the tissues of the body, the 27 Ultimate nutrition The Witchery of Sleep blood and excretory fluids, takes place during sleep, and only during sleep. This occurs much more rapidly and thor- oughly before midnight, because then there is a sleep more thorough circulation of the blood, carrying the new material, and removing the waste. There is also a greater consumption of oxygen before midnight than after, until the sleeper arises and stirs about next morning. Oxygen is the one thing needed in order that this ultimate nutrition, this interchange so vital to health, shall readily and healthfully take place. The heart runs down in force after midnight until sunrise next morning. The pulse beats more slowly, and less strongly ; the vital processes are slower ; the circulation is more sluggish ; and the blood and tissues contain more waste and poisonous material than earlier in the night. This is indicated by the fact that nightmare, dreams, convulsions, croup, attacks of illness, and even death, usually occur with more frequency after midnight than before. One often hears it said by people who like to sit up far into the night, and lie in bed late in the 28 Because T'he Witchery of Sleep morning, that the morning nap is particularly refreshing. This may seem so, but it is a fact that for purposes of best recuperation the old Recupem- adage of " an hour before midnight is worth two ^""^ after it," points unerringly to the better way physically. Another reason why early sleep is better than late, is because the muscles of the brain and other nerve centers rest more quickly and thoroughly before reaching the point of strain or exhaustion than they will after. Therefore, to prolong ex- citement, study or fatigue of any sort late into the night is to prejudice recuperation, and leads to ultimate ill health. Remember, ultimate nutrition can take place but slowly, unless plenty of ogygen is consumed. As the consumption of oxygen is less in sleep than at other times, the greater is the necessity Fuel for plenty of fresh, pure air, in order that nature may have all the materials needed during her hours of recuperation. The more active and energetic the waking life of the normal individual has been, the deeper will be his sleep. A man exhausted physically or 29 The Witchery of Sleep mentally recuperates those portions of his brain in which are located the centers presiding over the exhausted parts, during the sleeping period. In Deep sleep 111 i these exhausted nerve centers the unconsciousness is deeper than elsewhere, in order that the rest may be more complete. This is best appreciated when we observe the effect of sleep upon the brain of a person who has suffered intense grief. When such a person sleeps, grief is completely forgotten ; no dream recalls the misfortune. Even on awakening, it is a little time before the exact nature of the misfortune can be remem- bered. At first there is a vague, uneasy feeling of mental suffering, a sensation of sorrow, a dull realization of pain, but its exact nature is but slowly located, and then only is placed by a distinct mental effort. The food which we eat is digested and trans- Trans- formed into new tissues, blood, nerve, muscle and formation ^j-^jj^^ Qj^jy while we are sleeping. The men who engage in the atrocious six-day " endurance " races eat enormously, absorbing in one day five times as much as the ordinary man 30 A POMPEIAN BED. REDRAWN FROM AN OLD MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM T/;f Witchery of Sleep can possibly swallow ; and yet the end of their task finds them extremely emaciated. Lack of sleep has made it impossible for them to transform the food into new tissue. Their vitality is gone, and they are subjects of physical exhaustion. The faster the pace, now becoming so alarm- ingly hurried in all lines that many good people Preserv. are compelled to withdraw from the strenuous ^"^ '^ A J!/Si race, the greater the need for that recuperation balance" which can only be secured through sleep. To expend more nervous energy each day than can be evolved by food and sleep, is to become physically bankrupt in a short period ; hence the absolute necessity of permitting nature to have her required time to restore the lost vitality which fully preserves that "just balance " called health. The loss of a single night's sleep shows its effects on the nervous system in the exhaustion, drowsiness, irritability, mental disturbance, and digestive derangements which ensue. The tone of the whole body is lowered to such a degree that it invariably requires more than one good night's sleep to restore one to one's accustomed 31 The Witchery of Sleep mental and physical state, justifying the old saying that "one good night's sleep requires another." In severe diseases, especially typhoid fever, lack of sleep endangers life by increasing the en- feeblement and exhaustion at a critical juncture, when a refreshing and quiet sleep would vastly increase and preserve the limited store of strength the patient possesses. In cases such as these sleep is an all powerful curative agent, sufficient of itself to determine recovery. Sleep is a life giver as well as a life saver. Its injltt A HAND MADE FLEMISH CRADLE OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 32 THE VALUE OF SLEEP. T is only the sleepless, the poets, and the medical journals who put the proper value upon sleep. Fortunately for the world, many millions of men never worry about going to sleep. All they seem to need is to find time ; for even without a bed for sleep-seeking — sleep comes to them. But to many the sleep problem is as impor- tant and as terrifying as that other overwhelming query — " how to digest." It is worth while to help solve these problems. For the most useful work that is done in this world is the work that uses up the nerves and fatigues the brain, causing sleeplessness, and the suffering that accompanies it. The worn-out sufferer from insomnia, declar- ing himself ready to sacrifice his fortune for a few years of his alloted life time — Shakespeare, with his "sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care," and the doctors, with their diatribes against the Sleep problems Insomnia zz The Witchery of Sleep sleep-destroying modern life, are the ones who truly appreciate sleep, not those who have the power of sinking calmly and promptly to rest. Unfortunately, modern conditions are rapidly Are we putting all the world in the appreciative frame of sleepless? mind of the slccpless. Nerve specialists say that there never before was a time when the people needed to sleep so uninterruptedly and so long, to repair the ravages of too tense and too noisy living as now ; and there never was a time when they were so little able to sleep as they should, because of these very conditions which make abun- dant sleep necessary. Sleep follows the diminution of blood in the cerebral vessels. The blood is squeezed out of the brain like water from a sponge, and it becomes in a measure bloodless. This bloodless condition Blood ebb is indispensable ; without it sleep cannot be in- and flow Juced. Wakefulness means a full flow of blood through the brain. Whatever, then, tends to withdraw the blood from the brain tends to pro- duce sleep. In perfectly healthy persons, leading a per- fectly normal life, this change is automatic. The 34 T:'he Witchery of Sleep blood ebbs away from the brain because it is time the brain had a rest, and sleep slowly steals the senses. But there are not many perfectly healthy persons in these days, and the perfectly normal life is even rarer. Mental activity requires just the opposite Mental condition. Severe mental labor must be fed by activity means of an increased blood supply. We recog- nize this when we notice how red and congested becomes the face of any one who is making a mental exertion — a public speaker for example. All the blood vessels of the head are affected by this congestion. The mental energy exerted uses up force, which must be replaced at once. Nature, therefore, sends blood to these parts on a hurry call to re-supply the cells with vitality. Anger and fits of passion use up more mental An^er energy than physical labor, no matter how ex- <^o.ugerous hausting the work may be. Naturally irritable, nervous people are subject to insomnia. Repeated attacks of the brain congestion which accompany anger, weaken the walls of the blood vessels in the head, and cause a dangerous passive congestion which prevents natural sleep. Z^ The Witchery of Sleep Over exertion During mental exertion of any kind, the cerebral vessels become distended, owing to the increased volume of blood they contain, and they remain in this condition as long as the exertion is continued. If it be too intense, or if it be per- severed in for too long a period, the vessels lose their contractibility, and remain in a permanently enlarged state. They are not able to contract, and wakefulness is the result ; for when the blood vessels are unable to empty themselves, the power to sleep is gone. Just like the rubber bands we often use around big packages, and leave undis- turbed for a long time, which w-e try to use again, only to find their elasticity gone. We often hear thoughtless people say, " work never kills." I doubt if physical labor ever does, nor healthy, well arranged work, however ex- hausting. But I cannot paint too strongly, the evils of badly balanced mental overwork, or the disastrous consequences of that unvarying, or excessive work, which gradually irritates the nervous system to the snapping point ; when the occasional disturbed sleep becomes that of utter sleeplessness. Irritation 36 The Witchery of Sleep EGYPTIAN COUCH-BEDSTEAD CARVED WOOD, GILDEO AND HIGHLY COLORED Interfe. ence Sound nervous structures properly nourished, adequately rested, and rightly exercised, are fun- damental desiderata for good sleep ; on the other hand all circumstances interfering with the health, nutrition, repose, or the even placid working of the nervous textures, are decidedly detrimental to the function of sleep. Sleep has both its normal and abnormal side. Numerous diseased conditions affect and disturb it. The cause of these effects is sleeplessness, or insomnia. This condition, of course, is only a symptom of some underlying cause which pro- duces it, but it is usually a symptom much more serious in its consequences than the condition causing it. 37 THE "camp" or "field" BED USED BY THE LATE EMPEROR WILLIAM OF GERMANY, A NOTED SLEEPER, OF WELL-BALANCED HEALTH A FRENCH GOTHIC BED OK THE 17TH CENTURY, STUX IN USE IN A CELEBRATED OLD FRENCH CHATEAU THE HABIT OF SLEEP. N these strenuous days of increasing mental excitement and waste of ex- treme physical energies, consequent upon the keen competition in the race for supremacy, many lives are simply thrown away ; burnt out, by a reckless disregard of na- ture's immutable laws ; the most vital of all being lack of sufficient sleep, and the consequent loss of health, and all that is " worth while." As a race, we sleep far too little. An infant's life is nearly all sleep. Gradually, as the child grows older, the hours of sleep are shortened to half the day, or about twelve hours. Youth, until the age of twenty is reached, requires fully ten hours' sleep. Although nature demands less hours of sleep in summer than in winter, it has been proven that eight hours of sound sleep is sufficient for the hours average male adult In good health. By this is meant not simply eight hours in bed, but that Nature demands cizht 39 The Witchery of Sleep Cheating nature amount of solid, restful sleep, night after night. Men really need to sleep fully eight hours, and men require less sleep than women. When this period is voluntarily limited, the animal part of the body secures all the benefit of rest, robbing the brain, the most important of all, of its strength and virility. Experience readily verifies this. We begin life with a certain amount of vitality, a certain initial vital velocity, the capital which carries us through life and makes possible certain accomplishments. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, we squander this original capital, just as surely as the young spendthrift ruins himself financially when vitaiit ^^ throws away his money ; just so surely do we bring upon ourselves irreparable loss through the squandering of our vitality by too little sleep. Day after day, through thoughtless ambition, or with a foolish idea of self-control, many compel themselves to sleep too little, and so, recklessly injure there chances in life, ruin their self-poise, and are thus unable when opportunity arises to seize it with the vigor of a clear brain. 40 T/^f Witchery of Sleep Youth sleeps Every one who can sleep eight hours, or even longer, without waking, should do so. The younger the human being the more sleep he requires. Many a man past middle age rebukes his son because he lies lazily abed in the morning. This is a grave mistake, for as a matter of fact Age dozes he should have longer hours of sleep, as youth makes a far greater demand on the repairs of sleep than age. Age can doze, youth must sleep. It is mainly the young who need the ^ecture on sleep, for the experience of years soon proves the folly of cheating nature by adding but a few hours of drowsy consciousness to the day. Any man, or even woman, who has suffered from sleeplessness will personally confirm the statement that lack of sleep not only diminishes vitality more quickly than anything else, but decreases weight as well. Woman possesses more nervous excitability than man, and requires more sleep than man. Her pulse beats five times more per minute than his, yet women can bear the loss of sleep far better than men. The length of time they can Woman requires 41 The Witchery of Sleep Excep- tions devote to night nursing in response to calls of affection or duty, has scarcely any limit. Motherhood makes just such demands, and it would seem that nature aids the mother, enabling her to withstand the necessary strain. Some physicians claim that the senses of hearing and touch are never entirely dormant in a mother with a babe. Women at these times — for a limited period — recuperate on a smaller per- centage of sleep than usual, but the strain if long continued, soon tells. Lack of sufficient sleep may not at first affect us physically, unless it occurs frequently. We may be able to walk and run, and all our physical functions may be in good working order, after an occasional insufficiency of sleep. The brain, however, feels it at once, and does not work clearly ; it is dull and inert. Thought is an effort ; and if we continue to compel our- selves to shortage of sleep, brain fag, and a highly nervous condition soon results. Although the other parts of our body may have clearly enjoyed the benefit of sleep, even but of a few hours, as the physical makes the first Affects the brain 42 THE STATE BED OF GEURGE IV., DESIGNED BY HEPPLEWAITE. CARVED MAHOGANY, BRASS INLAY AND APPLIED ORNAMENTS The Witchery of Sleep Sleep means life demands through nature — the brain has had no benefit whatever, no rest, no recuperation; and yet all our prosperity depends entirely on the quality of work that our brain performs. Remember, when you hear any one brag foolishly about going without sleep, that : A man can go forty days without solid food. He can live seven days or even longer, with- out food or water. He can live but seven days without sleep. The Chinese, ingenious in devising tortures, discovered no more tormenting, horrible death than killing their victims by deprivation of sleep. No man can deprive himself of sleep, or sleep irregularly, without suffering permanently, or with- out greatly compromising his health and seriously diminishing his chances of success in this world. Many a wealthy woman looks at the healthy child of the gardener, and wonders why her child is so different. The reason is simple. The gardener's wife did not cheat her child by giving to balls and late hours of pleasure the time required to supply through sleep that vitality needed by her babies. Mother- hood 43 T^he Witchery of Sleep Success and happiness The woman who loses sleep will make a failure of her children. The man who loses sleep will make a failure of his life, or at least diminish greatly his chances of success. Therefore Sleep — Sleep. — Get all the normal sleep you can. Sleep means health, and health means happiness. Don't cheat your brains by too little sleep. Don't cheat your children's brains. Persons exhausting more nervous and muscu- lar force each day than their organic capacity can restore, either through unusual strain of emotion, intellect or muscle, require more sleep than eight hours to repair such ravages, and adjust the economy of wear and tear. Many persons in good health, but of slow habit, cannot be at their best without nine, or even ten hours sleep at night, the normal eight hours of sleep being insufficient for recuperation, as their functions are but languidly profound. Those living serene, placid, uneventful lives require less sleep than the average, but usually sleep longer, yet they tire more slowly, for their Exceeding eight hours 44 The Witchery of Sleep lives are totally without the perpetual nervous strain of the active social or professional life. It is a curious fact that some men of genius seem to have required a less number of hours for Stories of sleep than eight. We are told that Napoleon, ^nj^l^s Mirabeau, Goethe, and Humboldt, all slept for an average period of less than eight hours. One of the characteristics of a very few of these great minds seems to have been an endur- ance that enabled them to perform a prodigious amount of mental labor without tiring. We learn, however, from those who surrounded them, that when they did sleep, oblivion was complete. Their recuperative powers seem to have been as remarkable as was their mental activity, but their hours of sleep were by no means regular, for they often far exceeded even half the day ; and it is to be presumed they really averaged more than the normal eight hours, or suffered accordingly. For instance: Napoleon, after the battle of Aspern, the first battle he lost, after seventeen consecutive actions, fell asleep, and slept for Napoleon thirty-six hours. He was thought to be dying, example his unconsciousness was so profound. The worry 45. The Witchery of Sleep of his defeat being so intense, and his mental vitahty so exhausted, called for an unusual amount of recuperation, which nature, he being in normal health, thus supplied through sleep. The bad Most of the mischievous stories told abou<- effect t:he ability of great men to do without sleep are untrue ; and the foolish man who reads that Napoleon slept only three or four hours at night, and cuts down his own hours of sleep, might better open a vein and lose a quart of blood than lose the sleep which is life itself. It is undoubtedly true that Napoleon, an in- conceivably foolish, reckless man, in matters affecting his physical welfare, did deprive him- self of sleep in his early years. But he paid for it dearly. In his last battles his power of resis- tance was so slight that he actually went to sleep during the fighting. Chronic drowsiness weak- ened his brain, weakened his force of character. The foundation of his downfall was laid in Russia, when lack of sleep, and unwise living generally, had taken away his mental elasticity, deprived him of all power to form and carry out resolutions, and resulted in his final ruin. Means ruin 46 SLEEPLESSNESS. LEEPLESSNESS is a condition of poverty, both mental and physical. As one suffers through an occa- sionally empty purse, so one suffers, both physically and mentally, through occasional lack of sleep. Utter destitution pecuniarily can far better be borne than the destitution of sleep. Sleeplessness is not only the source of much misery and discomfort, but it entails upon the sufferer a grievous hardship, in that one has to fight the battle of life in a maimed condition, bankrupt " _ _ ^ nerves Deprived of the nightly restoration of po- and tential energy, the brain grows weary, and one's strength whole mental and physical vigor becomes impaired. Persistence in striving to work under these circumstances only encroaches upon that fund of reserved force to such an extent as to lead eventually to total nervous and physical bankruptcy. 47 The Witchery of Sleep ''Over" dangers Our power to work is intimately related to our ability to sleep, and there is no more reliable indication of sound health than the capacity to sleep naturally. There are various forms of occasional sleep- lessness : the wakefulness attendant upon worry, excitement, grief, overwork, overeating, over- stimulation, and all the other "overs." There is the sleeplessness that at first accompanies strange surroundings, and the sleeplessness that some- times follows upon too familiar surroundings, when a slight change becomes neccessary. There is the sleeplessness due to noise, and, paradoxical as it may seem, there has been sleeplessness due to silence. The chief danger with all forms of occasional sleeplessness is that they are likely to become chronic, and from having an occasional " bad night " one passes to that serious pathological state, where one is really a victim of insomnia — that dreadful, baffling, and almost incurable disease, which paves the way for melancholia and all sorts of mental derangements. It is therefore wise to begin the fight against sleeplessness or 48 Chronic fmL ','«^««i-5?k;j.^'. NAI'OLEONIC, OR FIRST EMPIRE BED. A SPLENDID EXAMPLE OF THE PERIOD, NOW TO BE FOUND IN ENGLAND T^he Witchery of Sleep broken slumbers as soon as these begin ; not waiting for them to become actual maladies. In ordinary cases of insomnia, the ability to sleep is so weakened that the sufferer is awakened by the slightest noise. Slumber is so light that the least impression received from without dis- Ordinary turbs it. Recuperation is interrupted ; its accom- '^^^^^ plishment is never complete. Such broken sleep is injurious in the highest degree. By far the most common cause of sleepless- ness is indigestion in its various forms, due in the majority of cases to injured nervous systems ; a condition unheard of, unrecognized, unappre- ciated — one hundred years ago. The nerve-racking mental strain, business men undergo, or the everlasting sameness of certain wearying mental work and its terrible monotony, are most pregnant sources of insom- nia. These conditions could be at least palliated by a certain amount of muscular activity ; and, in fact, in such cases, physical exercise is an absolute Exercise necessity for sound sleep. Anything tending to prolong an excessive congestion of the brain causes this distressing 49 The Witchery of Sleep Drop worry condition of wakefulness. Extreme physical strain, nervous exhaustion, grief or anxiety, especially when they are experienced in the latter part of the day, near bedtime, are also causes. Everything requiring mental exertion should be laid aside before dinner, and the evening entirely devoted to recreative enjoyment. Above all, avoid irritation; cultivate cheerfulness and a happy, contented mind ; do not bring business cares home to jar the household. Drop them. If you have anything on your mind, from a sonnet to a soup, "make a note of it." It is less nerve expense to use a paper tablet than to use the brain tablet. Avoid being tense. When you think, use the brain alone. You cannot have repose of mind without repose of muscle. Relax, let go mentally as well as physically, all will then be well. Beware of the poison of over fatigue ; it spells danger. Rest — is its only antidote. Associate only with restful persons. Life is too short to be worried by those who fret over trifles. Encourage repose both of mind and Cultivate repose 50 The Witchery of Sleep Beware uneasy beds manners. Learn the lesson of self and acquire the perfect poise of health. An uncomfortable bed will induce insomnia in the healthiest, serenest person. Indeed, it is more often the cause of sleeplessness than any other known. An absolutely even, cool, elastic surface, springy yet firm, is the necessary quality of a good bed, and one of the greatest aids to sleep. One that is non-absorbent of moisture or emanations of the body, that is clean and health- ful, and not heating, is the great desideratum ; and of such an one I shall have more to say later. The deep, undisturbed sleep of perfect health needs plenty of oxygen — good, pure, fresh air. That means open windows — wide open windows. And this requires proper protection from draft. Good sleep means good breathing, good breathing means good health, and good health means good digestion, that great preservative from all ills, both mental and physical. Above all, as 1 said before, plenty of oxygen, good, fresh, pure air is most essential for perfect sleep. Sleeping rooms need not necessarily be Cultivate good breathing 51 The Witchery of Sleep Fresh air most essential cold, for the air may be warm and yet fresh and pure. No one should sleep in a draught, of course, but every sleeping room should have some arrangement for withdrawing foul air, as well as introducing fresh air in any manner that will insure perfect circulation. But given the best beds, the most admirably ventilated sleeping rooms, the most hygienic con- ditions of every sort, sleeplessness often refuses to be conquered. Its victims dread bedtime, for it means, perhaps, long staring into the darkness, going over the troubles or the excitement of the day, and with self-control gone, all troubles are magnified, all pleasures seem trite, every nerve tingles, and life becomes anything but " one grand sweet song." What then is to be done, when there is no fault to be found with the bed or its placing, and yet the insomnia fiend is busy ^. To compel sleep by opiates or sedatives is not to cure sleeplessness. It is true that when the brain has been overtaxed by engrossing work, or the nervous system shattered by a severe shock, or exhausted by overwhelming anxiety, or out- Disturbed sleep 52 T^he Witchery of Sleep The worn by excitement; or the habit of sleep has been broken by long and anxious vigils over a sick bed, a judiciously selected remedy may quiet the nerve-throbbing vibrations and help restore self-control to the brain, and so aid in breaking the wakeful habit. Setting aside these exceptional cases, however, a sedative, whatever it be, is most ill advised ; it is but temporary, and leaves the cause of sleepless- ness entirely untouched; hence the drug danger. If the cause of sleeplessness remains in full operation, instead of being removed by treatment, ^J^ ^ the nervous system becomes accustomed to the danger of sleep drug, and a larger dose is ever required. '^'".^^ Drugs diminish the resistance and impair the strength. Once relief is experienced, it is again desired, and yet again, until finally it is impossible to endure with patience and fortitude the privation of sleep which was formerly thought unimportant. Thus the drug habit is established slavishly, and I cannot paint its horrible effects too vividly, or cry the warning sufficiently strong. Much absurd advice has been given to the man who cannot sleep, but advice is not physic. SZ The Witchery of Sleep Mechan- ical aid One man will tell you to lie with your eyes shut, to imagine sheep jumping over a hedge, and count them, one after another. Another will tell you to count from one up toward a million, or until you go to sleep. The story is told of how a missionary troubled with sleeplessness repeated the Lord's Prayer over and over, until Satan sent him to sleep to get rid of it. Most such advice is harmless ; also practically worthless as a sleep inducer. Nevertheless, some of it, I repeat, is not bad. The main thing is to stupefy or lull that acute sense of thought, particularly thoughts of self, for with such thoughts is wakefulness most in- timately connected. That this requires self-help is, I find, most generally recognized. For instance : many men become more wide awake than ever when they try to invent imaginary sheep, or to ^ J ^ P^ keep track of their counting, as Wordsworth has most aptly written : 'A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by One after one; the sound of rain and bees Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas, Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky; 54 A MASSIVE OLD RUSSIAN BED OF OAK, COPrER AND BRASS, SUPPORTED BY IRON CHAINS, HUNG FROM IRON RODS. ARRANGED TO SMOTHER THE OCCUPANT The Witchery of Sleep I've thought of all by turns, and still I lie Sleepless; and soon the small birds' melodies Must hear, first utter'd from my orchard trees, And the first cuckoo's melancholy cry. Even thus last night and two nights more I lay And could not win thee, Sleep! by any stealth; So do not let me wear to-night away. Without thee, what is all the morning's wealth?" The first thing is to remember the fact that wakefulness usually means a full flow of blood to the brain. Whatever then will serve to draw the blood The blood from the cerebral region ought to aid in inducing ^'^^^ drowsiness. Drowsiness is but a step to sleep. Almost every one has a favorite method of doing this. A hot foot bath is doubtless the most efficacious. Most physicians recommend a few minutes of very light gymnastic exercise, just before going to bed, accompanied or not by a simpu quick sponge, or simple bath in tepid water. remedies A warm bath puts many people in an excellent condition for sleep, though a very hot one is likely to prove too stimulating. If a tub bath is not desired, a warm sponge after the exercise will 55 'The Witchery of Sleep The stomach send most people who are not confirmed victims of sleeplessness into a delicious state of drowsiness. Often it is advisable for the stomach to have sufficient work for the blood to do, and in that way call it from the brain. This does not mean that a meal such as will keep the digestive apparatus busy half the night assists is a cure for insomnia, or a preventive of it ; but that something light, and easily digested — for instance a glass of hot milk and a cracker, a cup of hot bouillon, or a bowl of gruel — may often ward off the dreaded siege of sleeplessness, and send one comfortably to sleep like a drowsy kit- ten or a well-fed baby. It is important to study the art of lying in bed comfortably. Avoid strained positions. Don't sleep with knees drawn up to your chin, or with your legs crossed ; it unnecessarily fatigues and cramps the muscles. This also occurs when the fingers are clasped, or hands are lain upon. Upon going to bed, try to find a position absolutely restful, in which the mattress supports every ounce of your weight, and your muscles support none of it. 56 Other ways to woo The Witchery of Sleep Without strain Relax thoroughly at the very first. Lie limply as you can on your left side. The unus- ual weight on the heart will quiet its action, and tend to decrease its activity, and thus also that of the brain. Retain this position until you find that the world is getting hazy, and strange, fool- ish, drowsy, incoherent ideas creep into your mind; in other words, until your senses begin to go to sleep. If you can catch yourself just as a sleepy moment comes on, and then turn on your right side, you will have no difficulty in sleeping most happily through the entire night. This way of inducing sleep will soon become a habit. In some cases, by steady practice, through nightly repetition, it has been known to cure sleeplessness altogether. If very restless, place a handkerchief wet in ice-cold water at the base of the brain. In ex- treme cases, the sanitarium people use the ice-cap : a close fitting, double rubber cap, filled with pounded ice. At the sanitarium, just before retiring, they give the sleepless ones both a sitz and a foot bath: Cooling the head SI The Witchery of Sleep the sitz 96° to 98° Fahr., the foot no** to 115° Fahr. The sitz bath can be omitted. The salt rub is another sanitarium command- ment. First, they turn the warm water on vou. Water ' ■' , ■' treatments Second, rub you with handfuls of wet, not melted, salt. Third, rinse you. Fourth, dry you. This may be easily managed at home in a tub, or standing over a bath sheet. Those who wake during the night, and are unable to fall asleep again, should on no account lie tossing about fretting at fate. Such a course invariably prevents the return of sleep. It is better to rise, throw back the covers to allow mattress and sheets to cool, walk two or three ^'^t?,. , times around the room, draw a few deep breaths, the Witch , . ' . is coy filling the lungs with oxygen, brush the hair, take a drink of water, and then go back to what will feel like a cool, fresh bed. If that does not prove efficacious, take to a novel, or some other light reading, to temporarily occupy the mind. Such reading is at once a soothing comfort and an aid to sleep. Whenever possible, I have always advocated going to a fresh, cool bed. Linen sheets are at 58 EErrrr AN ITALIAN BED OF THE i6tH CENTURY, COMBINATION ARRANGEMENT OK liEO, WARDROBE, AND CLOSET, IN PANELLED OAK AND TAPESTRY HANGINCS OAKEN CRADLE OF THE I4TH CENTURY SWINOINC. rKADI.E OF THE i6tH CENTURY The Witchery of Sleep once a luxury, and their coolness, whether in sum- mer or winter, a soporific delight, and a most ^ ';'""' ^^'^ ^ ° , induces marvelous antidote for sleeplessness, for you will drowsi- find sleep creeping on as the heat of the body ^^^^^ slowly warms the bed. The most important adjunct of sleep, as I said before, is the possession of a good bed — one that invites repose, and assists tired nature by its relaxing comfort and sleep-inducing quality. The prodigal abuse of sleep through spend- thrift use is akin to life — as we make or mar it for ourselves. It's all in our own hands. We control our own destiny, our every move- ment, it 's all volitional on our part. And yet we go through life casting aside golden oppor- tunities that rarely come again, or if favored Life and with an encore, through lack of self-knowledge we fail to seize our own, and thus ignorant of self and life we go on, groping in the dark. So it is with sleep and its value to our physical well-being, its proper environment and our ability to secure all its true worth — through ignorance or a disinclination to seek out truths, following only habit, tradition, or what others 59 T^he Witchery of Sleep have done — like the instinct of animals, instead ^"^J° of searching for the why and wherefore, and aiming at the best in life or sleep. OLD FASHIONED HIGH POST CORDED BOTTOM BEDSTEAD OF I 7OO 60 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BED. In bed we laugh, in bed we cry, And; — born in bed, in bed we die. The nearer approach a bed may show Of human bliss to human woe. Isaac de Benserade, 1612. E of the Twentieth Century require practically as much sleep as did our ancestors of the First, our many efforts to abrogate the law of sleep bringing the penalty of various nervous diseases, insomnia, and premature decline of vital force. Our vitality — that vital force — our sole Life Capital, depends entirely on sleep. The most a sleep vital question, therefore, certainly the most prac- P^"^^''<^^- tical one, is now to promote and preserve the function of sleep against disturbance. An uncomfortable bed will induce insomnia in the healthiest, serenest person. It is more often the cause of those twin torments, sleeplessness and 61 The Witchery of Sleep wakefulness, than any other known. Indeed, barring indigestion, that impoverisher of sleep — the primal cause of all our ills, both mental and phys- ical — and which so insidiously undermines even the strongest constitution, nothing so quickly or so radically destroys sleep, or prevents that per- fect relaxation conducive to sleep, as an uneasy „ , , bed. Bed makes or mars An absolutely even, elastic surface, springy yet ^^^'P firm, is the necessary quality of a good bed; one that is non-absorbent of moisture or emanations of the body, that is clean and healthy, and non- heating is the great desideratum ; and yet, how rare a luxury is such a bed. A good bed is a physical necessity. By my reference to the bed, I mean the mattress, of course. That is the jewel, the bedstead being merely the setting ; the spring, but an improve- ment upon and a luxurious addition to the setting. The bedstead and spring are merely supports for the mattress. They may be richly sumptuous in elaboration and cost, or of the utmost simplicity, without adding to or destroying the sleep-induc- ing quality of the mattress. 62 T^'he Witchery of Sleep The materials from which the mattress is con- structed are more vitally important than is gen- erally recognized by the average sleeper, or even by the highest authorities on hygiene and sanita- tion. Physicians only cursorily dwell upon this subject and have given It by far too little thought. In health, we spend fully one-third of our lives in bed — far too many invalids all their weary hours — yet we passively continue the use of what- One-tUrd . , 1 , . ... . , . , our lives ever material habit, tradition or inheritance has handed down to us for mattress filling, utterly regardless of its sanitary or unsanitary qualities. Considering the importance of the mattress, and the progress of the century in other direc- tions, it is both astonishing and unaccountable that this subject should have received so little attention, especially in an age that has made such strides in the study of personal hygiene, and the proven origin of germ infections. How many forms of the commoner infec- tious diseases, and complicated skin affections, which are the " bete noir " of medical practice everywhere, have their origin and source in the saturated, unsunned and unsanitary mattresses 63 in bed Hidden dangers 'The Witchery of Sleep on which we spend so much of our time, on which So life we are born and on which we die, — is a pathologi- be^ins and , , , .... ends ^-^^ conundrum that no statistician has as yet attem.pted to solve. Of all materials employed for mattresses, except among the very poor, horse hair has been the most commonly used during the past century. Prior to hair, feathers were used for many years, and were considered the best ; but they are really, in every sense, the poorest. Feathers are soft and warm — entirely too soft and warm — and are without any redeeming feature. The feather beds of our great grandmothers — than which there is nothing more abominably un- Th hygienic, saturated with the emanations of half a of our dozen generations, perfect charnel houses of filth — fore- were handed down for years, as priceless luxuries. Feather beds, however, during the past century became gradually recognized as undesirable. The hair mattress took their place as the best obtaina- ble, and gradually superseded feathers on account of its greater desirability and supposed cleanliness. Genuine horse hair, derived from the manes and tails of horses, principally in South America, 64 THE GRAND CARVED BED AND EMBROIDERED CANOrV BUILT KOR FRANCIS I. ABOUT 1530 The Witchery of Sleep Unclean atiimal Jibres when properly prepared for use, makes a fairly good bed at first ; but hair, originally unclean and practically uncleanable, is an animal fibre and filled with natural animal secretions that can never be expelled. It soon becomes foul and filthy, infested by vermin, absorbent of germs and ema- tions of the body, a breeder of disease, and a con- stant menace to health. At the present time this is especially the case, owing to the keen competition of manufacturers, who have forced into use all the filthy and ill- smelling scrapings of the tan yards, the refuse of the abbatoir, and additions of former discards, together with various mixtures of other waste, for the purpose of reducing cost, the great desidera- tum ; so that to-day it is not how good a hair mattress can be made, but — how cheap. This daily cheapening is making of the hair mattress nothing more nor less than a makeshift. Even when made from the best quality of hair — if you can find a best — it may prove delightfully soft and springy at first, but soon loses its elas- ticity, gathers dirt and dust, the natural oil of the hair tenaciously holding all impurities. 65 Horse hair The Witchery of Sleep Other Jilling A hair mattress requires frequent renovation, to keep it in even a fairly clean and comfortable state, and is a constant source of expense and annoyance ; and, on the whole, unsatisfactory, un- hygienic and unhealthy. All other fillings, consisting of the various cheap substitutes for hair, ranging all the way from the straw of the country, excelsior of the city, corn husks, hay, etc., to the more pretentious vegetable fibres, like sea grass, pine bark, moss, etc., — are most of them, comparatively, if not entirely wholesome. Many of these pseudo articles, however, which often masquerade under high-sounding titles to conceal their humble origin, or their identity, especially when mixed, may or may not be pure ; but this very admixture of other substances makes me doubt their being sanitarily innocent of im- purities. At best, they are simply evolutions — worthless pretences, and are not suggestive of slumber, repose, solace or thrift. Of all these materials, feathers, the most heat- ing of all fillings, as I said before, stood out pre- eminently at one time as the best obtainable. Pretences The Witchery of Sleep Users of horse hair were possessed of the same pecuHar fallacy ; but feathers, once considered the best, are in every sense not merely the poorest, but the worst. Horse hair is far cooler, but with- Artificial out any other redeeming feature than its original " spring," and that favoring feature is really due to artificial curl, produced mechanically. That the hair on the head of a woman is certainly far purer, sweeter, cleaner than the hair from the mane or tail of a horse, you will readily grant ; and yet, can you fancy sleeping on a mat- tress made of human hair — even gathered only from the heads of people you know — naturally curly — therefore having a natural, not a mechanical "spring"? Would not a shudder of repulsion creep over and possess you with the nauseating Beds of thoughts of its horrid incongruity? human Why, if human hair was used for the making ''''' of mattresses, how extremely careful we would be in selecting it! — demanding to know whence the hair was gathered — how — when — why — whose ? And in spite of the dealers' declaration that they contained naught but "Virgin tresses, fragrant as the breath of spring," a guarantee would be re- 67 l^he Witchery of Sleep quired, signed by the Board of Health, as to its sanitary condition. Nothing could dispel visions of untold disease, the morgue and hospital ; and the horrors of contagion from bacilli would ever be present in one's dreams. Yet a horse-hair mattress is in reality far more unsanitary and unclean, and dangerous to health in every possible way, than a mattress of human hair. The best hair, coming from tropical countries, where malignant diseases abound, can never be thoroughly cleansed, and many cases of fatal contagion occur, that do not become public, owing to their character, like the following: Germ infection GERMS IN IMPORTED HAIR. SING SING CONVICT ATTACKED WITH A RARE TROUBLE PECULIAR TO ANIMALS. Dr. R. T. Irvine, physician at the Sing Sing prison, has a rare case under treatment in the prison hospital. It is that of maligna, and the patient is John Culleton, aged 28, of Flatbush, L. I. The attack is a common one in South America among cattle. Culleton worked in the curled hair industry in the prison. The hair used comes from South America. About two weeks ago he had a pimple on his neck and rubbed it. At the time he must have had some of the germs under his nail, gathered while handling the hair. The man is now paralyzed on his entire left side. The attack is generally fatal, but the doctor thinks his patient will pull through. — New York World, Dec. 18, i8g6. 68 The Witchery of Sleep "Genuine curled hair, derived from the tails of neat cattle and the tails and manes of horses, when thoroughly cleansed and made aseptic, malces good mattresses and pillows that are immeasurably superior to feathers." Can you picture the " neat cattle " ? Is not the absurdity of the remark delicious ? 69 Disease breeders Hair makes a mattress that is dangerous when new, and rapidly becomes more so as it absorbs dirt and moisture with time and use ; and yet, there are many who have become so inured, through custom, to consider them the " best," that they prove the old proverb, " Where ignor- ance is bliss," etc., since visions of the horse morgue or hospital, far more repulsive, and quite as dangerous, never seem to disturb their heavy slumbers. They sleep well, who know not that they sleep ill, — and yet, is it wise to go through life without knowing? Really, the thoughtlessness — yes, even the ignorance of many physicians on this subject is astonishing. For instance: a prominent physician, a recognized authority on hygiene, at that — in a recent magazine article — makes the following statement: Ignora nee T^he Witchery of Sleep Personal hygiene In these days of physical culture and personal hygiene, and that tending to daily betterment of manhood and womanhood — which is upbuilding the coming generation to a higher and greater physical standard — sleep, and the care of the body, while asleep, should receive the proper attention due its pregnancy. While we sleep, and the body is unprotected, except by the sentinels of nature, the skin is by no means inactive. The pores are all wide awake, and at this time ripe for the absorp- tion of germs. Surely, therefore, a germ-proof mattress is an absolute necessity. This first of all requires a non-absorbent filling of positive purity and one that will remain uncontaminated under all conditions. Cotton is probably the purest filling obtain- able for mattress use. It is a vegetable fibre, and has none of the objectionable features of animal fibre, like hair or feathers. It is also the coolest known filling. Contrary to general opinion, it is non-heating, a non-conductor as well, most hygienic and sanitary, and peculiarly cool in summer. The skin and pores Purity of cotton 70 ^3Ur A MEDIEVAL BED OF THE I2TH CENTURY. FROM AN EXCEEDINCl.Y RARE ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT The Witchery of Sleep Cotton is by no means a new mattress mater- ial, for it was used for stuffing cushions in Egypt centuries ago. It was then known as Kurpas, the " vegetable vegetable lamb " or " plant wool." We know it to-day fibre botanically as Gossypium Herbaceum. Ordinary, unprepared, picked up, raw cotton, makes an exceedingly agreeable mattress, at first; but it has the serious objection of soon becoming lumpy and uncomfortable. That objection, how- ever, can be overcome by proper preparation and manipulation of the cotton. For many years the subject of bedding and its relation to sleep has been of deep interest to me. I have slept on all kinds of mattresses, on all sorts of beds, in all sorts of places, and found nothing to equal the cotton mattresses, such as I have used for the past twenty years or more. These were made from an especially prepared species of cotton, grown for the purpose ; of a fibre and texture that is singularly adapted to ^° ^ '^ o / r germ certain chemical action and sterilization, which proof renders it absolutely germ proof — and at the same time water proof. From this raw material 71 The Witchery of Sleep was felted and interlaced a sheeted fabric material, delightfully soft and downy, no more like raw cotton than finished cloth is like natural wool. The mattresses were made by laying these sheets one over the other, into a huge even pile, and then sewing the covering over them, instead of their being " stuffed " as mattresses usually Built, not ^gj.g_ That way of making is in itself of inesti- stuffid . . ° mable value in securing an evenly soft, elastic mattress. Mine I have found practically peerless in comfort, free from even a single objectionable feature, and immeasurably superior to hair. Mattresses so made, and with filling so treat- ed, are called Patent Elastic Felt, by the makers, Ostermoor & Company, who have made them just in that manner, from just that material, for the past fifty years. I can honestly and sincerely An ideal recommend them from practical knowledge and use to be the best obtainable ; and I am glad to see how rapidly they are superseding mattresses made from filthy, unhealthy, dangerous hair, owing to the educational knowledge given the public as to their merits — by extensive advertising. May such good work long continue. bed 72 The Witchery of Sleep I do notj as a rule, believe in giving this sort of credit in print. I am not commercial, have '^*'^'^^^ neither the time nor inclination to personally ad- vertise such products, however good. I saw the mattresses being made in the fac- tory twenty odd years ago. I thought them the work of a master and the material ideal, and have certainly so proven them. I went through the factory again this year, and find the plant a most wonderful establishment. Their manner of manufacture is a marvel and a revela- tion of what can be done, and what should be done by all makers of such important articles to guarantee absolute purity. When I find in this age of shams, makeshifts, in this and "just as good" imitating counterfeits and cost- T"^ , ^ , ° shams reducing substitutes, an article so good and of so high a standard, that leaves no room for improve- ment, honestly made and honestly sold, I cannot refrain from publicly expressing both my admira- tion and sincere appreciation. All hail the Ostermoor mattress, that impor- tant factor in securing good, healthful, refreshing sleep — for it certainly is unequaled the world 73 T^he Witchery of Sleep Blessing to mankind over. Too much cannot be said in its praise. It is a revelation of luxury — much more cushiony and inviting in elasticity than hair. It is free from any and all the objections of feathers, hair or any other material thus far brought into use, and, considering its wonderful durability, the most economical mattress obtainable. Among the well-to-do in most modern com- munities feathers, at one time used entirely for beds, are now limited chiefly to pillows, although hair is also used for pillows to some extent. The favored few can boast of " downy pillows," steam dressed, but the masses rest their weary heads on fluffy and more or less odorifer- ous feather pillows. Social rank is measured by the size of these headrests. Ambitious house- wives add bolsters, which indicate a further degree of social standing and discomfort. To sleep in a guest bed in the city, or the " spare bed " of the well-to-do country housewife, one must first make a bold advance on the for- midable pile at the head of the bed, remove some artistically useless make-believes called " shams," and then either toss the pillows overboard or sit Use and abuse of pillows 74 KOVAL ENGLISH HIGH POST BED. DOME TOP. OE MAHOGANY MARQUETRY DESIGNED BY CHIPPENDALE ^he Witchery of Sleep on end, propped up by pillows and bolster, like an asthmatic or an invalid. High pillows of any material should never be tolerated. The use of them is purely habit and has no sanction in either anatomy, physiology or hygiene. Any pillow that raises the head out of line with the body is anatomically unnatural and physically injurious, for height affects and ob- ^^^^^ r \ 1 • 1-1 r ... disturbers structs perfect breathmg, and is therefore mjurious to health, and disturbs perfect sleep. The thick- ness should never exceed one and a half or two inches, and some authorities urge that it is far better to entirely dispense with pillows. Cotton pillows are much cooler and more hygienic than either feathers or hair, and are being used to some extent. They are, however, but makeshifts suitable to warm climates and summer weather, and as made from ordinary or unprepared cotton are neither as aseptic nor as elastic as those made from other materials, nor do they retain their elasticity for any considerable length of time. When cotton is prepared by the Ostermoor pro- cess, and thoroughly freed from its natural oil, made aseptic, water proof, germ proof, vermin 75 The Witchery of Sleep and dust proof, by their treatment, and sterilized through heat, and that pecuHar chemic and mechanic change which renders it permanently elastic, it becomes an ideally wholesome material, and perfection itself for pillows as well as mat- tresses, ever conducive to slumber and repose. Whole- some THE SUPPOSED BED OF KING SOLOMON, FOUND IN MANUSCRIPT IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM 76 The beds ancients SLEEPING PLACES AND THEIR HISTORY. ROM the days of Menes, 7,000 years ago, it's a far cry indeed to the present day, the time covered by the history of the bed and its evolutions. The subject may be divided into three great periods : Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern ; and these again are subdivided into Egyptian, Assy- of th rian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Gothic (both early and late), and Renaissance — a resume that brings us well within the Eighteenth Century. Although few examples are in existence, the beds of the ancients are not unknown to us. Antiquity began with leaves, then the skins of beasts to seek creature comfort, gradually increas- ing among the Egyptians to luxury on such a magnificently colossal scale that reached its very zenith at the time of the fall of Rome, and the like of which the world has never since seen equaled during all the many intervening centuries. 77 The Witchery of Sleep Eating and sleeping in those days were con- sidered the Alpha and Omega of life. The table, then, and the couch as well, were incom- The parable luxuries. An estimate of the prodigality Alpha and of the timcs Can readily be formed by the single Omega of j^stance of Gabius Apicius, who after spending over $4,000,000 on the elegancies of his table alone (tradition names the amount), hanged him- self rather than " face starvation on such a miser- able pittance," as he called the $400,000 remain- ing of his large fortune. The earliest mention of beds is probably to . be found in the Book of Esther. The houses therein described had floors of concrete, tiles or Earliest yarious colored marble. They were extremely mention of beds clean. The shoes or sandals used without were taken off and the feet washed before entering the house. The floors were also partially covered with skins, rugs, and small movable carpets. The beds consisted of coarse, stuflFed pillows, or cushions, thrown or piled in a corner of the room, or else placed around two or three sides of a room, used for seats by day, and beds by night. Later on, a place was built at one end of the 78 The Witchery of Sleep The Egyptians room, more elevated than a seat, on which a stuffed cushion was placed, and this was the usual mode of sleeping. In course of time these elevations were made movable by the Egyptians. They were exquis- itely fashioned from wood, ivory, bronze, copper, gold, and silver. Thus the origin of the early Egyptian bed- steads, which during the Roman Empire became articles of such extraordinary beauty, costly and magnificent, often carved and inlaid with mother- of-pearl and semi-precious stones. All beds at this time, strange to say, of which any record is found, appear to have been narrow, and of single width only, — really half couch and half bed. Food and sleep with the Romans were closely allied. Their curious dining bed, the triclini- um, or three in one, consisted of three richly cushioned and highly ornamented couches placed around three, sides of a table ; the other side being left open, permitting the slaves easy access to the table for the serving of viands. After the consequent confusion and the utter Roman dining bed 79 The Witchery of Sleep destruction resulting from the fall of the second Roman Empire, everything was chaotic, living again became most primitive, and furnishings were of the simplest description, comprising but the Fall of - ^ . . r > r 5 Rome barest of necessities. A bench, a chest, and a few skins were all the household goods of the masses. The chest held the stores of coarse linen, and was used as a table — as occasion demanded — and as a couch or bed, with the addition of skins. During the Middle Ages, as general civiliza- tion became slowly re-established, and human life and property more secure, household comforts became more common. Gradually the couch chest grew into the "beddstock," at first only a movable sleeping structure, crude in style. Ornamentation gradually followed, until finally the bedstead was built into the room, similar to The the modern steamship berth. Then a whole section of the room was set apart and built in for sleeping purposes — really a room within a room, and here the first known double bed appeared, simple curtains were added as a screen, and early in the Twelfth Century the high post canopy top bedstead, separate, movable, hung with hand- 80 Middle Ages ANCIENT IMPERIAL JAPANESE BED. A RARE EXAMPLE OF TEAK CARVING BELONGING TO THE ROYAL FAMILY 'The Witchery of Sleep some embroidered curtains, a thing of beauty, imposing, and important, first came into use. The bed was the first real luxury of the home to be evolved from a most meager showing to the Bed first magnificent examples of classic architecture and luxury ornament, that lives as "tout-ensemble" or whole, even to the present day. Beds became greatly cherished by the nobility on account of their artistic value and beauty. The social position or aspirations of a particular family often became centered upon and recognized in accordance with the stateliness of their bed- stead, which dominated all the other household furniture in character, cost and importance. Many old inventories and wills in existence show that particular value and consequence were Beds in attached to even the most primitive contrivances, entail and in most of these cases on record the bedstead is especially bestowed in entail. At this early period, of course, the greatest luxury was only possible to the people of the highest rank. Each home of any pretension of the lower classes contained an enormous bedstead, upon which the man, his wife, his children, his 8i "The Witchery of Sleep Many sharing one bed guests, and even the stranger who asked for hospitality could easily sleep. This habit of sharing a bed with the guests was by no means confined to the lower classes. Royalty sanctioned the custom, and the guest welcomed at castle or chateau could receive no greater honor than to occupy the same bed with the lord and his lady. In feudal times nearly every manor house and castle had three kinds of beds. They were really three in one, as they were all but component parts of one complete whole, called "Trinity" — First — The bed of state, used by the lord, his lady, and immediate family. Second — A lower affair upon which their attendants slept. Third — Still a lower bed, drawing from under- neath the second, just like our more recent trundle bed, used exclusively for the servants. It seems odd to picture such a bed in these days, and yet there are a few examples still in existence, both in France and England. These old castles were usually of great size, and contained enormous rooms ; the manner of 82 Trinity The IVitchcry of Sleep living was on a wider scale, and furnishings were consequently huge in size, though exceedingly- small in number and variety. The wealthy nobles at this time possessed several mansions, and country houses as well, yet notwithstanding the high appreciation of the artis- j,i^yedii>ie tic, but very little attention v/as paid to cleanli- undean- ness ; and, incredible as this may seem, it is an '''""•^ authentic fact, that when the filth and vermin be- came unendurable in one house, they left it to "sweeten" as they said, and went to another of their estates to live ! The earliest period of modern art was un- doubtedly laid in Italy, later France, and then England more slowly followed. The beautiful Italian Renaissance was introduced into France by Francis I. welcoming Italian artists to his courts The during the first half of the Sixteenth Century, '''^"^'/"^ D _ _•' _ Kenats- when Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini sance introduced the magnificent examples of beds, with their exquisitely artistic carvings, that still remain the standard of classic art in England and other countries of Europe. Classic art in England accompanied the classic 83 'The Witchery of Sleep Gothic literature of the period, but being far distant from the true fountain head of art, it was long before the native Gothic style gave place to the classic Renaissance. In fact, it was over a century after the foundation of St, Peter's at Rome, that Henry VIII., brought over two foreign artists, notably John of Padua and Havenius of Cleves, to intro- duce what was then called the " new style " more fully in England. After the fourteenth, and prior to the six- teenth century, all bedsteads supported the mat- tress by cords or straps attached to the frame- work ; before that, the bed had a solid bottom. During the last half of the fifteenth, and early in the sixteenth century, slats were first used, and the high post canopy top bedstead began to be made so high that it was provided with a pair of steps to enable the occupants to get in or out. They were so made, with many variations, until the early part of the eighteenth century, when these, together with the severe yet graceful lines of the Empire, merging into those of Chippen- dale and Sheraton, set the stamp upon the early Colonial "four-posters" of America. 84 High post canopy top. l^he Witchery of Sleep In England, at this time, as well as in Amer- ica, the "high post" bedstead was extensively used, although the " low post " bed, without canopy top, was quite in evidence. Low post The "field beds" were also popular, being nlidheds lighter and cheaper than the regular four-posters, with heavy carved cornice and solid wood testers or roof. Light curved iron bars or rods, joining the top of the posts of the field beds, formed a dome or canopy framework for drapery, making an effect like tents on a battle field, whence the name no doubt was taken. Heppelwaite, that great authority on draper- ies, laid down a most severe law as to how beds must be draped or curtained. The tops of all beds varied greatly in shape, and were designated as " dome tops," "wagon tops," "Venetian," "curved," etc, Vaned •^ • • 1 ■>■> ^ • skates. Other varieties, as "close beds" — beds with doors that close — setting out in the room, dif- fering from the " press beds," that are more like a closet, and the "cupboard bed," that had drawers underneath, the bed being up in the air, 85 The Witchery of Sleep behind sliding or hinged doors, and "couch beds," corresponding to those in use to-day, being similar to a chest with sunken top, holdino; Oliver ° . . . r> & Goldsmith mattress or cushion, often a drawer or two under- neath, making a bed at night, a seat by day. 'Twas doubtless of such Oliver Goldsmith wrote : "The chest, contriv'd a double debt to pay — A bed by night, a chest of drawers by day." The Queen of Egypt's bed-chamber con- tained all that art or luxury could suggest. There were pictures in it " so real that one could almost catch the fragrance of the flowers," and "birds might have pecked at the fruits painted upon the walls." It was beautiful in the extreme. The floors and walls were of many colored marbles, gold, ivory, and bronze, ornamented with gems. The bed, built of ivory and gold, was of im- mense size, covered with the finest silken draper- Cleopatra. ics, quaintly embroidered and laced with gold cord. On the footboard of the bed stood a gold cupid, or god of love, thirty-six inches high, aiming a golden arrow from his bow at Cleopatra as she slept therein. 86 THE "trinity" bed OF STATE, CONSISTING OF "THREE IN ONE," IN WHICH THE ENTIRE FAMILY, THE ATTENDANTS, AND HIGHER SERVANTS SLEPT DURING FEUDAL TIMES T'he Witchery of Sleep The out-door bedroom. The air was heavy and sweet with languorous perfumes, notwithstanding through the open win- dows came the salt scent of the distant Medi- terranean. Everywhere in the great room were incomparable carpets and couches piled high with wonderful silken draperies. Just outside, piazza-like — in the true sense of the word — a sort of out-door bedroom was arrang- ed, fully as luxurious in style, wherein another bed, of bronze, marble, and gold, was built and overhung with canopies. Here the "Serpent of old Nile" slept during hot nights, attended by many slaves, under covers of the " filmy gleam- ing silk of Cos," sheltered by a netted tent of closely woven linen gauze. These are facts, well authenticated by data and many known examples. We think and talk of Cleopatra and the people of other times and climes as if they were the creations of the poet and romancer, and had never really existed, be- cause we simply read history, and do not study it, duly digesting facts. We all know of the almost incredible excesses and wanton living of the times preceding the Wanton living. iy The Witchery of Sleep Re-estab' lishment. awful horror of the fall of Rome, reducing everything to ruin, and almost ringing the death knell of civilization. The next thousand years show us the re- establishment of life on a far different basis — at first so primitive that even the barest of necessi- ties were almost priceless luxuries. But slowly, steadily, we note increasing creature comforts, until finally the luxuries of the day become but the necessities of the morrow. As it was then, so it is with us of to-day ; lost arts have been regained, new discoveries made, until it almost seems as if we were rapidly approaching the splendor of the ancients, and far surpassing them in our later inventions, particu- larly those wonderful ones of the twentieth century, which, with its utilization of the electric spark alone achieved more for art, science and civilization than all the other intervening years put together. There is hardly one thing in a modern, well- appointed bedroom that was not to be found in the apartments of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, over two thousand years ago. Ancient and Modern. The Witchery of Sleep The Btitish Museum, the Metropolitan of New York, and the various European museums, contain many wonderful examples of early Egyp- tian art: costly pictures, bronzes, chairs, tables. Museum beds, all kinds of household furniture, also cook- exhibits. ing utensils, — even food. A roast goose is now in a New York collec- tion, which, but for a look of extra dryness, might pass for a specimen of yesterday's cooking, al- though baked in Egypt three thousand years ago. These things are so well preserved because the climate of Egypt has been so dry. A piece of white paper may lie in an Egyptian tomb for ten, twenty, or fifty years without showing a particle of dust or discoloration. The Abbott collection contains a lady's work basket, found in an Egyptian tomb by the side of the body of a lady who died two thousand five hundred years ago. That basket contains scissors, oidyet needles, pins, and balls of thread, beads, etc. «^'^- Now millions are quite certain that scissors, needles, pins, thread, beads, etc., were compara- tively new inventions, yet here is evidence of their use two thousand five hundred years ago. 89 T^he Witchery of Sleep Comfort for rich only. These articles of course were then luxuries only for the very rich. The poor had no part in them whatsoever. The rich slept under silken covers, between embroidered curtains of silk, on feather beds of richly ornate elegance, in magnificently propor- tioned rooms with inlaid marble floors, exquisite- ly painted or frescoed, which, lacking a few essen- tials of our later necessities, would in every sense satisfy the most fastidious millionaire to-day. The poor had none of this. Their houses were mean and squalid in every respect. They lived rudely, and slept crudely, on bundles of straw, or hay, or grass. They were by no means as well off as the poor of Europe to-day, who know nothing of the comparative wealth of luxury commonly enjoyed in this country by even the humblest of our fellows. To-day, nearly all the luxury of Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome, reserved then for only the great and wealthy, are everyday comforts common to us all. The bedrooms, as well as the buildings of the wealthy Grecians, have never been equaled for Luxury common to-day. 90 ! \ 1 s ^:ikjiL|iji4r"^ - A GERMAN BED OF THE i8tH CENTURY. FROM AN EXAMPLE NOW IN THE POTSDAM PALACE The Witchery of Sleep Influence of Greek art. magnificence and durability, exhibiting in their construction the admirable proportions and beauty of the three Grecian orders of architecture : Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Those bedrooms have always been considered among the wonders of human art, they were so long, so wide, so high, and so roomy. Though for many centuries in ruins, they are to-day the recog- nized standards and copied as the best by all nations. An English gentleman's house in the Middle Ages containing more than one or two beds was a rarity. The stone walls were usually bare, with- out wainscot or even plaster, excepting in the ^^'^^ ^''^^' houses of the higher nobility, where they were ^^' furnished with hangings. Libraries and pictures were conspicuous by their absence. Silver plate was very rare. There is more silver plate in the New York homes of to-day than there was in all England during the years prior to 1600. The Earl of Cumberland's Skipton Castle, an immense building with forty rooms, built in 1572, had but eight beds, and not one of the bed-cham- bers contained chairs, glasses or carpets. When 91 The Witchery of Sleep Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth's bed was built of rosewood and was of great size, fully as large in itself as the modern hall bedrooms. It was extremely high with steps to climb up therein. The Queen slept on feathers, and used very high feather pillows, sleeping in almost a sitting posture. The bed stood in the center of the room, on a dais or raised platform — the head to the wall — and was hung with beautifully embroidered cur- tains emblazoned with heraldic designs and arms. Shakespeare, in the Twelfth Night, refers to the celebrated " Bed of Ware" : "As many lies as shall lie in thy sheet of paper, altho' the sheet were big enough for the Bed of Ware." This celebrated bed, according to a well-known historical manuscript, was originally 1 8 feet 6 inches wide, 12 feet long, and had a pull-out or truckle again as large, and accommodated sixty-eight people, the under bed holding half that number. Mention is made that men and their wives slept in this manner : first, a man and his wife; then, a woman and her husband; another m.an and his wife, alternating in this Wonder- ful Bed of Ware. 92 The Witchery of Sleep way so that no man was near to any woman but his wife. It was made by Jonas Fosbrooke, a carpenter, who, after spending thirty years in its construction, presented it upon completion to Edward IV., in 1463. For this he received a pension of forty marks a year. Shortly after the death of the King — owing to the plague — the bed was considerably altered and had a somewhat checkered career. It was taken for debt, in 1765, from the "Crown Inn" to the " Bull," for years the chief inn of Ware. In 1840 it was moved to Saracen's Head, when it was again altered, being shortened by three feet. In 1869 it was sold for a hundred guineas to the proprietor of the Rye House, Roxbury, where it was exhibited at a charge of two pence a head. It is described as a very elaborately carved affair of Tudor style, and built of solid oak. The " second best bed " that Shakespeare left in his famous will to his wife, would make about four of our beds in size. Shakespeare died wealthy, and his " second best " in the way of beds, an article at that time so precious a posses- sion, would indeed be a treasure to-day. Made for Edward IV. 2nd best of Shake- speare. 93 The Witchery of Sleep Grotesque carvings The heads of most bedsteads were frequently carved. Sometimes grotesque figures were em- ployed on each side to hold the curtains when they were drawn back. Frequently shelves were placed in the headboard ; an old custom, for Chaucer alludes to them when, speaking of the studious taste of the scholar in the Clerk's Tale, he says : " For him was leber han at his beddes hed A twenty bokes clothed in black and red." On this narrow shelf were placed medicine bottles, books and candlesticks, and the secret cupboard was not unknown. In some cases these cupboards contained a shrine. Religious senti- ment was always bestowed upon the bed in mediaeval days, for not only were angels and cherubs disposed about the canopy or tester, and the carvings Biblical or allegorical, but people taught their children this rhyme : " Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Bless the bed that I lie on: Four corners to my bed, Four angels round my head; God within, God without, Blessed Jesus all about." Religious sentiment 94 T^he Witchery of Sleep Sometimes the central panel of the bedsteads had a secret spring, so that it could be used as a means of escape into the adjoining chamber or , , A Jo panels. secret passage. Cupboards were also often con- cealed artfully in the large bases of the foot posts. The " sixteen-post " bedstead, often spoken of in old manuscripts, had five small posts on each of the two foot posts, which counted as twelve, and the double head posts as two each, made the sixteen. These beds in a more or less elaborate form still existed during the seventeenth century, and our forefathers in the southern states regarded them o with great affection. We know that the wealthy q^^ coio- English planters of Maryland and Virginia set "i^^^ M^- quite as much store by their beds, which they J'^^ ^^*'''- brought over with such great difficulty, as they did at home. We have evidence of this in the wills, as well as in the prices at which these articles of furniture were appraised in old inven- tories still in existence. The great post bedsteads, heavily carved, with the trundle bed below, that pulled out on rollers, was found in innumerable homes. The trundle, 9S T//^ Witchery of Sleep The trundle bed. or truckle bed, in baronial days was a couch of little honor, being occupied by personal attend- ants for protection. It was a servile resting place: " He that is beaten may be said To lie in Honour's truckle bed." The trundle bed was used, however, almost exclusively by children in this country. The average price for an oak carved bedstead in England — 1650 to 1700 — was about ^^150. They were the most important and expensive article of all the furnishings of the home. As was the importance of the bedstead and draperies in England and in Europe, so it was with our early forefathers in America, as you can gather from the inventory of the belongings of Thomas Deacon, York Co., Virginia, in 1647, His house contained but two rooms, yet he was by no means poor, for he owned two bedsteads with curtains worth 850 pounds of tobacco each. That meant, according to value of tobacco, they were worth fully one thousand dollars each. The will of Richard Lee, of Virginia, dated 1663, shows the particular value that was attached to beds at that time: 96 Early Virginia data. AN KGVPllAN BED OR " OLT-DOOR " SLEEPING I'LACE SICII AS WAS USED BY CLEOPATRA The Witchery of Sleep Bed "Item. My will and earnest desire is that my household stuff at Stratford be divided into three parts, two of which I give to my son John, and bind him to give to every one of his brothers a bed, and the other part I give to my wife, Anna Lee. "Item. I give and bequeath unto my eldest son John three islands lying in the Bay of Chesapeake, and the great bed I brought over in the Duke of York." The use of bed curtains, or hangings, began in mediasval times, prior to the tenth century, when they were necessary for privacy, gradually increas- hangings ing in richness and elegance, until they more than rivaled the bedstead in cost during the thir- teenth century. They became draperies of the most splendid ornament and grandeur that taste could devise during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the best artists of the day lending their talents to their designing. Every conceivable fabric was used in their construction — the most costly tapestry, good ex- amples of which cost fabulous prices to-day ; old quaintly woven silks, and velvets heavy with the finest of gold embroidery. The designs consisted of arms and various heraldic devices, as well as set figures of flowers, birds and animals. 97 ^he Witchery of Sleep The ' ' Couchde" Kings and queens and, of course, the lesser lights following suit, made the bedchamber of even greater importance than ordinary, receiving their courtiers therein. This was particularly so in France, where instead of holding levees, as the early reception was called, they held morning receptions, called "couchee," when the host or hostess, dressed for the occasion, received in bed. Both beds and draperies were considered most precious belongings, being entailed, or else were most carefully itemized and bequeathed by will. King Edward III., in 1376, leaves to his son Edward, the Black Prince, " an entire bed with all the hangings marked with the arms of France and England now in our Palace of Westminster." Edward, the Black Prince, in 1377, bequeaths " to our son Richard the bed which the King our father gave us (the same bed), and to Sir Roger de Clarendon, an embroidered silk bed. To Sir Robert de Walsham, our confessor, a large bed of red camora, with our arms embroidered at each corner, also embroidered with the arms of Hereford: to Mons. Alayne Cheyne our bed of camora, powdered v/ith blue eagles." 98 Bed of Edward III. The Witchery of Sleep Richard His widow, in 1385, gives "to my dear son, the King (Richard the Second), my new bed of red velvet, embroidered with ostrich feathers of silver and heads of leopards of gold, with boughs and leaves issuing out of their mouths. To my //. dear son Thomas, Earl of Kent, my bed of camak pied with red and rays of gold : to my dear son John Holland a bed of red camak." In 1368, Robert, Earl of Suffolk, bequeaths his " bed with the eagles." Sir Walter Manney, in 1371, "all my beds and dossers (dossers were put at the backs of chairs and tables) excepting my folding bed, paly of blue and red." Edmund, Earl of March, in 1380, leaves by will "our large bed of black satin, embroidered March. with white lions and gold roses, with escutcheons of the arms of Mortimer and Ulster." Margaret, Countess of Devon, in 1 391, to her son Peter, "my bed of red and green paly silk." Richard, Earl of Arundel, who died wealthy, possessed of seven beds and a huge family, hav- ing been twice married, in 1392 left to his wife Phillipa, "a blue bed marked with my arms and Earl of 99 The Witchery of Sleep Seven beds of the Earl A rutidel. the arms of my late wife, also the hangings which were lately made in London of blue tapestry with red roses with the arms of my sons, the Earl Marshall, Lord Charlton, and Mons. Willm. Beauchamp ; to my son Richard, a standing bed called Clove : also a bed of silk embroidered with arms of Arundel and Warren : also to my said son the state bed and embroidered hangings with the arms of Arundel and Warren quarterly. To my dear son Thomas, my blue bed of silk, embroidered with griffins. To my daughter Charlton my bed of red silk. To my daughter Margaret my blue bed." Sir John Cobham bequeaths in 1394 "a red bed embroidered with lions, also a bed of Nor- wich stuff" embroidered with butterflies." Alice, Lady West, in 1395, "a bed paled black and white " and " a bed of tapiters work." Paled or paly is the heraldic term for vertical, meaning equal alternate stripes. John, Duke of Lancaster, in 1397 disposes of " my large bed of black velvet embroidered with a circle of fetter-locks (the badge of the house of Lancaster) and garters, and the beds made for my 100 Diike of Lancaster The Witchery of Sleep body called trussing bed, my white bed of silk with blue eagles displayed." Thomas, Earl of Warwick, in 1400, wills " a bed of silk embroidered with bears and my arms — with all thereto appertaining." In 141 1, Joanne, Lady Hungerford, leaves " a green bed embroidered with one greyhound." In 141 5 Edward, Duke of York, "my bed r ■ 111 • • 1 • Duke of rurniture, and all appertammg to the same : m- york eluding my white and red tapestry of garters, fet- ter-locks and falcons" (badge of the house of York). Camak was a fabric woven of fine silk and camel's hair, pied meaning spotted. Tapiter means tapestry. I have not tried to preserve the quaint original spelling of these delightful old wills — nor could I possibly publish all the copies that I have, or data I have secured on the subject, which covers a large collection ; however, the following is particularly interesting. John Washington, of Westmoreland Co., Vir- ginia, left to his daughters his mahogany bedstead with " the white quilt and the white curtains and lOI T^he Witchery of Sleep The Washing- ton family petticoat vallance." Mary Washington left to her son, General George Washington, her " best Virginia bedstead with the embroidered cloth cur- tains and a quilted blue and white coverlid "; and to her granddaughter, Polly Carter, " the bedstead draped with purple curtains and covered with a white counterpane." Virginia bedstead meant one made in Virginia from imported or native wood, and this is the bed still to be found in Mount Vernon. In 1799 this was a famous riddle : " Fram'd long ago, yet made to day, I'm most in use while others sleep ; What few would wish to give away, But fewer still would wish to keep." (Bed.) 102 AN "empire" bed. a fine EXAMPLE OF LATE PERIOD, OWNED BY MRS. BRADLEY MARTIN DREAMS. HEN we are in good health, our dreams will be normal, and the out- come possible. Sane, natural dreams, which will add color to our sleep, with- out interrupting its progress or disturbing its serenity. Of course the reverse happens should our physical condition be impaired. Dreams of the philosopher are always opti- mistic. They never partake of disturbed elements. A cheerful spirit accepts the result calmly and hopefully, or dispels any fear as to the outcome of certain projects and hopes — projects and hopes born in the real world of our yesterdays, or the world of our connected dreams. phUoso- Dreams of the pessimist, to the contrary, are ^^^^''/^- ^ ^ 'ha c CI 'tilt ei full of vain imaginings. Characteristics cannot be shaken off with the coming of " tired nature." The awakening is a haze of unrest — and natur- ally a depleted mental and physical equipment for the day's work. 103 pessimist. 'The Witchery of Sleep Dreams Mystery, never satisfying, but always fascinat- ing, has ever dominated our days and dreams, time out of mind. Who can tell a connected story of a mysterious vision ? No one can de- mysteri- scHbe clearly the subtle effect it has had upon °^^- him? In the everyday of hfe it will always re- main as something which seldom seriously affects or directs our own affairs. In dreams, it has the same effect upon us, for mysterious dreams are generally the result of some physical or mental disorder, and thus do not count in predicting events. The Spirituality of Sleep, a mind in love with God, man, nature — possessing Heaven's highest health — will sleep the sleep, and dream the spiritual dreams the Creator prepared for him. Living for others by day, dreaming for others by night, is it any wonder that out of the dreams of these dreamers have come those interpretations of life which have furnished much of the inspiration that has led others along the perfect paths of peace and love. 104 THE POETRY OF SLEEP. OPE has said somewhere — that he could not sleep without a poem in his head, and elsewhere observed, with some inconsistency, that verses throng into his mind and keep him awake in spite of the pope. drowsy influence of lettuce. It seems probable that poets, as a rule, have suffered a good deal from the infliction of conflicting thoughts which banished slumber. Sleep needs no eulogy from the poets, for the most prosaic of us have felt at times something akin to poetry in the different aspects the " drowsy god " has assumed when we have been cast in the ways of the mysterious and sublime. The poets, who are the best interpreters of all life, have voiced for us not only the mission of sleep, but also all of its subtle moods and faint whisperings. Homer, who is among the first to write on sleep, says, in the Fourteenth Book of the Iliad: 105 The Witchery of Sleep Homer. "Sleep ; King of all the gods and of all mor- tals, hearken now, prithee, to my word; and if ever before thou didst listen, obey me now, and I will be grateful to thee all my days." There is something delicate and caressing in the epithets which Homer and the other Greek poets have applied to sleep. "Then fell, delicious upon his eyelids, sleep unbroken, the sweetest of all." Here the thought of Homer is linked with that of Socrates, who observes that men's happiest moments are passed in sleep so sound that con- sciousness is utterly lost and undisturbed even by dreams. Evidently the Greeks did not suffer much from insomnia. Nerves were hardly known, for people then lived almost entirely in the open. The Greek poets thought of sleep as the nat- ural and pleasant diversion of freeness in the summer noons, when the citizens would leave the towns to lie on grass " more soft than slum- ber," within hearing of rippling waters and buzz- ing bees in the lime trees. The poets of other days were obliged to sim- io6 The Greek poets. AN EARLY COLONIAL LOW POST BED OF AMERICAN MAKE The Witchery of Sleep Pont us de Tyard. ulate a want of sleep, whether they felt it or not. It was part of their poetic machinery to begin a poem by pretending that, after long lying sleep- less, they arose and wandered into a wood, where they met many a fairy vision. No poet of that age, however, has described the phenomena of a coy and hesitating sleep more intimately than the old French writer, Pontus de Tyard. He likens sleep to the lord of all the army of phantoms that flit before the drowsy, but not yet unconscious brain, and appear to be dreams in waking. " Come, Sleep, and cast thy wings about my head, And thine own temples shall be garlanded, With drowsy poppy leaves and labdanum." Since then, while some of the poetry of sleep has been unimportant and trivial, there still re- mains much that is worth while — many messages of uplift and beauty. Little wonder is it, then, that a subject so vital, so beautiful, and so mysterious has appealed to the poets. The great wonder is that Sleep, possessing as it does such universal interest for mankind, has not been marked in its poetical 107 'The Witchery of Sleep literature, many a time ere this, for the immortahty of a book. The poems selected herewith are of such a Character ^^g^ character — some of them ranking as the of the authors' masterpieces — that the editor of this poetry. volumc fccls that his readers will appreciate their appearance and assemblage in a place apart. A MOORISH CRADLE INLAID WITH IVORY AND PEARL. T08 The Poetry of Sleep Sftafeespeare on Sleep. "I TOW many thousand of my poorest subjects Henry TV Are at this hour asleep ! Sleep, O gentle Sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness ? Why, rather, Sleep, liest though in smoky cribs, Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee, And hushed with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, Than in the perfumed chambers of the great, Under the canopies of costly state, And lulled with sounds of sweetest melody ? O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile, In loathsome beds ; and leav'st the kingly couch, A watch-case, or a common 'larum-bell ? Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast Seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains In cradle of the rude, imperious surge ; And in the visitation of the winds. Who take the ruffian billows by the top, Curling their monstrous heads, and hanging them With deaf'ning clamors in the slippery clouds. That, with the hurly, death itself awakes ? Ill The Witchery of Sleep Canst thou, O partial Sleep ! give thy repose To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude ; And, in the calmest and most stillest night, With all appliances and means to boot, Deny it to a king ? Then, happy low, lie down ! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." Queen Margaret of Richard III Hamlet "No sleep close up that deadly eye of thine, Unless it be while some tormenting dream Affrights thee with a hell of ugly devils I " "To die, — to sleep, — No more ; and, by a sleep, to say we end The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, — 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, — to sleep ; — To sleep ! perchance to dream ; — ay, there's the rub ; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause." Julius Ccesar Brutus "Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o' nights." "I would it were my fault to sleep so soundly." " Boy ! Lucius ! — Fast asleep ? It is no matter Knjoy the heavy honey-dew of slumber : Thou hast no figures nor no fantasies, H2 THE CELEBRATED FRENCH BED OF MARIE ANTOINETTE WITH ITS MAGNIFICENT HANGINGS Poetry of Sleep Which busy care draws in the brains of men : Therefore, thou sleep'st so sound." ''Since Cassius first did whet me ag-ainst Caesar, I have not slept." " Sleep shall neither, nig"ht nor day, Hang- upon his pent-house lid : He shall live a man forbid." "Not poppy, nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world. Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou ow'dst yesterday." "Methoug-ht I heard a voice cry, ' Sleep no more ! Macbeth does murder sleep,' the innocent sleep. Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care. The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath. Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, Chief nourisher in life's feast." The Witch, in Macbeth lago Macbeth " With him above To ratify the work, we may again Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights." "Tell me, sweet lord, what is 't that takes from thee Thy stomach, pleasure, and thy gplden sleep ? " "3 Lady Per- cy to Hot- spur in Henry IV MED1/€VAL BED OF THE THIRTEENTH CEKTURY STYLE KKOWN AS FRENCH GOTHIC SONNETS ON SLEEP. \ A/EARY with toil I haste me to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tir'd ; But then beg-ins a journey in my head, To work my mind when body's work's expired ; For then my thoug-hts (from afar where I abide) Intend a jealous pilg-rimag-e to thee, And keep my drooping eye-lids open wide, Looking on darkness which the blind do see, Save that my soul's imaginary sight Presents thy shadow to my sightless view, Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night, Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new. Lo ! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind, For thee, and for myself, no quiet find. — Shakespeare, 115 The Witchery of Sleep r^ IRT in dark growths, yet glimmering- with one ^ star, O night desirous, as the nights of youth ! Why should my heart within thy spell, forsooth. Now beat, as the bride's finger-pulses are Quickened within the girdling* g-olden bar ? What wings are these that fan my pillow smooth ? And why does Sleep, waved back by Joy and Ruth, Tread softly round and gaze at me from far ? Nay, night deep-leaved ! And would Love feign in thee Some shadowy palpitating grove that bears Rest for man's eyes and music for his ears ? O lonely night ! art thou not known to me, A thicket hung with masks of mockery And watered with the wasteful warmth of tears ? — Dante Gabriel Rossetti. ii6 Poetry of Sleep Sleep. p ARE-CHARMER, Sleep, son of the sable Night, Brother to death, in silent darkness born, Relieve my ang-uish, and restore the light, With dark forgetting of my care, return. And let the day be time enough to mourn The shipwreck of my ill-advised youth ; Let waking eyes suflBce to wail their scorn. Without the torments of the night's untruth. Cease, dreams, the images of day-desires. To model forth the passions of to-morrow ; Never let the rising sun prove you liars, To add more grief, to aggravate my sorrow. Still let me sleep, embracing clouds in vain. And never wake to feel the day's disdain. — Samuel Daniel. "MOW I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee. Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take. — Anonymous. 117 The Witchery of Sleep JntJDcation to Sleep. I OCK up, fair lids, the treasure of my heart, Preserve those beams, this age's only light ; To her sweet sense, sweet Sleep, some ease impart. Her sense too weak to bear her Spirit's might, And while, O Sleep, thou closest up her sight ! Her sight, where Love did forge his fairest dart, — O harbor all her parts in easeful plight ; Let no strange dream make her fair body start ; But yet, O dream, if thou wilt not depart In this rare subject from thy common right, But wilt thyself in such a seat delight ; Then take my shape and play a lover's part, Kiss her from me, and say unto her sprite, 'Till her eyes shine, I live in darkest night. — Sir Philip Sidney ii8 A SCANDINAVIAN SLEEPING PLACE DATING FROM THE EARLY I7TH CENTURY SEVERAL FEATHER BEDS WERE PILED THEREIN Poetry of Sleep Sonnet to Sleep. r\ SOFT embalmer of the still midnight, Shutting" with careful fingers and benig-n, Our g-loom-pleased eyes, embowered from the lig-ht, Enshaded in forg-etfulness divine : O soothest Sleep ! if so it please thee, close, In midst of this thine hyrnn, my willing- eyes, Or wait the amen, ere the poppy throws Around my bed its lulling- charities ; Then save me, or the passed day will shine, Upon my pillow, breeding- many woes, — Save me from envious conscience, that still lords Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole ; Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards, And seal the hushed casket of my soul. — Keats. 119 The Witchery of Sleep Co a (girl Asleep. IF Sleep who holds thee in his arms, could wake And view thee wrapped within thine own caress, Not all the promises that dreams could make Would woo him back into unconsciousness. For Sleep would feed his liberated eyes Upon thy white enchantment evermore, Choosing to touch thee in that daintier wise Rather than fold thee blindly, as before. Yet should his lids, unwonted to the day, Close, in despite of his enraptured will, Methinks ere silence fell his lips would say ; " Daug-hter of beauty, stay beside me still ; For nowhere else canst thou so perfect be As when thy bloom is sanctified by me." — Albert Edmund Lancaster. [By permission of the author.] I 20 Poetry of Sleep Co Sleep. COND words have oft been spoken to thee, Sleep ! And thou hast had thy store of tenderest names ; The very sweetest Fancy culls or frames, When thankfulness of heart is strong- and deep ! Dear Bosom-child we call thee, that dost steep In rich reward all suffering- ; Balm that tames All anguish ; Saint that evil thoughts and aims Takest away, and into souls dost creep, Like to a breeze from heaven. Shall I alone, I surely not a man ungently made, Call thee worst Tyrant by which flesh is crost ? Perverse, self-willed to own and to disown, Mere slave of them who never for thee prayed. Still last to come where thou art wanted most ! — Wordsworth. 121 The Witchery of Sleep 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 I Yet now the conqueror 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.] 122 A HRETON liRI). THE SLEEPING PLACE IN THE LIVING ROOM. A MOV- ABLE ARTICLE AND A MOST EXCELLENT EXAMPLE THE POETRY OF DREAMS. TF there were dreams to sell What would you buy ? Some cost a passing- bell ; Some a lig"ht sigh That shakes from Life's fresh crown Only a rose leaf down. If there were dreams to sell, Merry and sad to tell, And the crier rung- the bell. What would you bu}^ ? A cottag"e lone and still, With bowers nig-h. Shadowy, my woes to still Until I die. Such pearl from Life's fresh crown Fain would I shake me down. Were dreams to have at will, This would best heal my ill, This would I buy. 123 The Witchery of Sleep But there were dreams to sell 111 didst thou buy. Life is a dream, they tell, Waking- to die Dreaming-, a dream to prize, Is wishing- g-hosts to rise ; And, if I had the spell To call the buried well, Which one would I ? -Thomas Lovell Beddoes. C HE I love (alas, in vain !) Floats before my slumbering- eyes: When she comes she lulls my pain. When she g-oes, what pang-s arise ! Thou whom love, whom memory flies, Gentle Sleep ! prolong- thy reig-n ! If even thus she soothes my sig-hs, Never let me wake ag-ain ! — Walter Savage Landor. 124 Poetry of Sleep A BOU BEN ADHEM (may his tribe increase !) Awoke one nig"ht from a deep dream of peace, And saw within the moonlight in his room, Making- it rich and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold : Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, ' ' What writest thou ? " The vision raised its head, And, with a look made all of sweet accord, Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." " And is mine one ? " said Abou. " Nay, not so," Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low. But cheerily still ; and said, " I pray thee then, Write me as one that loves his fellow men." The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great awakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, — And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest ! — Leigh Hunt. 125 The Witchery of Sleep C|)e ^oef s Bream. (~\^ a Poet's lips I slept ^^^ Dreaming- like a love-adept In the sound his breathing- kept ; Nor seeks nor finds he mortal blisses, But feeds on the aerial kisses Of shapes that haunt Thoug-ht's wilderness. He will watch from dawn to g-loom The lake-reflected sun illume The yellow bees in the ivy-bloom, Nor heed nor see what thing-s they be — But from these create he can Forms more real than living Man, Nursling-s of Immortality. — Percy Bysshe Shelley. 126 Poetry of Sleep Song of ti)e i^igi^t. DREAK, Pant'sy, from thy care of cloud And spread thy purple wing's ; Now all the fig-ures are allowed And various shapes of thing's ; Create of fairy forms a stream, It must have blood, but naug'ht of fleam, And thoug'h it be a waking- dream, Yet let it like an odor rise To all the senses here, And fall like sleep upon their eyes Or music in their ear. -Ben Jonson. TN time of sorrow "We sleep to forg-et ; To wake on the morrow, With a fond regret. — M. 127 ^CSJ HOODED GOTHIC BEDSTEAD OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY A CURIOUSLY GRACEFUL VENETIAN WROUGHT IRON BED, WITH BEAUTIFUL OLD SILK DAMASK HANGINGS, FROM AN OLD PALACE REST AND SLEEP. CTARS of the summer nig-ht ! Far in yon azure deeps, Hide, hide your golden light I She sleeps I My lady sleeps ! Sleeps ! Moon of the summer night ! Far down yon western steeps, Sink, sink in silver light ! She sleeps ! My lady sleeps I Sleeps ! "Wind of the summer night ! Where yonder woodbine creeps, Fold, fold thy pinions light ! She sleeps ! My lady sleeps I Sleeps I 129 T^he Witchery of Sleep Dreams of the summer night ! Tell her, her lover keeps Watch ! while in slumbers light She sleeps I My lady sleeps ! Sleeps ! — Henry W. Longfellow. [By permisaion of Houghton, Mifflin ti Co.] (f^i), ti)e Nig1)t. /^H, the Nig-ht, the Night ! ^^^ 'Tis a lovely sight, Whatever the clime or time 1 For sorrow then soareth, And the lover outpoureth His soul in a star-bright rhyme. It bringeth sleep To the forests deep, The forest-bird to its nest ; To Care bright hours. And dreams of flowers. And that balm of the weary — rest ! — Bakry Cornwall. 130 Poetry of Sleep 'T'HE crowd are gone, the Revelers at rest ; The courteous host, and all-approving- guest, Again to that accustom'd couch must creep, Where Joy subsides, and Sorrow sighs to sleep, And man o'erlabour'd with his being's strife. Shrinks to that sweet forgetfulness of Life : There lie Love's feverish hope, and Cunning's guile ; Hate's working brain, and lull'd Ambition's wile : O'er each vain eye oblivion's pinions wave. And quench'd existence crouches in a grave. What better name may Slumber's bed become ? Night's Sepulchre, the universal Home, Where Weakness, Strength, Vice, Virtue, sunk supine. Alike in naked helplessness recline ; Glad for awhile to heave unconscious breath. Yet wake to wrestle with the dread of death. And shun, though day but dawn on ills increased. That Sleep, the loveliest, since it dreams the least. — Byron. 31 The Witchery of Sleep ®:t)e Sleep. r\T all the thougrhts of God that are Borne inward unto souls afar, Along" the Psalmist's music deep, — Now tell me if there any is, For g-ift or grace, surpassing- this, — " He giveth His beloved 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 beloved sleep." "What do we give to our beloved ? A little faith, all undisproved, A little dust to overweep ; And bitter memories to make The whole earth blasted for our sake ! " He giveth His beloved sleep." " Sleep soft, beloved ! " we sometimes say, But have no tune to charm away 132 Poetry of Sleep Sad dreams that thro' the eyelids creep ; But never doleful dream again Shall break the happy slumber when " He giveth His beloved sleep." O earth, so full of dreary noise ! O men, with wailing- in your voice ! O delved gold the wailers heap ! O strife, O curse, that o'er it fall ! God strikes a silence thro' you all, And " giveth His beloved sleep." His dews drop mutely on the hill, His cloud above it saileth still, Though on its slope men toil and reap ; More softly than the dew is shed. Or cloud is floated overhead, "He giveth His beloved sleep." For me, my heart, that erst did go Most like a tired child at a show, That sees thro' tears the jugglers leap. — Would now its wearied vision close, Would childlike on His love repose, Who " giveth His beloved sleep." — Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The Witchery of Sleep $n t1)e ftigf)t. f~^ OD g"ive me sleep — the night is worn away ; ^^ Soon from the East will come relentless Day — Day, that will summon me to strive again With strong, resourceful, eager, selfish men. I, with spent nerves and brain long robbed of rest, Must face the fight they enter on with zest. Fame, fortune, all is staked ! How shall I keep My foothold ? Help me, O thrice-blessed Sleep ! Under the spell of women and of wine Youth thrusts you rudely by, O Sleep divine I The children whimper, forced to leave their play And wait your coming, at the close of day ; The student, heavy-lidded, from his quest Turns with a scowl to his unwelcome guest ; The hind you solace counts your blessing cheap I, who invite you, wait in vain, O Sleep I I toss upon my pillow ; I arise To pace the floor and bathe my burning eyes. To every sound my straining ear is quick ; I hear the hall-clock's dull, majestic tick ; I hear the mice that scamper in the wall ; AN ITALIAN CARVED OAK FOUR-POST BED OF THE i6TH CENTURY UNUSUAL FORM OF POSTS AND BASE "Poetry of Sleep And somewhere water drips — I hear it fall. A cock crows shrilly, and the clock strikes four. Day, maddening* Day, will soon be here once more. I pause beside my baby boy's white bed. What happy dreams sweep through that little head! He plucks the nodding- flowers, and he sees Birds on the wing", and hears the drone of bees ; While in my ears still dins the roar of trade — Gross facts and figures face me, unafraid ; My whirling" brain spins on through problems deep. God give me sleep — one short, sweet hour of sleep 1 Who was that Florentine, by Vigil led Into the Underworld — whose fancy bred That horrid Hell ? Great Dante I Did he write As one who knew the torments of the night ? 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 1 — Town Topics. ^^S The Witchery of Sleep Sleep. Q OMNUS — or Morpheus was his name ? *^ I have forgot — I cannot keep My schoolboy learning : as it came, It went — I mean the god of Sleep. That god and I were once fast friends, But now his face I seldom see ; More oft the blessed rain descends In Egypt, than his dews on me. Ah me ! The joy I had in dreams — The nightly comfort to forget — Is mine no more ; the morning beams On eyes like faded asters, wet : Yes, moistened oft with poisonous tears, Till the burnt lashes look so few. You might suppose that three score years Were mine instead of thirty-two : Well , I can wait a little more, A little longer wake and weep. Until the welcome grave restore The bliss of an unbroken sleep. 136 Poetry of Sleep Let me remember Him that while His tired disciples round him slept — (The sinless born, that knew no guile ! ) — Watched in Gethsemane and wept. — Thomas W. Parsons. [By permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.] Kigi)t Ci)ougt)ts. 'T'IRED Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep ! He like the world his ready visit pays Where Fortune smiles ; the wretched he forsakes. Swift on his downy pinion flies from woe And lights on lids unsully'd with a tear. Man's rich restorative his balmy bath That supplies, lubricates and keeps in play The various movements of this nice machine ; Which asks such frequent periods of repair. When tired with vain rotations of the day, Sleep winds us up for the succeeding dawn, Fresh we spin on till sickness clogs our wheels. Or death quite breaks the spring, and motion ends. — Young. '37 The Witchery of Sleep W^t Hong Bag Otloses. \TO star is o'er the lake . Its pale watch keeping ; The moon is half awake, Throug-h gray mist creeping- ; The last red leaves fall round The porch of roses ! The clock hath ceased to sound : The long- day closes. Sit by the silent hearth, In calm endeavor To count the sounds of mirth Now dumb forever. Heed not how hope believes, And fate disposes : Shadow is round the eaves, The long- day closes. The lighted windows dim Are fading slowly ; The fire that was so trim Now quivers lowly. 138 I.'ART NOUVEAU HED, SHOWING PART OF THE INTERIOR OF A MODERN VIENNESE BED ROOM Poetry of Sleep Go to the dreamless bed Where grief reposes ; The book of toil is read, The long- day closes. —Anonymous. Sleep. r\ HAPPY Sleep ! that bear'st upon thy breast The blood-red poppy of enchanting- rest, Draw near me through the stillness of this place And let thy low breath move across my face, As faint winds move above a poplar's crest. O, happy Sleep ! There is no sorrow hidden or confess'd, There is no passion uttered or suppress'd, Thou can'st not for a little while efface ; Enfold me in thy mystical embrace. Thou sovereign gift of God, most sweet, most blest. O, happy Sleep ! — Ada Louise Martin. 139 The Witchery of Sleep Come, Sleep. /^OME, g"entlest Sleep; the hour is hushed and holy, Night and her stars their solemn courses keep ; In every breast but mine the heart beats slowly — The g-ates are shut, the curtains drawn: Come, Sleep ! Come, Sleep, and take my soul out of this dwelling Whose guarded chambers yield to none but thee; Time's troubled waves, in restless currents swelling, Pause on the white brink of eternity. Come, Sleep, oh, come in drowsy silence stealing ; Soft as the snow falls, o'er my eyelids creep ; Bright heaven of dreams, bright source of strength and healing. Sweet gate of life, sweet tj'pe of death — Come, Sleep ! — Dora Read Goodale, In Lippincotts" Magazine. [ By permission of the Author. ] 140 Poetry of Sleep Sleep. \A/HEN the evening- shadows creep ^ ^ Stealthily, Hiding- every hill and dale, Hiding- all thing-s with their veil ; When the shining- day doth die, Sweet is Sleep. When the evening- shadows creep Stealthily, To the baby in her nest, Longing- for her quiet rest. Hushed by loving- lullaby. Sweet is Sleep. When the evening- shadows creep Stealthily, To the weary heart and brain Bringing- tranquil peace ag-ain ; All our cares and sorrows fly, — Sweet is sleep. — Dora Read Goodale. [By courtesy of G. P. Putnam's Sons.] 141 T^he Witchery of Sleep ®:o a ?latiB Sleeping. C\ THOU, whose fringed lids I g-aze upon, ^'^ Through whose dim brain the winged dreams are borne, Unroof the shrines of clearest vision, In honor of the silver flecked morn ; Long hath the white wave of the virgin light Driven back the billow of the dreamful dark. Thou all unwittingly prolongest night. Though long ago listening the poised lark. With eyes dropt downward through the blue serene, Over heaven's parapet the angels lean. — Alfred Tennyson. ^ijc l^care of ti)c i^ain. DE still, be still, tired world, and go to sleep. The dusk is growing deep. Far off and dim beneath the shadowed skies Long, grassy foot-hills rise, And fold on fold above their shoulders brown Gray mists are closing down, 14a Poetry of Sleep Drawn low and wide with interweaving- lines Beneath the purple pines. Lower and lower still the soft clouds creep (Be still and go to sleep), Bj pebbled beach and poplars trembling- g-ray — Faint now and far away — Fold after fold, vail after vail, until They blot out plain and hill As temple curtains drawn from sky to sod To shut thee in with God. Oh, dearer far than sun on hill and plain Peace of the night and rain ; Unto earth's weariness most sweet, most blest, Infinite balm of rest. On sky and stream the darkness closes deep. Be still and go to sleep. — Mabel Earle, In Lippincotts Magazine. [By permission of the Author]. H3 T^he Witchery of Sleep On seeing ray wife and two children sleeping in the same chamber. A ND has the earth lost its so spacious round, The sky its blue circumference above, That in this little chamber there is found Both earth and heaven — my universe of love I All that my God can give me, or remove, Here sleeping-, save myself, in mimic death. Sweet that in this small compass I behove To live their living, and to breathe their breath! Almost I wish that, with one common sigh. We might resign all mundane care and strife. And seek together that transcendent sky. Where Father, Mother, Children, Husband, Wife, Together pant in everlasting life. — Thomas Hood. STo a dPrictttr tof)o \^% Sl^pt $IL LJOW hast thou angered into stern disdain That mild compassionate god round whose bowed head The clustering poppies droop their drowsy red — 144 AN EXQUISITELY QUAINT EARLY NORWEGIAN BED. MOST DISTINCTIVE IN EVERY DETAIL Poetry of Sleep Somnus, that walks the world from twilight's wane All the long- night till day be born again, While after him a shadowy legion streams — The pale diaphanous floating forms of dreams ? He kisses brows that ache from earthly care ; He soothes to peace the indignant souls of slaves ; O'er many an eye grown tired he waves Those rich-dyed languid flowers that his hands bear; And yet for thee no tender spell doth spare, O, Friend that liest awake and hearest night Flow on past banks of time in stealthy might. Ah, would that I who'm loved right well of sleep, Might make fond intercession, friend, for thee, Each night when some shy dream should visit me. In the dusk halls of slumber, vague and deep ; Both the dream's dim hands would I seize and keep. Praying with her to speed with tender charms, And wreathe about my neck two balmy arms ! — Edgar Fawcett. [By courtesy of Harper & Brothers.] 145 T^he Witchery of Sleep ^\)z .Sleeping l^cautg. "V/'EAR after year unto her feet, She lying* on her couch alone, Across the purpled coverlet. The maiden's jet black hair has grown, On either side her tranced form Forth streaming from a braid of pearl: The slumberous light is rich and warm, And moves not on the rounded curl. The silk star-broidered coverlid Unto her limbs itself doth mold Languidly ever ; and amid Her full black ringlets downward roll'd, Glows forth each softly-shadowed arm With bracelets of the diamond bright: Her constant beauty doth inform Stillness with love, and day with light. She sleeps ; her breathings are not heard In palace chambers far apart. The fragrant tresses are not stirred That lie upon her charmed heart. 146 Poetry of Sleep She sleeps : on either hand upswells The g-old-fring-ed pillow lig-htly prest : She sleeps, nor dreams, but ever dwells A perfect form in perfect rest. —Alfred Tennyson. Sleep. r\ SLEEP, we are beholden to thee sleep. Thou bearest ang-els to us in the nig-ht. Saints out of heaven with palms. Seen by the light Sorrow is some old tale that goeth not deep; Love is a pouting child. Sleep in the world to come how strange 'twill be Never to want, never to wish for thee ! — Jean Ingelow. M7 The Witchery of Sleep COLEMNLY, mournfully, Dealing- its dole, The Curfew Bell Is beg-inning- to toll. Cover the embers And put out the light ; Toil comes with the morning And rest with the night. Dark grow the windows, And quenched is the fire ; Sound fades into silence, — All footsteps retire. No voice in the chambers, No sound in the hall I Sleep and oblivion Reign over all ! —Longfellow. [By permissioa of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.] 148 Poetry of Sleep Sef)en miai) Scntrs tf)e (gift of Sleep. \A/HEN Allah sends the gift of sleep, The stars come out of unknown skies ; The moon a crescent gloried deep, Against the far horizon lies. The earth is made a shadowy place, And strange are once familiar ways, With haunting likeness of the grace That crowned the radiant yesterdays. Time floats his barque on placid streams, His sickle is a silver wand That wafts the pleasant land of dreams From out the drowsy space beyond. Beneath the folded wings of day, Care with her restless brood, would creep, And night's spread pinions hold calm sway When Allah sends the gift of sleep. — Mary A. Mason. [Pennission of Harper Sl Brothers.] 149 l^he Witchery of Sleep insomnia. ^HIN are tiie night-skirts left behind By daybreak hours that onward creep ; And thin, alas ! the shred of sleep That wavers with the spirit's wind: But in half-dreams that shift and roll And still remember and forg-et, My soul this hour has drawn your soul A little nearer yet. Our lives, most dear, are never near, Our thoug-hts are never far apart, Though all that draws us heart to heart Seems fainter now, and now more clear. To-night Love claims his full control, And with desire and with regret My soul this hour has drawn your soul A little nearer yet. Is there a home where heavy earth Melts to bright air that breathes no pain, Where water leaves no thirst again. And springing fire is Love's new birth ? 150 OUD OLD SWISS CHALET BED — ALMOST GOTHIC IN STYLE Poetry of Sleep If faith long- bound to one true goal May there at length its hope beget, My soul that hour shall draw your soul Forever nearer yet. — Dante Gabriel Rossetti. ilOtJC asleep. \A/E reached the grove's deep shadows and there ^ ^ found Cythera's son in sleep's sweet fetters bound ; Looking like ruddy apples on their tree ; No quiver and no bended bow had he ; These were suspended on a leafy spray. Himself in cups of roses cradled lay, Smiling in sleep ; while from their flight in air, The brown bees to his soft lips made repair, To ply their waxen task and leave their honey there. — Lord Neaves. [From " Greek Poets in English Verse." Permission. of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.] 151 The Witchery of Sleep Sleep. C LEEP is no servant of the will, It has caprices of its own ; When most pursued, 'tis swiftly g"one ; When courted least, it ling-ers still. With its vag-aries long* perplexed, I turned and turned mj restless sconce, Till, one brig-ht nig-ht, I thought at once I'd master it ; — so hear my text 1 When sleep will tarry I beg-in My long" and my accustomed prayer ; And in a twinkling- sleep is there, Throug-h my old curtains peeping" in ; When sleep hang"s heavy on my eyes, I think of debts I fain would pay ; And then, as flies nig"ht's shade from day, Sleep from my heavy eyelids flies. And thus controlled, the wing"ed one bends E'en his fantastic will to me ; And, strangle yet true, both I and he Are friends, — the very best of friends : 152 Poetry of Sleep We are a happy, wedded pair, And I the lord and he the dame ; Our bed, our board, our hours the same ; And we're united everywhere. I'll tell you where I learned to school This wayward sleep : — a whispered word From a church-g-oing- hag" I heard, — And tried it, — for I was no fool. So from that very hour I knew, That having" ready prayers to pray. And having" many debts to pay, Will serve for sleep and waking- too. — From the Spanish. Kigi)t 5ri)0ugi)t. p LACE a rose near thy bed, Nig-htly sentry to keep, And angels shall rock thee On roses to sleep. — From the German. ^S3 The Witchery of Sleep Sleep, /^H ! thou best comforter of that sad heart ^^^ Whom Fortune's spite assails ; come, g-entle Sleep, The weary mourner soothe ! For well the art Thoug-h knowest in soft forg-etfulness to steep The eyes which sorrow taught to watch and weep ; Let blissful visions now her spirits cheer. Or lull her cares to peace in slumbers deep, 'Till, from fatigue refresh'd and anxious fear, Hope, like the morning-star, once more shall reappear. — Mrs. Tighe Sleep. CUBTLE softness soulward stealing, Sleep I sweet saviour, still serene, Silent, soothing, sorrow-sealing, Sombre shadow, sad, severe. —Francis Saltus Saltus. 154 THE WONDERFUL GOTHIC BED SAID TO BELONG TO FOULQUE NERRA COUNT OF ANJOU, WHO DIED IN II29, BUT PROBABLY MADE 200 YEARS LATER SLUMBER SONGS AND LULLABIES. Hullatg on an Infant Ci)ief. /^H, hush thee, my baby, thy sire was a knight, Thy mother a lady, both lovely and brig-ht ; The woods and the g-lens, from the towers we see, They all are belonging", dear baby, to thee. Oh, fear not the bugle, though loudly it blows, It calls but the warders that guard thy repose ; Their bows would be bended, their blades would be red, Ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed. Oh, hush thee, my baby, the time will soon come When thy sleep shall be broken by trumpet and drum ; Then hush thee, my darling, take rest while you may, For strife comes with manhood, and waking with daj. — Scott. 'S5 l^he Witchery of Sleep 'T'HE sun is weary, for he ran So far and fast to-day ; The birds are weary, for who sang- So many song's as they ? The bees and butterflies at last Are tired out, for just think, too. How many gardens through the day Their little wings have fluttered through. And so, as all tired people do, They've gone to lay their sleepy heads Deep, deep in warm and happy beds. The sun has shut his golden eye And gone to sleep beneath the sky, The birds and butterflies and bees Have all crept into flowers and trees, And all lie quiet, still as mice, Till morning comes — like father's voice. So Geoffrey, Owen, Phyllis, you Must sleep away till morning too. Close little eyes, down little heads. And sleep — sleep — sleep in happy beds. Richard Le Gallienne. 156 Poetry of Sleep (VERSLETS A MON PREMIER NE.) C WEET babe ! true portrait of thy father's face, Sleep on the bosom that thy lips have pressed. Sleep, little one ; and closely, g-ently place Thy drowsy eyelid on thy mother's breast. Upon that tender eye, my little friend. Soft sleep shall come, that cometh not to me ! I watch to see thee, nourish thee, defend ; 'Tis sweet to watch for thee, alone for thee ! His arms fall down ; sleep sits upon his brow ; His eye is closed ; he sleeps, nor dreams of harm. Wore not his cheek the apple's ruddy g'low, Would you not say he slept on Death's cold arm ? Sweet error ! he but slept, I breathe again ; Come, gentle dreams, the hours of sleep beguile ! O, when shall he, for whom I sigh in vain, Beside me watch to see thy waking smile ? — Translation of Longfellow. From the French of Clotilde de Surville. [By permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Co.] 157 'The Witchery of Sleep I KNOW a man With face of tan, But who is ever kind ; Whom g"irls and boys Leave games and toys Each eventide to find. When day grows dim, They watch for him. He comes to place his claim ; He wears the crown Of Dreaming- town ; The Sandman is his name. When sparkling- eyes Droop sleepywise And busy lips grow dumb ; When little heads Nod toward the beds, We know the Sandman's come. — Chicago Daily News, 158 Poetry of Sleep LJUSH I my dear, lie still and slumber ; Holy ang-els g-uard thy bed ! Heavenly blessing's without number Gently falling- on thy head. Soft and easy is thy cradle ; Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay : When his birthplace was a stable, And his softest bed was hay. See the kindly shepherds round him, Telling wonders from the sky ! Where they sought him, there they found him With his Virgin Mother by. Mayst thou live to know and fear him, Trust and love him all thy days : Then g"o dwell forever near him ; See his face and sing his praise. I could give thee thousand kisses, Hoping" what I most desire : Not a mother's fondest wishes Can to greater joys aspire. — Isaac Watts. ^S9 The Witchery of Sleep a iimoti)cr*s Song. /^H, come now, mj darling, And lie on my breast, For that's the soft pillow My baby loves best : Peace rests on thine eyelids. As sweetly they close. And thoughts of to-morrow Ne'er break thy repose. What dreams in thy slumber, Dear baby, are thine ? Thy sweet lips are smiling-, When pressed thus to mine. All lovely and guileless Thou sleepest in joy. And Heaven watches over my beautiful boy. Oh, would thus that ever My darling- might smile. And still be a baby My grief to beguile ; But hope whispers sweetly, "Ne'er broken shall be The tie that unites my sweet baby to me. " — Alexander Smart. 1 60 A FRENCH "LIT DE REPOSE " OF THE i8TH CENTURY ARRANGED WITH TRUNDLE OR " PULL OUT" FOR THEIR "COUCHEE" (bed reception) Poetry of Sleep StDCCt anti ILoU). C WEET and low, sweet and low, Wind of the summer sea ; Low, low, breathe and blow, Wind of the western sea ! Over the rolling- waters g-o. 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 v/ill 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. i6i l^he Witchery of Sleep Cljc Castles of JBrotDSg Coton. A WAY in the castles of Drowsy Town The lights are twinkling high, The fays are pulling the curtains down And the winds are wandering by. The Giant Night in his robe of dusk Is coming over the hills, Bringing an odor of rose and musk And a ripple of distant rills. This black man is as high as the sky, And his eyes shoot starry gleams, And his pockets are ready to burst, well nigh. With bundles of children's dreams. He moves with a soft mysterious tread, Thro' the scented dusk and damp, And he carries the moon upon his head, As a miner carries a lamp. And straight for my little ones cometh he When twilight is dropping down. And bears them swiftly away from me To the borders of Drowsy Town. 162 Poetry of Sleep Oh ! the gates are open on ev'ry side, And the children are trooping- in, With dainty cap strings cunningly tied Right under each dimpled chin. And the fairies gently tuck them away, In hammocks of lilies and down, And there they sleepily swing and sway, In mystical Drowsy Town. Then the Giant Night in his robe of grey, Departs for a scene of mirth, Where brown little Chinese children play, On the other side of the earth. So farewell to the castles of Drowsy Town, And farewell to each winsome fay, By heath and hill, by dale and down The children are hasting away. — Carrie Shaw Rice. [By permission of the Author.] 163 The Witchery of Sleep ■\ A /"HEN the voices of children are heard on the green, And laug-hing is heard on the hill, My heart is at rest within my breast, And everything else is still. Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down, And the dews of night arise ; Come, come, leave off play, and let us away Till the morning appears in the skies. "No, no, let us play, for it is yet day, And we cannot go to sleep ; Besides, in the sky the little birds fi}', And the hills are covered with sheep." Well, well, go and play till the light fades away, And then go home to bed, — The little one's leap'd, and shouted, and laugh'd — And all the hills echoed. — William Blake. 164 ANCIENT IMPERIAL CHINESE BED, CARVED AND LACQUERED, SENT BY THAT GOVERNMENT TO THE LAST PARIS EXPOSITION AND RETURNED TO PEKIN Poetry of Sleep 'HpHE sun has gone from the shining- skies, Bye, baby, bye, The dandelions have closed their eyes, Bye, baby, bye. And the stars are lighting their lamps to see If the babies and squirrels and birds all three Are fast asleep as they ought to be ; — Bye, baby, bye. The squirrel's nest is a hole in the tree, Bye, baby, bye, And there he sleeps as snug as can be, Bye, baby, bye. The robin's nest is high overhead Where the leafy boughs of the maple spread, But the baby's nest is a white little bed : — Bye, baby, bye. — Anonymous. .6j The Witchery of Sleejh (IRISH CRADI^E SONG.) I'LL put you myself, my baby ! to slumber, Not as is done by the clownish number, A yellow blanket and coarse sheet bring-ing, But in g-olden cradle that's softly swinging- — To and fro, lulla lo, To and fro, my bonny baby ! To and fro, lulla lo, To and fro, my bonny baby ! Slumber, my babe ! may the sweet sleep woo you, And from your slumbers may health come to you ! May bright dreams come and come no other, And T 1)e never a childless mother — To and fro, lulla lo, To and fro, my bonny baby. To and fro, lulla lo, To and fro, my own sweet baby. i66 Poetry of Sleep ** Sleep, iSabg, Sleep." C LEEP, baby, sleep ! Thy father watches the sheep, Thy mother is shaking- the dreamland tree, And down drops a little dream for thee. Sleep, baby, sleep. Sleep, baby, sleep ! The larg-e stars are the sheep, The little stars are the lambs, I g-uess The brig-ht moon is the shepherdess, Sleep, baby, sleep. — From the German. By Elizabeth Prentiss. 167 The Witchery of Sleep npOYS, and treats, and pleasures pass, Like a shadow in the g"lass, Like the smoke that mounts on hig-h, Like a noonday's butterfly. Mother, fold me to your knees I How much should I care for these Little joys that come and g-o If you did not love me so ? Father, now my prayer is said. Lay your hand upon my head ! Pleasures pass from day to day, But I know that love will stay. While I sleep it will be near ; I shall wake and find it here ; I shall feel it in the air, When I say my morning prayer. And when things are sad or wrong- ; Then I know that love is strong ; When I ache, or when I weep. Then I know that love is deep. 168 Poetry of Sleep Love is old and love is new, You love me and I love you ; And the Lord who made it thus, Did it in his love for us. — William Bkighty Rand. 169 T^he Witchery of Sleep D EST, dear one, in slumber light ; Daylig-ht now is slowly dying-, And the wind is softly sighing, Bringing dreams so sweet and bright. Good night, good night. May thy heart forget its pain All its sighs and troubled longing, All the cares around it thronging, Till it rests in peace again. Good night, good night Rest until the dawning day Bids thee rise, new courage bringing ; And thy heart in praise is singing ; Fear not, God will watch alway. Good-night, good-night. — Alice Locke Pitman. 170 Poetry of Sleep npHE moonbeams throug-h the window peep, To see if babe 's in bed ; My precious darling- go to sleep, He '11 watch keep o'er thy head. Sleep, darling- baby, sleep. He watch o'er thee will keep. The brook is murmuring- soft and low, Dew falls on hill and deep ; The birds to rest went long ago. My precious darling, sleep. The heather bells all faintly sound, As moonbeams o'er them sweep ; The shadows nearer creep around, My darling- go to sleep. May baby's dream be bright, Sleep on till morning's light, Good night, good night. — From the Cerman. Translated by John P. Jackson. 171 The Witchery of Sleep C LEEP, my little dearest one, I will g-uard thy sleep, Safely little nearest one, I will hold thee deep In the g-reat unfathomed sea, Where sweet dreams are made for thee. Rest, my little baby dear, I will watch thy rest, Thou shalt feel the waters near, Only on my breast ; In the strong- and tender tide, Still my love shall be thy guide. — Dolly Radford. \A/HEN the sleepy man comes with the dust on his eyes (Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary !) He shuts up the earth, and he opens the skies. (So hush-a-by, weary, my Dearie.) 172 THE BEST POSSIBLE EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY COLONIAL HIGH POST BED, BEING THE ORIGINAL "VIRGINIA" BEDSTEAD OF MARY WASHINGTON Poetry of Sleep He smiles through hisfing-ers, and shuts up the sun ; (Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary !) The stars that he loves he lets out one by one. (So hush- a- by, weary, my Dearie !) He comes from the castles of Drowsy-boy Town ; (Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary !) At the touch of his hand the tired eyelids fall down. (So hush-a-by, weary, my Dearie !) He comes with a murmur of dreams in his wings (Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary !) And whispers of mermaids and wonderful things. (So hush-a-by, weary, my Dearie !) Then the top is a burden, the bugle a bane (Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary !) When one would be faring down Dream-away Lane. (So hush-a-by, weary, my Dearie !) — Charles G. D. Roberts. [From Poems by the Author. By permission of the Author and his publishers, L. C. Page & Co.] 173 The Witchery of Sleep ittratilc Song. J ULLABY, lullaby, Baby must sleep ; — Now when the daylig-ht dies, Closed be the little eyes ; Rest till the sun arise ; Sleep, baby, sleep. Lullaby, lullaby, Baby must sleep ; — Peaceful shall rest thy head ; Noiseless shall be the tread Round our dear darling-'s bed, — Sleep, baby, sleep. — Samuel Burnham. 174 Poetry of Sleep Slumtcr Song. I ITTLE eyes were made for sleeping, Little heads were made for rest, Golden locks were made for keeping- Close to mother's breast. Little hands were made for folding-, Little lips should never sigh ; What dear Mother's arms are holding Love alone can buy. Gently fall the shadows gray, Daylight softly, softly veiling, Now to dreamland we'll away, — Sailing, sailing, sailing. — Arthur Macy. «75 ANCIENT GOTHIC BEDSTEAD WITH A RARELY FOUND ARCHED HOOD. A REVIEW OF SLEEP. LEEP is the period when an animal most resembles a vegetable in its functions of nutrition. In sleep an animal is mainly a constructive ma- chine, reproducing all the parts which have been wasted during the day, and storing up force for use during the hours of wakefulness. The " morning hour," says a German pro- verb, " has gold in its mouth," Voltaire says : " Whatever theory you adopt, whatever vain efforts you make to prove that your memory moves your brain, and that your brain moves your soul, you are obliged to admit that all your ideas come to you in sleep, indepen- dently of you and in spite of you — your will has no part in them whatever. It is certain that you may think seven or eight hours consecutively without having the least desire to think, without even being aware that you think." " It is while sleep steals gently o'er us" — in 177 A simile Voliaire The Witchery of Sleep The man of Con- naught the midway station or the half-way house between wide-awake activity and complete oblivion — that one is most apt, in benignant stupidity, to echo Sancho's blessing. Hence we can feelingly sym- pathize with the Connaught man who, with very intelligible irritation, complained that for his part he found no kind of pleasure in his bed ; for the moment he was in it he was asleep, and the moment he awoke it was time to get up. The poor fellow was cruelly mulcted — thanks to his robust health and unjarred nervous system — of the agreeable train of sensations incident to sleep's incipient stage. Twelve hundred millions of dreams make a network of wild fancies nightly about our planet. To go — if it were possible — through the world of sleep, would be a stranger process than that of exploring the whole waking world ; for in sleep every living being is a poet, from the baby that clings in its dreams to the breasts of goddesses, to the centenarian who, with staff and spectacles, hobbles about Paradise at the beck of seraphs. Sleeping and waking are the great phenomena of our existence. Fancies 178 The Witchery of Sleep Spiritual What is done and thought in the everyday- working world, where the ordinary business of life is carried on, no living creature has ever fully revealed to another. There are reticences in the confession of the most frank, things which cannot and therefore never will be spoken — thoughts which transcend the limits of language — hopes so highly placed, the power of no fairy could satisfy, and fears so horrible that even Lucifer himself would fail to exaggerate. If this portion of our life, which is at least subject to our own observation, cannot be faith- fully and fully described, still less can that other portion, which defies even our own scrutiny, con- verts us into mere spectators of ourselves, sets free our actions from the control of our will, and transforms us into so many passive spokes destiny in the great wheel of destiny. Whatever may be the laws by which it is regulated, sleep presents the counterpart of the working world — distorted, mutilated, thrown into irredeemable confusion by the mighty force of one's own imagination. The wheel of — Anonymous. 179 HYGIENE OF SLEEP. Some hints of import EPARATE beds, one for each per- son, are requisite. Double beds are an abomination. Personal contact, \ Interrupts the function of sleep. 2. Where two are obliged to sleep in one room, two beds are an absolute necessity. 3. Bedrooms occupied by two persons should be large and well ventilated. 4. To secure fresh air ; open windows, both top and bottom — winter and summer. 5. Good deep breathing means a profound healthy sleep. This requires plenty of air. 6. Avoid direct draughts, no matter how hot the weather. Proper protection is necessary. 7. Lie low ; expand the chest. Use one pillow only. Children need no pillow. 8. Relax. Lie on the right side. If un- usual, " night school " yourself by practice. 9. Discard all under clothes worn during the day. 180 ENGLISH CARVED OAK BED THAT BELONGED TO THE DUCHESS OF KENT THE MOTHER OF QUEEN VICTORIA. PROBABLY ABOUT 1500 ^he Witchery of Sleep Well worth 10. Have as little furniture or hangings as possible in the sleeping room. 11. Wood floors with small rugs are much preferable to carpets. 12. Metal bedsteads are better than wood. 13. Springs of woven wire, or, better still, evenly upholstered spirals are the proper thing. 14. That real sleep-aid, the mattress, should be pure, non-heating, and not animal fibre. attention 15. Hair and feathers are too heating, un- clean, and dangerous to health. 16. No light should burn in a bedroom, and all outside light should be excluded. 17. Heat is not needed while sleeping. If any is used, a grate fire is the best ; it helps to make ventilation. 18. Doors should not be locked, except in cases of extreme danger. 19. Sun and air mattress, sheets and bed- clothing daily. 20. Personal hygiene requires a tepid bath before retiring, and a good cold bath or plunge upon arising. i«i BLACK OAK BED MADE FROM AN OLD STAIRCASE AND WAINSCOT FOUND IN AN ENGLISH CASTLE HOW ROYALTY SLEEPS. HEN It comes to sleeping, there is no difference between him who wears a crown and an ordinary human being with but a weary head. *' E'en monarchs in their nightcaps own A bed is better than a throne — That's made to sit and sigh on, — And well may all the world agree, The poorest of the poor is he Who has no bed to lie on." Emperor William is a soldier even while he sleeps. He uses a regulation camp bed such as his officers use. The bedclothing is of the rough regimental pattern. He retires about eleven ; rises and is dressed soon after five. The Czar of Russia has great difficulty in ob- The sleep taining a good night's rest. He is not what old- ^^ fashioned people call, "a lover of the bed." He dreads the night. His sleeping apartments are always brilliantly lighted. He often suffers from insomnia and makes frequent use of chloral. 183 The Witchery of Sleep An old kinz Queen Wilhelmina goes to bed about eleven and is up at seven. After rising she takes a stroll young around the park and visits the royal stables. Her bedstead is of monumental size, broad enough for six and proportionately deep. Leopold III., King of the Belgians, is an owl. Owing to his age he sleeps but meagerly and often spends half the night seeking amusement. He uses an ordinary bedstead without other luxury than a quilt of swan's down. He is a very " chilly" mortal. The King of Italy cannot sleep except upon a hard bed. He dispenses with pillows ; uses sheets of the very coarsest, and " sleeps like a top." The young King of Spain before he attained to the throne was a natural boy-sleeper. Wild ^ ^''y horses could n't drag him out of bed before he was ready to arise. New authority has made him a restless being. It is whispered that he now tosses in his bed, talks in his sleep, inspecting imaginary armies and fleets. He is also given to concocting ideas to startle his subjects. When he awakes he is peevish, whimsical, eccentric and decidedly domineering. kin 184 The Witchery of Sleep The King of England is now a good sleeper. He has no fads, but sleeps according to the dictates of the royal physician, which are : fresh air, not too soft a mattress or too high a pillow, . ' o t ' A new and long hours in bed. Late hours are practi- king cally a thing of the past with Albert Edward. The Emperor of China is a "sleepy head." He puts in about twelve hours in the royal chamber ; five hours in sleep and five dreaming — wondering — what will happen next. But the . o r r In name Empress, " there 's the rub," — she sleeps with only "one eye open" and the other on a squint. The Mikado of Japan is a short, light sleeper. His hours for slumber are from midnight to seven o'clock in the morning. At that hour he arises, hurries a light breakfast into him, then calls for his cabinet, which he keeps on the trot until late into the night. King Oscar of Sweden is another " wide- awake." He is interested in everything pertain- The ing to the welfare of his subjects all day. He /"''' sits up late, devoting the hours of night to intel- lectual society, reading, study and writing — for he is a writer of graceful prose and poetry. 185 ROMAN COUCH BED, SHOWING LACED-IN CUSHION 1 1 .. •'^ .■-. «^II MECHANICAL SLEEP. HINGS employed to induce sleep have been many, although mechanical aids are comparatively new, and their permanent effectiveness has yet to be fully proven. A remarkable electric sleep-producer was devised some years ago by the late Surgeon General Hammond of the United States Army. Electric It consisted of a battery cell, whose electrodes he sleep applied to certain sympathetic nerves along the '"^^^ spinal column, with more or less temporary success. Recently European psychologists have assert- ed that sleep in the near future will be obtainable by the use of mechanical apparatus, instead of drugs. That 's worth attention. Anything is that replaces that which soon becomes a habit so dangerous and blighting in its effects. There are several most novel sleep-producing machines now entering the market. Among these vU'ratiug is the "Vibrating Coronet," just invented by Dr. Gaiffe of Paris. It is made of three bands 187 The Witchery of Sleep of metal encircling the head. A branch strip extends to either of the eyelids, which, by the aid of a spring, it gently vibrates. This instrument, also the Alouette, is used on his patients by the celebrated Dr. Berillon of The Paris with some success. Aiouetu yj^g "Alouette," by Mathieu of Paris, has been used in several European cities. It is a mahogany box, inside of which is a clock-work carrying a series of ebony panels to which are attached little mirrors. With the aid of a small ray of light falling on these mirrors the eye of the patient is soon fatigued and sleep it is claimed, in consequence, ensues. Another device is a miniature lighthouse, the light from which alternately appears and dis- appears, like the flashlight that guides mariners along our seacoast. Quite a different kind is the " Fascinator." It j,j^^ is manufactured by Verdin, an instrument maker Fascinator in PaHs. It is a helmet similar in appearance to the "Vibrating Coronet." When adjusted to the head it is tied by two straps meeting in the rear. A steel plate rests i88 SIMPLE "EMPIRE" HIGH POST BED WITH " FIELD - TESTER BROUGHT TO NEW ORLEANS IN EARLY . DAYS The Witchery of Sleep horizontally across the forehead. From the center of this plate protrudes a small tube of steel, into whose end is inserted a flexible wire, tipped with a glistening nickeled ball about the size of a grape. By bending the wire the ball may be fixed at any angle above the eye. The gaze is concen- suep trated upon it until fatigue alone closes the eyes i^>'<'"s^ i o •' seeing too in sleep. much All of these sleep machines aim at the same result. They are based on the theory that any stimulus which fatigues the eyelids will induce drowsiness. Such fatigue is experienced by many who cannot long observe rapidly shifting pano- rama of scenery from the window of a train in motion without drowsily falling asleep. "" I I i.i.ii .-III I II "''\''''^' ' ^^^y EARLY EGYPTIAN BED. 189 AN INSPIRED SLEEPER. spiritu- ality HE Swedenborgian religion was born of a sleep, — the sleeper and dreamer Emanuel Swedenborg. It was Swe- denborg, by the way, who made the beautiful remark : " The Lord is particularly watchful over man during sleep." Swedenborg was born in Stockholm, July 29, 1688, and died in London, March 29, 1772. The early part of his life was devoted to business, science and philosophy ; the latter half— about thirty-six years — was consecrated to theology and spiritualism. During this period he resolved to penetrate the body through its inmost recess, to the very seat of the soul. This line of thought developed into a diary, containing the record of a variety of dreams, visions and strange communings. Out of these grew the reHgion of Swedenborg and the development of the faith. 190 "POOR RICHARD" AYS : — How much more time than is necessary do we spend in sleep ! for- getting that — The sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that — There will be sleeping enough in the grave. If time be of all things the most precious, — Wasting of time must be the greatest prodi- gality. Lost time can never be found again. What we call time enough ! always proves little enough. Let us then be up and doing to the purpose. So by diligence shall we do more with less per- plexity. Sloth makes all things difficult. Industry all things easy. He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night. " Early to bed and early to rise Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Benjamin Franklin. The sayings of Poor Richard 191 ITALIAN CRADLE OV THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY A SYMPOSIUM OF SLEEP. A COLLECTION OK SLEEP THOUGHTS AND EXPRESSIONS ESPECIALLY CONTRIBUTED TO "THE WITCHERY OF SLEEP." BELIEVE with Homer that "sleep is the gift of God." Regular and com- fortable sleep, and enough of it, is essential to sound health, long life and a creditable life-work. The race of the twentieth century can be won only by those who keep D'- their bodies in such good condition that their minds will be able to stand the pressure of an '' Success' intense civilization. In all modern occupations, — from the nursery to the school, from the school to the shop or world beyond, — the brain and nerve strain go on, continuous, augmenting, intensifying. We must have plenty of sleep, the great body and mind builder, to counteract the strain, in order to sus- tain the daily physical and mental demands made upon them. ^9Z "The Witchery of Sleep I believe that the average normal man and woman reqinre eight hours sleep out of the twenty-four, and I think the triple division of the day and night into eight hours for work, eight hours for culture and recreation, and eight hours for sleep is a good one. — Orison Sweet Marden. One of the greatest mercies, that more than any other we are likely to forget, is the power to be unconscious eight hours out of the twenty- four, so that while the recuperative process is going on that will prepare us for the next day, we Rev. Dr. Park- hurst N.Y. C. Ji. J?, views are not obliged to sit with our hands in our pockets and our eyes upon the clock, dreamily waiting until it is time once more to begin. No one can appreciate that most blessed and most peculiar of mercies until he has suffered from insomnia. God never did a kinder thing for man than to make him able to sleep when he is sleepy. — C. H. Parkhurst. Sleep, next to waking, I think the most won- derful thing in life. — George II. Daniels. 194 The Witchery of Sleep Sleep is the solvent of loixgevity, health and work. The man who can have a natural slumber every night the year round, of eight hours, can move the world. His head will he clear no mat- ter what his age ; his vigor will be at its prime, and he will dominate whatever association he is in. Such rest demands a good digestion and a clear conscience. Napoleon's boast was that he slept but four hours a day, but he died at fifty-two r \ 1-1 r Contrib- and then had a faculty which all men of great utionbv capacity — and 1 have known several who take c/muncfv only four hours regular sleep — have of catching naps at odd moments, even on horseback. Before forty a man makes more vitality or steam than he can get rid of by ordinary methods, so he must take to sport or extra labor. After forty there comes a diminution of vitality to meet extra strain and work. If, however, in the even- ing of life, a man will accustom himself — and he can— to sleep ten minutes after his day's work is over and take ten minutes more to go to sleep, he will discover that the reparation of that ten min- utes is equivalent to an ordinary day's vacation ; all of which means that if you want to live long ^9S 'The Witchery of Sleep and happy, cultivate that temperance in all things, right doing and right living, by which you can sleep the sleep of the just. — Chax'xcey M. Depevv. Seventy-four years young, I am good for twice that by economizing life. You want five lines on sleep ! I want eight hours ! I am faster than any train, but cannot control my sleep ! Eight hours sleep, eight work, eight Train pl^Y- Everything in Nature sleeps! See that snow! It gives rest to soil! Horses die if not resting. Man is only animal who kills sleep and hunger with gorging death ! — George Francis Train. Citizen Sleep, good sleep, and enough of it, is the prerequisite of all pure, brave, true and well-bal- anced living, if that living is to be more than the boatmen call a spurt, a sudden strain which can- not be prolonged. Rev. Dr. Sleep is itself, therefore, the fundamental duty tf.f'ar ^r ^ Jutics. Yct, as I sec, it is apt to be left iiaic without a thought after the morning salutation : " I hope you slept well," How if you did not sleep well .^ I suppose 196 The Witchery of Sleep this calm indifference, which, indeed is almost heroic in its stoicism, springs from a general im- pression that there exists such a mystery about sleep that nothing can be done about it excepting wishing well. I find that the cyclopaedia, which .seldom con- siders itself foiled, speaks of sleep as a " mysteri- ous condition." I may as well confess that it is not twenty-five years since the mere physiological con- spiritual ditions of sleep were understood. Till very lately expert's the old mistake — as old as Galean — has been r maintained, which supposed that in sleep the sUe^ vessels of the brain were gorged with blood, and that they contained a greater amount of blood than in waking. This is true of stupor, but it is not true of sleep. The old Yankee farmer knew better. When he wanted to sleep, he drew out the fire, started the embers anew, "toasted his feet," as he said; that is, he stimulated the circulation of his legs, and drew blood away from the brain. He could not have explained the experiment, but he was acting on the true philosophy. — Edward Everett Hale. 97 The Witchery of Sleep Sleep ? Ah me, that Is a noble thought ! Sleep is the joy of life. It Is the crowning glory of the day. Bringing sparkle to health, and health to the ill. It makes beauty for women and brings lustre to their eyes. Sleep 1 Without it 1 am nothing. Oriental thotight -Wu Ting Fang. A poet's value Death's greatest enemy, and the terror of old age, Sleep, — like a proud beauty, must be wooed, and not bullied, to be won. Without It, Croesus is poor ; and with it. Job is invulnerable. — John Ernest McCann. From IVall street Sleep means everything to a man — good health, good looks, spry action, will power, and self-confidence — all being essential qualities to force success In worldly affairs. My secret of acquiring sleep is to " keep moving" all day, which compels sleep by night. -flENRY Clews. Sleep is the resting time of consciousness and of muscular activity ; not only does the brain sleep but our muscles also sleep. 198 The Witchery of Sleep The comfortable purity of the resting place, and the proper amount of fresh, pure air, within the chamber are absolutely essential in order that repose may be as perfect as possible. Just as the brain cells are building up and re- The newing the strength lost through the exertions of '"^vhy" the day, so also are the muscular molecules renew- "l^iu^ ing and rebuilding themselves through absorption, expert In order that this function shall be properly performed, the environment of the sleeper must be ideal, and free from the danger of germ infection — especially the bacilli that lurk in animal fibre. — Cyrus Edson. In my opinion sleep is a habit, acquired by From the environment. Like all habits it is generally /"' ^ ^ of Light carried to extremes. The man that sleeps four hours soundly is better off than a dreamy sleeper of eight hours. — Thomas A. Edison. I am not one of those who think four hours sleep better than the usual eight hours. Napoleon thought four hours sleep enough, but when he lived on St. Helena he lived long enough to 199 The Witchery of Sleep know that the theory of his earlier days was all wrong. The wisest men from Socrates to Russell An actor's ^^g^ have advocated one-third of the twenty-four view hours in bed. Walter Savage Landor used to spend sixteen hours of the day there, and he lived for 89 years, from 1775 to 1864. — N. C. Goodwin. OLD SPANISH CRADLE FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 200 SLEEP FACTS AND FANCIES. HE sleep of a healthy child is the most beautiful thing in the world ; combining fact and fancy in their highest material and spiritual states. What a world of golden futures is possible within the circle of the cradle. What an unconscious joy of life. What a rythm of pulsations ebb and flow. What perfect machinery moves it all. What a pose for the poet. What a message for mankind. Sleep watches o'er it and smiles. On the road between Octylus and Thalamse is the temple of Ino. It is the custom of those who consult her to sleep in the temple, and what thev want to know is supposed to be revealed to them in dreams, during sleep. Between sleeping and waking is Dreamland. When we are neither asleep or awake, or in other words, subconscious, we dream. 20 1 Poetic fancy Luid The Witchery of Sleep Day- dreanurs The poor man dreams of riches, the rich man of poverty, and most of us of what we want or dread ; not of what we have. But, the ideahst-dreamers have opened for us most of the truth and beauty of the earth. A visionary compromise and yet — a perfect state for purity of thought. The ideahst is always a "day-dreamer" — a ne'er-do-weel, according to the world. Now and again the " day-dreamer" is aroused; and then the world awakes — to a new thought, a noble poem, a sublime song, a masterpiece, a divine message. The moment of sleep Who has ever known the moment of sleep ? Who is there who has not tried again and again to be conscious of that moment ? No matter how conscious one may be up to the moment of sleep, at the moment he is unconscious ; for then the sensorial functions cease, and one no longer feels, or wills, or cares, or knows. How dull this old world seems after a night's unrest ; how beautiful and bright after a good night's sleep ! 202 The Witchery of Sleep " How happy is that balm to wretches, sleep ! No cares perplex them for their future state, And fear of Death thus dies in senseless sleep; Unruly Love is this way lull'd to rest; And injured Honour, when redress is lost, In no way solved but this." — Beaumont. A renowned French financier once said: "Alas! Why is there no sleep to be sold?" Sleep was not in the market at any quotation. " O, listen to the 'sleepy head' — Snore. Of course you 've all heard of this — Bore, Who in his funny flights Makes discord of the nights, O'er and oer." — Anonymous. "How did you sleep, General?" asked his guest, Louis Phillipe one morning, of the master ot the house. " I always sleep well," replied General ^" ^ ^ . . anecdote Washington, "for I never wrote a line in my life, which I had afterward cause to regret." "When thou risest from sleep with reluctance, remember that it is according to thy constitution and ?.o3 'The Witchery of Sleep according to human nature to perform social acts, but sleeping is common also to irrational animals. But that which is according to each individual's nature is also more suitable to its nature, and, indeed, more agreeable." —Marcus Aurelius. When digestion is good, heart strong, circula- tion free, worry absent, nerves in tune, one sleeps. Sleeper — one that sleeps. Sleeper — that in which the sleeper sleeps. Sleeper — that on which the sleeper that carries not a ^^^ sleeper while he sleeps runs. sleep Therefore, while the sleeper sleeps in the sleeper, thought the sleeper carries the sleeper over the sleeper under the sleeper until the sleeper that carries the sleeper jumps off the sleeper and wakes the sleeper in the sleeper by striking the sleeper under the sleeper and there is no longer any sleeper sleeping in the sleeper of the sleeper. Next ! When a former Persian ambassador was shown into his bedroom in Mivart's Hotel, where a grand canopied state bed had been prepared for him, he supposed it was a throne in his audience chamber, received his visitors on it, and retired to sleep on the carpet in the corner of the room. 204 The Witchery of Sleep Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamt out his poetic fragment, " Kubla Khan," in a sleep : not only the idea, but the very lines: "In Zanadee did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree, Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Thro' caverns measureless to man, Down to the sunless sea." De Quincy, or Hazlitt, or Lamb, woke him up, and he wrote it down immediately. Had he not been aroused out of his sleep, the world might have had one of the most beautiful poetic works in the language. One cannot possibly sleep without closing the eyes; nor pronounce the word "sleep " with- out closing the mouth. Sleep, It comes — Whence ? It goes — Whither ? Who can tell ? Born of a dream 205 ADAPTATION OF F.GYPTIAN ART MADE IN FRANCE 200 YEARS AGO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. «MM ^ 83 JAN 1 3 RECTI iiy 2 .W£e,( S/OMED LIB «PR ^ 7 mo BEC'e - 24131 Tmu'. li..^-; cK^i 3 1158 01100 4750 l/^ \J