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Show TO WOO SWEET SLEEP. ' Many Schemes for Conquering Conquer-ing Insomnia. ' THE HOP PILLOW OF OUR FOREFATHERS. j I A Plan That Would Cause our Architects Archi-tects Trouble. If any unusually acute Inventor could tell us of an infallible contrivance for going to sleep just when wo wish to do so there can be no doubt whatever of the substantial benefit which would thereby be secured for mankind. Some fortunate indiiuals, like Napoleon I, can command com-mand sleep the moment they lay their heads on the pillows, others find themselves them-selves all through life sleeping the sleep of the just every night, without difficulty being experienced as to occasional wakefulness, wake-fulness, except when illness happens to supervene. j The Duke of Wellington, who always 1 slept on a camp bedstead, had a maxim that when a man turned in bed it was I time to turn out: and here it may bo re-! re-! marked that great soldiers appear to be peculiarly constituted in their power to summon sleep at will. Possibly this may bo duo to tho habits of discipline which they have learned. They say to their brains, "Go to sleep," and at once the word of command is obeyed. We are all familiar with tho stereotyped stereo-typed advice in cases of this kind to "turn the pillow," to "think of something some-thing else," or to imagine and count a number of mountain sheep going through a gate. Many a time and oft has tho too wakeful brain worker attempted to carry these and similar prescriptions into practice, prac-tice, usually with results disproportionate to the efforts involved. It may be said without much exaggeration exaggera-tion that the man who can first imagine a flock of sheep, then a half open gate, and then can force his hypothetical sheep to go through one by one without crowding crowd-ing or dodging or turning tail, is fit for treason, stratagems or writing the sub-limest sub-limest poetry. Ho is no ordinary roan, and it is for ordinary individuals that tho Baving prescription is required. Among prescriptions of a more or less sensible kind which havo been at various times propounded and actually put into use for inducing sleep may be mentioned the hop pillow, in which our forefathers had considerable faith, tho narcotic essential es-sential oil which produces the hop Bcent being supposed to be exceedingly sopo-ritlc. sopo-ritlc. Tho hop pillow was used by George III habitually when that monarch suffered from insomnia- Then S. A. Ellis long ago announced as a grand discovery to the Scottish Curative Mesmeric association associa-tion that sleep was all a matter of which way one's head points. In a certain direction tho electricity of the earth, which is supposed to flow between be-tween the poles, passes along tho body, and so tends to the enjoyment of repose. Porsons wishing to avoid sleepless nights must therefore. Sir. Ellisadvised, always sleep south by north, with their heads pointing in their latter direction, and they must most religiously avoid attempting attempt-ing to slumber If their bed lies east and west. The idea boasts some supporters nowadays, nowa-days, but the consequences of its universal univer-sal prevalence would lead to extraordinary extraordi-nary results. For example, architects would have greater difficulties in building build-ing suitable private residences than they encounter even now, if they were obliged to put their doors and fireplaces so that every apartment would allow of a bed being Bituatcd in exactly the same position posi-tion all over the house. Jjet us imagine also a country house, where the gentlemen all retired to bet? about 18 o'clock, tho ladies having departed de-parted to rest long before. What a rude awakening would ensue for the latter when they were suddenly roused by bearing bear-ing horrible rumblings as of thunder In the rooms on every side, and above theml They would think it was an earthquake without doubt; whereas, as a mere matter mat-ter of fact, it would be only that each guest was simultaneously attempting to shift his four poster into consonanco with the teachings of electrical science. There was, moreover, a London gentle- man who years ago really believed he had found an absolutely certain prescription prescrip-tion 'for banishing wakefulness, and he was willing to impart his knowledgo to others for a handsome fee on the express condition that the information should "go no further." When the sleep practitioner died one of his patients Informed an expectant world that the grand secret waa simply this: A person lying in bed and attempting attemp-ting to sleep usually breathes through his nostrils, and the breath so emitted is, in cold weather, quite visible. All that has to be done is for tho subject sub-ject to think of his own breathing, to imagine that he Bees every breath that issues from his nostrils, and in a moment or two he will fall into a refreshing slumber. There may be some virtue in this prescription, though common sense would bo inclined to suppose that the mere bother of imagining anything whatever what-ever would bo so tiresome as to excite the brain and banish sleep much farther off than ever. Some persons, however, testified to the complete efficacy of the breathing plan. Alfred Smee, the author of "Elements of Electro-Biology," also attempted tosolvo the puzzle why sleep, when much needed, is often altogether denied. Ho referred the whole matter to tho region of "the bio-dynamic circuit," but the practical prescription was to wet tho top of the head with cold water, and ho asserts that he has thus often obtained for a sufferer rest when every other means have failed. All these spii ited endeavors are worthy of much praiso; but perhaps the best prescription for avoiding sleepless nights or parts of nights is not to take heavy suppers, to go in for exercise and not to sit up late, exciting the brain. London Standard. |