Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o'nights.—Shakespeare.
The devout psalmist sang, "He giveth His beloved sleep"; old Homer exclaimed, "Sleep is the gift of God"; the poet Young wrote of it in his "Night Thoughts" as "Tired Nature's sweet restorer," and also:
Man's rich restorative, his balmy bath That supplies, lubricates and keeps in play The various movements of this nice machine.
Depew calls it "the solvent of longevity, health and work"; while Henry Clews, the financier, said recently, "Sleep means everything to a man—good health, good looks, will-power, and self-confidence." Wise men from Socrates to Russell Sage have advocated spending one-third of the twenty-four hours in bed. All this shows a deep appreciation of this restful attribute among all ages and conditions of human thought.
Sleep, as a "balm to hurt minds," has been thoroughly considered by the neurologists,