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Brisbane, Arthur, 1864-1936

"Editorials from the Hearst Newspapers"

Why should he not
ultimately conquer sleep?
We know that thin men, nervous, highly organized, do with far
less sleep than others. We know that old age requires less sleep
than youth.
Can we not cultivate and develop the characteristics which make
sleep less necessary? Higher races of apes have abolished tails.
Can't we abolish sleep? ----
As old age needs less sleep than babyhood, so in our maturity as
a human race we shall probably demand less sleep than now in our
racial babyhood. Perhaps none at all will be needed.
If that happens our lives will be doubled in value, they will be
complete. The hours of sunlight will be devoted to examination
and admiration of nature's beauties on this earth.
The hours of darkness, given up to sleep no longer, will be
devoted to the study of space, to investigation among other
worlds.
That kind of life will be worth while. Bear in mind that we
shall only really begin to live on this earth when we shall have
settled all the little social and material questions here and
shall have begun in earnest the study of the universe in which we
are a speck.
The days of the future will be given up to artistic enjoyment of
the beautiful. The nights will be devoted to intellectual
development and research.


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