tea, or a deficiency of exercise, are almost irresistible temptations to such, to prolong their studies beyond the hour, when health demands their discontinuance. The consequence is, disturbed and unrefreshing sleep. "The tired brain," says a physician, "can no more repose, than the overstrained muscles after violent exertion; hence the studies of the day rise in incoherent images at night, or drive away sleep altogether."* Every student's experience will attest the truth of this statement: But every one should make the most strenuous efforts to prevent the recurrence of such excitement during the night; for if suffered to continue long, it will infallibly destroy the constitution, and in some instances, it has proved suddenly fatal, by bringing on apoplexy. Warned by the existence of such a state of nerves, the student must forthwith follow the advice of Dr Johnson. "Whenever we find," says he, "the diseases of literature assail us, we should have the lamp scoured out and no more oil put into it. It is night study that ruins the constitution, by keeping up a bewildered chaos of impressions on the brain during the succeeding sleep-if that can be called sleep, which is constantly interrupted by incoherent dreams and half waking trains of thought."

Professor Porson.

To procure repose in such cases, some resort to the laudanum or paregoric phial, or to spirituous liquors. This is suicide for it tends to produce congestion, or imflammation of the brain and thus, according to Dr. Johnson, did the celebrated Professor Porson terminate his days.

:

Henry Kirk White.

A more painful case of self-immolation, by immoderate night-study, was that of Henry Kirk White. Burning with an ardent desire for distinction in the literary world, and full of that self-confident presumption, which leads many students to despise all the advice of their seniors, and to exJohnson on Hygeia.

HOW MANY HOURS SHALL WE STUDY?

285

almost constant feeble health, if such, or any thing like this, be their practice? and I fear, that essentially this course, is taken by a majority. The fact is, Friday and Saturday, or at least the latter, ought to be devoted by the clergyman, almost entirely to exercise; and his preparation for the Sabbath, should be nearly, or quite completed, before that time. Or it might be better for him, upon the whole, to make it his rule, to devote his forenoons only to study and the remainder of each day, to parochial visits and other bodily exercise: and to have his people understand, that any calls or visits before dinner, except such as are imperiously necessary, will be regarded as an ungentlemanly intrusion. Such a course, resolutely carried through, would work wonders in respect to the health and usefulness of those who minister in holy things.

How many hours shall we study?

As to the precise number of hours, which it is advisable to spend in regular study, no definite rule can be given. Some constitutions will bear twice as much confinement as others, with the same health. And then again, an increase of exerccise will enable one to sustain a greater amount of study. Besides, the man who enters his study, thoroughly prepared for his work, will accomplish more in one hour, than he who is unprepared can do, in four. So that no student can estimate his proficiency by the number of hours he devotes to his books. But each one may give as many hours to his study as he can do, after attending faithfully to the rules which I have mentioned in respect to diet and exercise provided he finds his health remaining firm and vigIf morbid feelings beset him, he may be sure something is wrong, either in his diet, or exercise or amount of study; and if he can discover the difficulty no where else, he must shorten his season of study, and increase the amount of his exercise, until he has found out the proper medium.

orous.

Practice on this point extremely various.

Literary men have varied exceedingly in the amount of time which they have given to close mental application. Some could even confine themselves from twelve to fourteen hours each day; others, with feeble constitutions, have found six or eight as much as they could endure : And, says the Secretary of the American Education Society, "One of the most active and laborious professional students in America, and one who has given to the world as substantial fruits of his labours perhaps as any other man, in proportion to the time he has been upon the public stage, spends three hours of the day in close study, and a large part of the remainder in exercise. But study, with such men, is a term of different signification from what it has in the vocabularies of many who call themselves students. The hour comes, and finds them ready, like a strong man, to run a race. The mind grasps its subject, and refuses to quit its hold till it has gained its object."*

Danger of too protracted application.

The student ought here, however, to be cautioned against too protracted and intense application to one particular point. When the mind becomes exceedingly absorbed in a favorite branch of knowledge; exercise, succession of time, and even the common meals, are apt to be forgotten; and the man, in his reverie, becomes almost a martyr to his pursuit. This was once the case of the learned physi cian, Boerhaave. Having for a few days and nights bestowed intense study upon one subject, he fell suddenly into a state of extreme lassitude, and lay for some time in an insensible and death-like condition. To avoid such a result,

* Quarterly Register of American Ed. Soc. vol. I. p. 58.

† Manual for Invalids, p. 39.-"The philosophic and strong minded Pascal, had his brain so much affected, after long and forced meditations, than he imagined for a long time a gulf of fire at his side." Journal of health, vol. 1. p. 275.

PROTRACTED APPLICATION.

287

let no student permit himself to employ the whole of any one day, much less several days, in exclusive attention to a particular train of thought. The rules for diet and exercise, which I have advanced, if properly attended to, will effectually guard against this evil. And in this respect, if no other, the required attention of the student to two or more branches of study during the same day, in most of our literary seminaries, operates very favorably.

Not a few conscientious students exceedingly injure their constitutions, by confining themselves a certain length of time to their books, when their health is so far impaired, that they can neither fix their attention upon one point, nor make any valuable advances in knowledge. Unwilling to yield in the contest with dyspepsy, or ignorant that it has seized them, they struggle for a long time to overcome their morbid feelings by force; whereas, a little yielding to them at first, a little relaxation from severe application, would effectually remove the difficulty, which is only aggravated by an uncompromising resistance; which, in the end, is sure to bring down upon the man a full phial of vengeance.

Indolent scholars in no danger.

I do not mean, by any thing I have said, to excuse the indolent scholar, who would gladly escape all mental labor; not because his mind has become jaded out with effort, but because it never learned how to operate aright, nor is capable of applying itself closely to any thing more than a novel, or a poem, or the last Monthly and Quarterly. Such men have my full liberty to study all night, and all day, if they will. I have no fears that they will injure themselves. And if they do, society will not regard it as an irreparable loss.

Means of preserving the eye sight.

The means of preserving the eye sight is so intimately connected with this part of the subject, and is moreover, of

such vast consequence to the student, that I feel desirous of devoting a moment to the subject.

The natural light of the day is most favorable for the eyes; as we might expect from the beneficence of God. If our studies, however, have a southern exposure, the light of the sun is apt to be too intense. A northern exposure is far preferable. The light entering a north window from a summer landscape, is probably more congenial to the eye than almost any other degree, either more or less intense.

Green is the most favorable of all colors for the eye: and hence the benevolence of God appears in spreading this color over the earth's surface for so large a portion of the year. Hence too, the reason that the painter uses a green palette: and that screens of this color afford so good a defence to weak eyes in the evening. Hence too, the value of green spectacles. But here permit me to express the opinion, that many lose much of the benefit of such glasses, by wearing them in cloudy weather. For unless the eyes be very weak, they ought to be used only when artificial lights are employed, or when the person is exposed to the sun, shining in his strength. At other times, they are apt to strain the sight.

All artificial light, such as that of candles, lamps, gas, &c. is very trying to the eyes. Hence the great danger of injuring the vision by night study. Every person, who reads much in the evening, should provide himself with a green silk screen, and if convenient, with green spectacles of a light shade of color.

Perhaps the worst time for making use of the eyes, is during twilight. Nor is it well, as soon as the sun disappears, to shut up our window blinds and resort to a candle. The change seems to be too sudden. Another season peculiarly trying to eyes, in the least degree weakened, is before day light in the morning.

* Hence, too, it is a good practice to paint a study of a green colour.