Manual of British Rural Sports by Stonehenge 17th Edition

PREPARATORY TREATMENT. G43 tliefact thaf, bej'ond the hours I have iinined,thcy will gain nothing by poring overmathematical problems or classical authorities. If this advice wereacted Tip to there would be no occasion for thedirections I am about togive ; but, from the constitution of the human mind,it is not likely to be followed in manycases. It is needless for me to remark,that in a mind upset by literary study or mercantile accounts, the best plan, if practicable, is to give up readingand writing entirely for a time ; butthis is seldom to be effected ; and if not, all that can be done is to im­ provethe health of the body as much as possible whilst the strain upon the mindcontinues. In the case of a man who can arrange his own hours of study, and has only a certain object to effect by a given time, I should strongly recommend him in no case to exceed eight hours a day, and, if possible,not more than six. This will leave him ample time for the prosecu­ tion of any bodily training which he may require ; and if the health has not heenmuch impaired, and the constitu­ tion is naturally strong, he will find that in proportion as he is able to increasethe amount of bodily exercise, so will his mental powers recover their tone. But to proceed to details. Few reading men determine to go in for a course of training until they are a good deal upset by confinement; and in them some little care is necessary. I irstand foremost, I shouldinsist upon theirgiving up smoking,green tea, and colfee, except at meals. There should he no over-stimulation of the brain ; hutwhat work is done should be done without anj' unnatural stimulus. It willbe found a very good plan to have two reading-desks—one of a height for sitting to, and the other adapted for standing. Then, when drowsy, or unable to fix the attention to the sitting desk, let the change be made to a standing position; and in this wa y the necessity for green tea, or wet cloths to the head, may be avoided, ^ext, I should advise that the hours of study should be divided into two equal periods—the first commencing immediately after breakfast, and the second immediately after tea. In this way all the middle of the day may be given up to recreation, dinner, and exercise ; and the following hours are those which I should lay down as the most proper, though of course they may be slightly varied to suit par­ ticular circumstances. Breakfast, at 8 ; reading, 8.30 to 12.30 ;light lunch, on biscuit or sandwich, and glass of bitter beer, or sherry and water ; exer­ cise from 12.30 to 4.30 ; dinner, at 4.30; relaxation of body and mind till 6.30, when take a cup or two of coffee orblack tea ; then read fortwo, three, or four hours, according to cir­ cumstances. Then go to bed. When first these hours are adopted the exercise must be very gentle, and of an amusing character; if on horseback so much the better, though this kind of exercise is not sufficient for the purposes of training, except as a preparation for walking andrunning. Many men are able to indulge in a nap after dinnerwith advantage ;but, generally speaking, it is prejudicial. If, however,the mouth feels moist, on waking, andthere is no palpitation of the heart, or flatulence, I am strongly of opinion that it does good rather than harm. It is the natural instinct of all animals to sleep after eating, and certainly it is that of man. The reason why sleep after dinner is said to disagree with everybody is,that it is so ofteninterrupted, that it seldom has fair play. Now, disturbed sleep we know to be prejudicial at any hour; and if it cannot be obtained without much chance of interruption, it is better to avoidit altogether. If, how­ ever, an hour, or rather more, can be devoted to a nap, and it is found to agree with the individual trying it, the mind will be refreshed as well as the body ;and, after a cup of tea or coffee, the studies may be prosecuted with renewed vigour. Thus I have shown how the studious man can devote sufficient time for the purpose of pre­ serving or restoring his bodily health ; and, as we shall hereafter see, enough also to allow him to go into training for any ordinary competition in rowing or pedestrian exercise. Now asto the counting-house clerk. His hours are fixed,and all that can be done must be done before 9 or 9.30 a.m.; or, in the summer season, after office- hours ; nevertheless, many men have trained themselves in spite of these difficulties, but it is arduous and up­ hill work. In the winter season there is no light much before eight o'clock, and consequently it is quiteout of the T T 2