WHY PEOPLE SLEEP IN CHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 79

WHY PEOPLE SLEEP IN CHURCH.

A cunkras explanation has been, put to*, ward by a French writer as to tlve caua» of bo miny people falling into a sound; slumber while the preacher delivers iaa sermon. The well-worn statement that; sleep is produced by the stuffiness of the church is dismissed as "insufficient," forthe writer argaee that if tMb suppositkn* is correct then those members who submit leaddly to a soporific agent -would also fall atl-eep before, tiie sermon -began. Phe true explanation of the cause of so many "nodding heads" in a public place! of worship is, in his opinion, due to the members of the congregation concentrating their gaze for a long tame Ofn a single object, either the countenance of the preacher or the pulpit, and thus unconsciously hypnotising himself or hersetf: ' If tbe writer's contention is correct those who sleep during the sermon are consequently the very ik embers of a congregation who are entitled to the highest praise for their conscientious effort to follow the words of th* preacher.

This is born out by the fact that during the preliminary portion of the church services the point of attention constantly changes, and no sign of drowsiness is to be seen among the members of the congregation. But it is only when the sermon commences, with the head and body fixed in one position and with the eye selfliypnotJsed by resting on ihe bright spaed of a window or the preacher's lighted face, or some other source of illumination in the puljiit or the body of the church, that the devout will fall into a slumberous condition. The character of the discourse, or Jie tone of the voice of the speaker/ does not seem to affect the result in tbe slightest degree.

Slumber, however, is not always pro*, duced by hypnotic influence of close attend tion to sermons. .Sometimes the lisfcenej is plunged into a trance. Tbe eyes aw directed etradght to the face of the clergy) man in' the pulpit. The facial expresfcioi 15 one of strained attention, . the kino described in the report as "breathless ant interested attention," and not one wo« is lost so fax as the sense of hearing i* concerned . But- of all that wae said} and heard during this trance the auddtoi* retains no recollection. Hence we hav^ .tlie reason why so many devout wot-; shippers return from church without the slightest notion of the drift of the sermon.* They have concentrated their attention' too closely upon the words of the preacher.*. TbW

The only cure for this is inattention. ej-.es should wander from time to time during the <?ermon over the church, tak| ang in the forms and faces of other per-J w>ns in the congiegation. Any slight disi traction duiing the service would awake* many auditois from tTance or slumber and[ enable the whole congregation to follow; the .sermon more intelligently. The ex-*, perienced clergyman, however, knows how) to make hii hearers lelax from time to! time the attention with which they follow his words.