The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-09-15
SLEEP AND DREAMS.
From a Lecture bcfare the Lo,ceR Institute By DR..
O. Haks

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of absolute repose, or else by "a conscious.
ness like iha, of dreams. The withdrawal
OF voluntary Power IS remarkable phe-
nonera, the limbs becoming relaxed, and
sinking into state OF qnescence Women
are generally lighter sleepels Than men.-
A m0lher-woman iuay be awakened by ihe
slightest moveInrn,si y hrr inianl-a result
depending on the patents state OF mind
The sailor sleeps soundly through The hiring
Of cannon over his head. This depends
on habit. There was naval officer under
Hood, at The lime the French fleet was con-
fined in Tonlon harhor, whose duty II was
TO watch aud Gaze for Signals during The
greater part of The day and ni.hi. In The
few hours allowed him for sleep, his COM
rales were IN The habit OF amusing Them.
selves with experiments upon the sound
ness of his slumb.Is; and The curious fact
was eliciled, that while The toughest treat
menl frequently failed 10 arouse him, ye'
The Whispering nf the word "sgnal'' IN his
ear would bring him Instantly 10 his ieel'
wide awake and ready for action. Officers
on whom no usual noise could have The
least effect, have been awakened by The
cessation of The regular tread OF The ships
watch on deck overhead. A further Illus
tralion of the subject may be drawn from
the fact that most sleepeH can awake al
any particular hour in the morning on which
The mind is fixed inenlly The night before.
One of The most difficult questions 10 be
treated oi in this connection is whether The
soul ceases TO acl during the repose OF the
body. There is no known condition OF The
brain which precludes the possibility oil the
whole resting simultaneously; but II IS
known ,ha, always during sleep there are
Two processes advancing in The brain-ilrsl,
the nutrition of The brain second, the ac-
cumulalon of the vital power around it,
Sleep is ALWAYS attended with murmurngs
Of thought. On these grounds the settle
ment OF the questions which have interest :
ed so many are 10 depend.
ltis capable for The mind 10 pass at once
into profound sleep. Dreams are the
persistence of one or more OF the minds
powers, and the mind violates sense aud
time, memory supplying the place ofsenses,
and siringing together images without
Judgement. Memory may supply this
strange apparatus with but single links from
numerous chains, blending together in
strange and unaccounlable ways. Yet
dreams are sometimes consistent, showing
a state of greater wakefulness. Original
trains OF thought have been carried out
during sleep. Thus was i, with Coerdge's
Kubla Khan, The images OF which he says
came before him OF their own accord as
things, which he wrote rs soon as he awoke,
but CHANGING 10 leave the work for an hour,
he found all he hau not written had disap.
peared from his mind. Kreuger's dreams
served TO elicit The results OF problems
which he could no, have Otherwise easily
unravelltd; and so we might 80 on multi
plying instances.
The infan, moves its lips while asleep as
if sucking, the OK rumnaies, The horse
pricks his ears, &C.; and though the quie,
or rest of the muscles generally opposes an
obstacle in The way OF The sleeper's move.
menls, yet sometimes there are exceptions,
and the body acts out The dreams of the
person. This occurs most frequently be-
tween the ages OF len aud thirty.
In dreams The changes are mostly multi.
piled and rapid. Que person tells Us he
dreamed he was first riding on horse,
then The animal changed successfully and
quickly 10 buck, a COW, a cat, girl, and
an old woman.
We may now proceed TO consider the re-
la,ion between The mind and the outer
world during sleep. Hot wafer applied 10
persons feet during sleep has led them 10
dream they were walking in path OF hot
ashes; another, who threw off The bed
clothes OF a cold night, dreamed that he
was passing the winter at Hudson's Bay,
and suffering greatly from the weather ;
another, with blister on his head, dreamed
OF being scalped by the Indians; one whose
legs and feet were uncovered, thought he
was travelling in Stage coach naked
ms relation between external circums,an-
ces and The operations OF our mental being
during sleep, must be familiar 10 all.
Another noticeable thing is the rapidily
win which thought operates. A long life
may be acted in brief interval. AT the
time an invasion Of England was expected
by French troops, il was pre,arranged a,
Edinburs that gun should be fired rs a
signal 10 announce the near approach ol
any enemy. A physician dreamed lha, he
heard the signal Gun fired. wen, out, saw
the assembling Of The troops and the prepar.
aiions for battle; he was then awakened
by his wife, who had dreamed a similar
dream: the signal gun was but The falling
of pair OF tongs, The noise of which had
awakened them aud all The pagean,ry of
the dream had occurred in the interval be.
tween The falling OF The longs and The
awakening from sleep. I, is not uncom.
mon IN times Of exciemen, for persons
sleeping together 10 have the same dream,
The same causes operating in both cases.
A person dreamed that he enlisted, wen, TO
war, deserted, was pursued, arrested, court
marlialed, sentenced led on. for execution,
aud was awoke by the firing of gun, 10
find that The report OF n gun which woke
him and which caused his dream were the
same. A clergyman after giving on, n
hymn, leaned forward in his pulpi, and
los, himself in sleep; awaking with start.
he thought be had been asleep for n full
hour. but found the choir had bu, ius, sung
The fir, line OF the hymn. ..S
Sleep talking may now be conside,ed.-
During sleep some persons talk, others sing.
This is only the influence of the will es.
tending itself 10 The lips and tongue. The
establishment Of an Intercourse between an
external object and the mind and whisper.
ing in the ear Of sleeper nay succes, the
cause Of dream, aud not only SO, bu, pro.
woke an answer. where conversation has
reen KEEP, up with sleepes. and even i'm.
poriant secrets gathered from the uncon.
scious lips Of sleep.'alkers.
Sleep-ialking is the connecting link be.
tween sleep walking and dreaming. Two
scientific travellers rested at an inn one
night aher long days journey; during