Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1870-09-28

taneously present themselves and uniting
together, form themselves into one COM
pex whole or, from the rapidity with
which they follow each other, and the dis
tinctncss of their connection, ono idea un-
observed takes the place of another. .,-
In the waking state we can call up
ideas by an effort Of the will. We can
think of what we wish This, however,
is not always the case. Very often it
happens, as if by accident, that ideas
spring from the troasure'of our memory
to which we voluntarily give further en-
Treatment, or by which we are unwilling
Wy led to other IDEAS distastcful to u.s.
SO also in dreams, where the voluntary
calling up Of any given idea is impossible,
the mind is led to involuntary activity by
means of ideas stored up iu the memory.
Most frequently the first impetus to Sc
ries of drcam-pictures is given by some
marked and striking impression which has
been made upon us during the day, or by
thoughts which have occupied our minds
shortly before falling asleep. These ideas
are often uninterruptedly continued; but
not less often we are rapidly led to other
ideas, and We are then unable to detect
the connection between the two.
When we are awake the impressions of
the senses are by far the most prolific
source Of mental activity. But in sleep,
as we have seen, the senses have ceased
to exercise their functions, though STILL
to a certain extent, capable Of excitement.
Under strong impressions the senses of
hearing and OF feeling are susceptible
even in deep sleep, but the resulting idea
is almost always confused, and often an
entirely different image is presented; just
as in the twilight we sometimes take the
trunk Of a tree for man sitting by the
wayside The indistinctness of the im-
preston made upon the senses allows the
fancy to fiji it up in its own colors, and so
it comes to pass that any excitement of
the sense Of hearing or feeling in sleep
gives occasion for dreams, of which only
the most general outline originates in ex-
ternal conditions. There are many exam
Piles of this Oh record.
Meyer narrates that he once dreamed
tbat he was attacked by robbers, who laid
him fall length on his back upon the
ground, into hich they drove stake,
passing it between two Of his toes; but
on awaking he found that these two mem.
bcrs were only separated by straw.
Another relates that, having bottle Of
hot water placed at his feet, he dreamed
that he had reached the top Of Etna and
was treading on burning lava.
In a similar manner, if we are uneasy
in bed and throw of the covering, we
dream that in the cold of winter we are
wandering half.clad through the streets; ;
or, if there is strong wind blowing, we
dream of storms and shipwreek; or a
knocking at the door produces dreams Of
an attack by thieves. h
1t is very seldom that words spokeni in
sleep are distinctly understood, and equal
ly seldom that they Gallup in the mind of
the sleeper the idea they represent. |
NAV mention. an instance or two IN which
dreams could be controlled in this way.
DIR. Abercrombie relates that an Eng
Iish officer who ACCOMPANIED the expedi-
tion to Lndwigsburgh in 1858 dreamed,
to the great delight Of his comrades, any
kind of dream they chose, according to
the words they whispered in his ear.
Another example is given by Kuge a
rejected lover, who had secured the favor
Of the lady's mother obtained permission
to whisper his name in her ear while she
slept. Very oon there was remarkable
change in her conduct towards him, and
at last she gave him her hand. On being
questioned about the change, she replied
that she had become attached to him, in
vivid and oft repeated dreams. For the
truth of this story we cannot youch at
the same time we do not deny its proba-
bility.
The excitement of the internal suscept-
Utilities gives occasion for dreams almost
more frequently than the external senses.
BY internal susceptibillties mean those
sensations which Indicate 10 us the position
OF our internal organs, and which are us
ually shown as general feelings, aud to
watch belong the condition of being well
and unwel. us
These sensations come within our con-
sciousness during sleep, but, as might be
expected, darkly and indistincty. Com
nected with them in similar manner as
with the impressions Of the external SEN
ses, are certain symbolic dream-pictures,
the most common of which is nightmare.
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