The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-12-08
Singular DREAMs.

very long dreams that have been complies
ted, from beginning to end, in very few
seconds, and which have been excited by
external influences. The following ex-
amples of such dreams prove how great is
the activity of the brain during sleep COM
pared with the actual lapse of time.
A person, who was suddenly aroused
from sleep by few drops of water sprin-
xled on his face, dreamed of the events of
an entire life, in which happiness and
sorrow were mingled and which finally
terminated with an alteration upon the
borders of an extensive lake, into which
his exasperated companion, after a con-
siderable struggle, succeeded in plunging
him. DR.. Carpenter mentions The case
of clergyman falling asleep in his pulpit
during the singing of a psalm before the
sermon, and awakened with the convic-
ton that he must have slept for at least
an hour, and that The congregatian must
have been waiting for him but on refer,
ring to his psalm>book, he was consoled
by finding that his slumber had not lasted
longer than the singing of a single line.
Sir Benjamin Brodie, in his Phsyco>
logical Inquiries, 1854, mentions the fol-
lowing fact of the late Lord Holland
"On an occasion when he was faiigued,
while listening to friend who was read
ing aloud, he fell asleep and had dream,
the particulars of which it would take
him quarter OF an honr or longer to ex>
press in writing. After he awoke he
found that he remembered the beginning
of one sentence while he actually heard
the latter part of the sentence Immediately
following it; SO that, probably, the whole
time during which he had slept did not
occupy more than few seconds"
A lawyer found it necessary to ascer-
tain the exact age of a client of his, who
was also his cousin. Their grandfather,
who was rather an eccentric person, had
died when they were boys. The lawyer
often told his cousin that if the grand
father had been alive the desired informa-
tion could have been readily obtained, and
that he had a dim recollection of having
seen record kept by the DID gentleman,
and of there having been some peculiarly
about it which he could not recall. Some
months after the search had been given
up as hopeless he dreamed that their
grandfather came TO him and said ''Y ou
have been trying to find out when j -
was born. Don't you recollect that one
afternoon, when we were fishing, | read
you some lines from an Elzevir Horace,
and showed you how | had made FAM
lily record out of the book by inserting
number of blank leaves at the end Now,
as you know, devised my library to the
Rev. Mr.. . | was great fool
for giving him books which he never will
read. Get the Horace and you will dis
cover the exact hour at which j. was
born.'' The lawyer, deeply impressed
by the dream, started by the first morn
ing train to visit the clergyman, who lived
in neighboring city, found the Horace,
and at the end were the pages constituting
the family record, exactly as had been
described in the dream. BY no effort of
hls memory could he recall to his recol-
lection the incident of the fishing excur-
sion.
The following case, in which dream
in other respects highly remarkable
occurred twice on the same night, came
under the notice of The writer of this ar
ticle il the year 1S48. Oar readers may
recollect that in the year just recorded
there was a terrible case of murder
DR. Webster, Professor of Chemistry in
Harvard College, being convicted OF the
murder Of his acquaintance-we can hard
ly say his friend-Dr. ParkmaD. A lady
we will call her x. Y.-well known
in the literary world, and then residing
in London, had, some years previously,
paid long visit 10 the United States,
during which she became intimately ac-
quainted with DIR. Webster and his fam
lily, who show ed her much kindness and
attention. After her return to England
she continued to correspond with the FAM
lily and, one day, in the early autumn
of lS4S, n gentleman related to DR. Parks
man called upon her with an introduction
from Prof, Webster. On that night she
went to- bed at her usual hour, but soon
experienced horrible dream. She fan
cied that she was being urged by DIR.
Webster 10 assist him in concealing a sci
of human bones in a wooden box, and
she distinctly remembered that there was
thigh bone, which, after failing to break
it to pieces, they vainly attempted to in
sert, but it was too long. While thej
were trying to hide the box-as she fan
cied, under her bed-she awoke in stat.
ofahorror and cold preparation. She In
stently struck a.lisht, ard tried to dispe
the recollection of her horrible vision b,
reading. After lapse of two hours
during which she had determinedly fxec
her eyes on the book, she put out th'
lights and soon fell asleep. The sam,
dream again occurred, after which sh'
did not dare-alihough woman OF SIN
gular moral and pbysica! courage---to at
tempt to sleep any more that night
Early upon the following day she callet
upon the writer, and told him of her fear
ful experience of the past night. Nothing
more at the time was thought of thes
drooy,1s bnk shortly aftPrWard the new