The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-07-30

been walking in her sleep to her sisters
grave, and needed medical care at once. :"
So the ghost was effectually laid.
And yet it would not be at all true to say
that the mind always continues its waking
thoughts during sleep; that it never calls
up anything save what has already passed.
DR.. Bushnells famous California story re-
flutes such narrow suppostion. Captain
Yount was visited with dream of party
of emigrants perishing of cold and famine
in valley, near Il perpendicular cliff of
white stone they were endeavoring to eat
the tree tops rising out of deep CULTS of
snow; the distress upon their faces was
distinctly seen. The dream was repeated.
In the morning the impression was SO
strong that 1ount related it to an old hun
ter, who recognized the spot at once. So
that, in spite of ridicule, they organized
relief party, and with mules, blankets and
provisions, proceeded to the spot, found the
predicted number of sufferers and brought
them safely to California, where some of
them still do live. One would like to know
if this brave adventurer had not been hear
ing, reading or telling that night of some
such experience, so as to give color to
the dream which followed if his imagi.
nation had not shaped the scenery; if he
really saw little to correspond with what
he feretold and if his final report was sci
entifically exact.
Hardly anybody knows the fact that
man may determine his own Dreams
Giron de Buzaringues found out that, by
leaving his knees uncovered, he could dream
OF travelling in diligence by keeping the
back of his head open to the air lie dreamed
of performing religious service out OF
doors by stripping himself of all clothes,
he seemed to be parading the streets in
utter nakedness.
The strangest thing to most persons is
that hardly anytime is consumed in the
longest dream, because the imagination
disdains all outward bonds. In sleep of
ten minutes, one of Abercrombes friends
crossed the Atlantic and returned; which
almost equals Mohammed's visit to Heaven
while his pitcher was falling over Another
gentleman dreamed of enlisting, deserving,
being condemned and led out to be shot;
all while some transient noise was occurring
in the next chamber. So Macnish made
voyage to India, remained some days in
Calcutta, then visited Egypt, and had the
honor of an interview with Mehemet Ali,
Cleopatra, and Saladin; all in very brief
slumber.
The study Of these phenomena would be
as ample as it is confessedly delicate were
no prophetic character about the mind in
this state. Some of the discoveries made
III dreams are as hard to explain as others
are easy. That young Scotchman, who
was about to lose his paternal inheritance
because deed could nowhere be found,
might well explain it to the increased ener-
sy of imagination, acting at time when
nothing Outward disturbed its range, that
his father seemed standing by his bedside
with sweetly sad countenance, reminding
him of the cover of the hall bible in which
he had placed the missing document for
safe keeping. During the daytime, his
imagination was too much distracted by
passing sights and sounds to secure that
protracted thought necessary to revive all
the past OF his experience. In sleep, his
mind fastened upon his faith er's couusels:
he would seem living with him again; he
would show him once more where his prin-
clpal papers were placed, and so bring back
to him the document on which lawsuit
was just being decided
The teller in Glasgow bank, whose ac-
counts showed deficiency of six pounds,
eight months afterward recalled an impor-
tunate stammerer, who insisted on being
paid this amount out of regular order; the
only astonishing thing was that so long a
line should have elapsed before the dream
occurred. Might it not be that such a
yision had occurred earlier, but had not
'een recalled in waking hours, as only a
mall proportion of ones night-thoughts
re ever remembered? A very common .
tory is of this sort. A young Scotch lady .
vas IN love with an officer of Sir John :,
loore's, in the Peninsular war. Her 1.
plrlts suffered because of his perpetual :,
Xposure; she became melancholy, and :,
elieved that she had parted with her lover b
brewer. EVERYTHING was done by her :,
arents to restore her gaiety in vain. All "
he life of Edinburg could not enliven her 4
all. Not unnaturally, she saw her lover /,
1 her sleep open the curtains of her bed .,
nd inform her that he had been slain in !,
attic, but that she must not lay it to heart ",
few days after she was dead The y.
lSht OF the apparitiOn was that of the -
attic Of Corunna, in which the young man q,
ad persisted. of course, the ninety-nine 90
mes in every hundred where the event ~
oes not correspond are dismissed and for 20
'tten; only the correspondence are 6.
ensured up, and made the gospel of the ~,
edulous.
The nnwisest thing of all is to at -,
oh a superstitious Importance to our os
cams, imagine them supernatural when M
icy are only tokens of ill-health; or ho
ire these nocturnal visitations which -
ten tend to insanity. The book of most 40
etension on this subject, the 90 Philoso- -
~ OF Sleep tells of woman who was a.,
wen by dream into such insanity that i.
e took to the woods, lived there for seven 49,.
ars, until storm gave occasion for her 81,
pture, when she gradually recovered her II,
INT mind. Much worse cases than this ~,
otch one have occurred. At Gardiner. I,r
aine, man felt prompted in sleep to
IN neighboring church, and murder
IMAM against whom he had some grudee.
lie last crime was only prevented by the
'est which followed the first. The case alo
Bernard Schidmaizig illustrates the w:
nous acquittal OF the Maine murderer be1
the plea of somnambulism. Bernard the
rted up at midnight seized the hatchet Fol-
ich he always kept near him, and struck pat
a phantom standing by his bedside fire,
at blow fell on his wife, She died the upe
It day. But, auful as the result was. he be
S not consciously guilty. His delusion wit
Gla.a