The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1871-03-18

The Brains work iii sleep.

10 an unsDiStakablc
form of unconscious cercBtation. Here.
while consciousness is wholly dormant, |
the brain performs occasionally the most
brilliant operations. toleridgs's poem
soff'Kabla Khau," composed in opiate
sleep, is an instance OF its achievemcnts
in the realm of pure Imagination. Many
cases are recorded of students rising at
night, seeking their desks, and there
writing down wt.ole columns of algebra.
10 calculations, solutions of geomctric
problems, and opinions on difficult cases
OF law; Cabahis says, that Condillac
brought continually to a conclusion at
night in his Glssr; The ~teasonings of the
day. In all such cases the work done
asleep seems better than that done in
waking hours; nay there is no lack of r
anecdotes which would point to the pos.
sibiiity of persons in ain unconscious
state accomplishing things Beyond their
ordinary powers altogether. The mus
cul.r strength Of incn ia somnan,bulism
aud dellriura, their power of balancing
themselves on roofs, of finding their way
IN the dark, arc physical advantages re-
served for such conditions, Abnormal
acutencss of hearing is also u well. known
accompaniment OF them !; and in this
rclntlon We must understand the marvel.
Gus story runcl,rd for Ly the late Sir
Edward Burlington. llho captain iii
conimfnd vi Il unin-ot.war was one NIGHT
sleeping in his cabin, with d Sentinel,
as usual, posted ut his dior. In the
! n4i4ala IS liz ::aas a5 .sp;yin mug
his bell, called suddenly 10 the eeH.ihel,
and sharply desired him to tell the lieu
tenant Nf the watch to alter the ships
course by 80, many pDin,s. Next morn
'rg the officer. on greeting the captain,
observed chat it was most fortunate he
had beca sware Of their position and
had given shrii2a an oaler, as there had
beena mistake in the reckoning, and
pefAs
of striking ii reef. sIr!' said the aston
islied captain /. al gave no order |
slept soundly all night" The sentinel
was summoned, aud, of course, testified
that the experienced commander had,
IN some unknown way, learned the peril
oi his ship, aud saved it, even while in a
state of absolute INCONSISTENCIES.
Whatever residue of truth ihay be
found hereafter in the cruciblc wherein
shall have been tried the marvels of
sp~irlt-rapplng, mcsmerism; and hypno.
tism-wlatover revelation of f6ffgott.H
facts or successful hits at secrcts-is un-
lucstionably due to the action of uncon-
scious cerebratior. Tie person reduced
to a state of coma is liable 10 receive
suggestions from withous, and these
suggestions md queries are answered b.
his unconscious brain out of whatever
stores Of memory itmayrctain. What a
man neeer knew THAT no magic has. over
yet enabled Linn totcil but what he has
once known, and in his conscious hours
has forgotten, Mut, on the contrary, is
often recalled by the suggestive queries
OF tue operator when he IS in u state of
hypnotism y natural dream sometime,
does as much, as wit cess al tbs lisoly.
cries of hid len treasures, cprpse-, etc ,
made through dreams. generally wit.
the aid of the obvious m|icl.nr ~ OF a
ghost. General Slo,Mm mentions that.
being in pHrsnit OF Thugs up the coun,
try, his wife II mor"ing urgently en-
treated i:;:. 81 'no.g the. :anta ff5u, iiic
spot-a lovely opening in u jungle
where they had bccH pitched the previ-
Gus evening. She said she had bccu
haunted al tight by the sight OF dead
men. Information received during tho
day Induced the Gaucral to ord r. diy-
Sins under the ground whercon they had
campcd and beneath Mrs. Sleeman's
tent wero found fourteen corpscs, victims
of the Thugs. 1t is easily conceivable
that the foul oder of death suggested to
the lady, in The UNCONSCIOUS tercbration
of her dream, her horrible vision.
Drunkenness is u condition in which
thic conscious self is more or less com.
plctely obfuscatcd, but in $hicl, uincou.
scious ccrobratian goes on for a long
time. The rroverbial impunity with
which drunken meu fall Without hurt.
ing themselves can only bc attributed to