Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1872-01-23
"such SUR a. Dreams are Made on"

Dreams are nothing more than trains Of
thought. We think when we are asleep as
well as when a wake, and these sleeping
thoughts we calldreams. But there appears
TO be something more than mere thoughts.
We sec, we hear, we smell we taste, touch.
handle. We pass through the streets OF a
great city gaze at the noble buildings ad-
mire the splendid equipages ; hear suddenly
the salutaton of friend walk with him
talk with him part with him-and every
thing is as real to us, snd as firmly believed
as IL II were actual. How is thisf How do
We manage to impose upon ourselvcsY How
do our thoughts contiive TO cheat the con-
scious mind out Of which they spring To
penetrate the mystery VIC must remember
that the mind has two states Of conscious
ness sensations and ideas. Sensations are
the pictures OF outward nature, and ideas are
the pictures Of sensations. Sen5ations are
the images Of objects thrown upon the mind
with every shade Of brilliant coloring, but
fading the moments these objects are gone.
Ideas are the Photographic ligbt-and-shade
impression of these left on the memory and
as, when the photographs are placed in the
stereoscope, the effect Of reality is produced,
80 there are circumstances In which ideas,
by wonderful Illusion, produce all the
effects of sensations. We seem 10 see, not
mere pictures, but the actual scenes. Even
In our waking state ideas are sometimts mis-
taken for sensations; we believe ourselves
10 see OF 10 feel what we merely Imagine,
and all Ideas as well as eensasl9nR bring their
outward objects before the mind. When We
think of anything ii is always OF something
outside of ourselves. What We think Of
what we are conscious offs not the thought
itself, but its object. When we think OF
objects Of sight we mentally see them. We
recollect the Cathedral OF Cologne that
implies that it's lofty tower, its proportions,
It's exquisite tracery, are more or less dehni-
tely present to the mind. The memory re-
wives the faded pictures OF sensation. All
our thoughts of visual objects are therefore
visions-seen with the minds eye. In our
walking hours these vision are dimly seen,
because the visions OF sensation by their
greater brilllancy throw them into the shade;
in reverles however, they acquire considera.
bic force; and In sleep, when sensation Is in a
great measure shut out, they starlle US by
their viVidness, just as the stars which were
unseen during the day shine brightly in tho
darkness of the night.
If we reflect upon the limit which sleeps
Imposes on our field Of consciousness, we
shall not wonder at The change which 1t pro-
duces in our thoughts. When awake we
are constantly confronted by the outer
world. Our eyes are open, and objects OF
sight .iill our mind and modify all our other
mental states. Sensation is the dominan,
element in our consciousness. But in sleep
tue mind is In great measure isolated from
the outer world. The avenues Of sense are
closed. The mind is left with It's own
thoughts ; and these, though dim when in
conjunction with sensations, are now bright;
and as they are, as have already said, re-
presentation Of outward things we see in
our own imaginings all the phanlasInagoria
ms
towns, monsters and men, all named and all
uamcleF things.