Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-07-09

Rousing up again IN dreams, u VIII con
tinue the lines of thought which il had
been pursuing during the day, but al
ways with more or less OF the playful
waywardness which an Ariel might be
supposed to exhibit when released from
the control of a Prospero.
Perhaps the most curious specimen of
this class OF dreams that ever came under
our notice was this one. The subject
was boy of thirteen, busily employed
during the day and devoting his evenings
20 the classroom To allow time for
study ne rose early and retired late,
never wasted a moment, denied himself
everything in the shape of recreation,
and with the exception of his walks be.
tween the schoolroom and his place OF
business took no exercise The classes
he attended were formed in great part OF
adults. all OF whom had much more
leisiIc than himself, and most of whom
were merely renewing their acquaintance
with former reading, yet the boy
managed TO keep abreast OF the very
best Of his classmates. OF course such
exertions could not be made by mere
child with impumity. After six or seven
months of them he became subject to
singular malady. He never left his
books SO long as his eyes would keep
open When they refused to labor longer
he rctired--to fall at once into a heavy
sleep From this, however, he was sure
TO start. in half an hour or thereabout,
under the influence Of nightmare, which
compelled him rccite aloud every word
of the lessons of the day. The thing
was most painful, bat there was no es-
cape from il. Once in the grip of the
tormeDting hend he was constrained to
go on repeating declensions, conjuga-
tions, trigonOmetric formula and so on To
the very last syllable. Then the fit left
him TO 4 disturbed and unrefreshing
slumbcr. There was no remedy for the
disease save discontinuance OF study,
and to this the boy would not consent
even though this most repulsiye night
mare was yisibly and rapidly sapping his
constitution. AT length he was favored
with o strange dream. A face seemed TO
bend over him--one that he had never
seen before, but whose features remained
ever afteFward fixed in his memory. In
the decline Of life he used to tell most
interesting story Of his meeting with that
face twcnty.four years later, and of the
decisive influence which its owner exer-
cised over his destiny. This face, which
he described ~ beautiful, spoke in tones
delightfully."- sweet TO this effect: eff
somebody will watch by your bed, and,
when the nightmare sciZes you, rccitc n
certain passage" (which we shall specify
presently you will be set free to sleep
in peace" II was not till the dream re-
Cured more than once that the dreamer
yentured to mention il. II was laughed
at by all save nm elder sister, who made
up her mind to give fair trial TO the
remedy so curiously suggested. She did
so when her brother was next undergo.
ing his torture. Hardly had she begun
TO speak than he ceased TO go over his
lessons, and taking up the passage after
her he went through IL TO the end-quite
involuntarily as before, but very differ
emily, with an ease and comfort perfectly
indcscribable When the recitation was
over he sank into calm and refreshing
sleep. The experiment was repeated
night after night, and always with
still more satisfactory results than
before. BY degrees the pest relaxed its
grasp, and In nine or ten days vanished
forever. The passage employed was the
Lords Prayer"
The dreamer used 10 explain the mat.
ter thus Once, when thinking of his
strange aflliction, as he often did, and
casting about for nm antidote, there oc-
CURED to his memory piece OF old read
ing, in which IL was stated that the wounds
made one day by the application OF heated
iron might be cured on the next by a
similar application. While turning the
story over in his mind, conception Of
the remedy which, in the end, proved
beneficial glanced before him. but so
vaguely, and for so short period that
he could not grasp il. TO this passing
idea and to his efforts 10 arrest II, he at
Enthusiastically rs we think-the ma
terial portion Of the vision. The passage
recommended for recitation he accounted
for by the fact that he had been piously
trained. But this later opinion was that
paragraph from aprofanc author would
have served just as well As to the APP
pearancc of the dream.facc in real life
a notion in which he was obstinate to an
extent uncomfortable in n mind SO logical
we may remark that strong imaginings
and intense affections play strange tricks
with our impressions.
More curious than even intellectual
dreams are those which are retrospective
and premonitory. That there are such
things candid people will admit That
there may be such things reasonable PEG.
pie will hardly deny. 1t is but natural
that an event which has made deep inn
preston upon vivid brain should be re-
called in sleep. II is just as natural that
an event which Is anticipated with earn
est hope or apprehension should be pre-
figured in dream by the same brain. In
the former case, the dream will be the
shadow of real occurrence, and correct
in proportion to the depth Of the impress
sion left by that occurrence. In the lat
ter case the shadow will be truthful in
proportion to tilc accuracy with which
we measure the circumstances which are
molding the event so anxiously expected
But occasionally premonitory and ret
respective dreams present faithful pic
lures of events with which we could
have had no previous acquaintance, and
concerning which we could have formed
no anticipation. Twenty years ago there
dwelt in u large seaport a family, the
head Of which was "A widow, in feeble
health. One of her sons, youth of
eighteen, was employed on vessel
trading TO South America. News had
reached home of his recovery from yell
low fever, thing that Is thought to Sc
cure immunity from the disease for the
future His relatives, therefore, felt no