The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-09-10
aRiSrellaTeuus.
DREIMS

...s,s, b,s, DRE4MS.51, Jill
There are subjects which have been
dealt with by the weak and designing
until society has learned to regard them
as Ehe peculiar property Of these people,
Whoever, therefore, SELECTS one
df them for investigation must eX-
pect 10 become an object of suspicion.
he Is pretty certain to be set down as
willing to be deceived himself, which Is
bad; or AZ meaning To deceive others,
which is worse.
Such prejudices, unfortunate as they
always are for the progress OF science,
we consider especially unfortunate as re-
cards dreams. Being phenomena, they
would be fair matter for study under any
circumstances; but bearing, as they do,
ON such interesting problems as those
tllat concern life and spirit, they seem to
US dOubly worthy of attention.
Did savans agree to note and analyze
such dreams rs came under their own
observation, and to make mutual eX-
change of facts, IDEAS and conclusions,
the results, we are persuaded, would
prove very valuable notably to the
psychologist. But it is only the dreams
that come Immediately under their own
Slservation that the scientific may ven
ture to reason with safety Little reli-
ance IL to be placed on those recorded by
history. While nearly all such comes to
us at second hand, large proportion is
evidently fabricated from beginning to
end; and most of the remainder have
....sl.,,Nl.g ,aVs.ntalflaH hU tho
nArrat0rs into things much more pictur-
esqne than the originals. Hardly one Of
thsm has that dreamy film-that envel-
ope OF unreality-which is never want
ing to the pictures beheld by the eyes of
slumber.
Nor are the dreams told by people in
general of much scientific value. Weak
and fanciful minds dwell too intently
upon their visions. They smooth here
and develop there, unwittingly perhaps,
but still very efIectually-until their de-
ncriptions become mixture, wherein it
IS impOssible.t to distinguish that which is
dream from that which is invention.
The str0nger-minded go TO another eX-
treme. They recount their dreams, if at
all, with scorn or Misunderstanding US a
meagre skeleton or a alricature.
In our own opinion even the most ex-
traordinaFy dreams are capable of ra-
tiOnal explanation. Take, for example,
those Of religious enthusiasts. In every
instance the visions of such people
tfahspOft them tothe lmysti world, ex-
hibiting Il under ASPECTS Of delight OF
4, terfOf, according 10 their temperament
They are always soaring To heaven OF
diving 70 the internal regions7always
speeding of tO the cOmpaniOnship Of
angels or demOns-the staple of the
aream being invariably hlOilOn. Now,
Ne have observed that dreams in which
motion predOminates, are accOmpani-
meut9 ofa certain state of the blood
which, for lack of better word. We will
4 tern,- -tlinnsss. This "thinnezsp may
proceed frpn opposite eauses--it may be
DE result of austerity, voluntary OF
forced. OF Of Indulgence that exhausts,
With. ,comnpn-place personages aIch
dfvaABs leave only diagreeablp impres-
iOns. Not 50 with the enthusiast. Here
the vision pFod0ced ,hylthe state Of the
blood, is acted upon by the ardent spirit
uf the Rid0naryS upon which it reacts
in turn, with consequences most impOr.
tant to the world ,ntlargc. such dreams
are accepted as revelations; and out Of
them arr cdpstructed\ dpgIIbls which be.
rome. hi time, tile foundations of social
Finstitdfi0hs. Most 0Of the hlortrines
which fastened pTdeeply on the Pagan
mind OF, all climes, and ages, and u large
proportion of thtjse Which sank so deep
ly into the mindof medieval Christian.
ity, we're dedueed from the visions which
mortifcations or vices presented Ia the
slumbers OF enthusiasm. It is humilia.
ting tO think that creeds which exercise
such tremendous influence oyer man.
kind, should have bad such an origin
Bot that the fact is as We state, no i'm.
partial student of history will deny.
Remarkable among dFeams are those
in which the intellect works with full
power, and even attains, at times, re
sults beyond reach inr the waking state
Stories have been tod Of mathemati
clans mastering, on the pillow, Difficult
tics which baified them in the study
and Of musicians and poets producing il
slumber compositions quite equal to th,
best of their other efforts. Nor are sucl
doinGs eonfnsd 10 master brains lik,
that of Colridge: they are, indeed; mucl
more common, than the world wOulC
suspect. Ono bf these 6ufiosities of lit
erature, heretofore unpublished, va
produced, q good uiany years ago, by
sady Of our aequaintanceJ who laid no
the smallest claim u, literary abihty
We should premise that on the day pre-
ViOus she had been much inteFestedb b,
the Sorro'rs of lReni,er, a novel NOR
fashionable then than now, and tina
she had Supplemented this choice bito
reading by the study Of the story and tn,
songs Of SapphO. She retired Will
fancy and feeling highly excited {,
dream a dream Of love, wherein ther,
was much adventure, plenty Of passion
aud not a little despair-quite a three
Folume-romance sort of dream. which
however, as the lady took care to ob
serve, had in no part the smallest fDun
dali0n in the reality Of her own lie
she being then altogether heart-hole
that ig when awake. The despairin,
pianse wound mp the vision; and thu
dreamsr awoke. Just as she had compile
tsd tie following lines, which she los