The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-12
MECHANICS COURSE.
Lecture by Hon. j ohm j. Perry.

Lecture by Hon. John j. Perry.
The lecture given before the Mechanics course
last evening by Hon. John J. Perry, was very
interesting, and despite the severity of the
weather there was good audience In attend
ance. The subject of the lecture was Dreams
and Dreamers." The following abstract gives
but faint idea of the lecture as it was deliv-
cred.
The speaker commenced with the idea that
mankind live in two worlds, thesreal and the
IDEAL With emotions of pleasure We behold
the material world, its lofty mountains and fer
tile wales. We listen to the grum music of the
ocean and admire the majestic stream, as it
courses It's way to the sea. These all have a
real existence Notwithstanding we are sur
rounded by these grand works of nature, we
sometimes break away from the mundane moor
ings which bind US to the real bid good bye to
the stern facts connected with real life, and
launch our little boats upon the broad sea of
fertile imagi nation.
While we meet those who plod along and
spend their years bravely contending with life's
stern realities, we find others who have no real
relish for the solids of terra frms, but live in
air and upon air.
These thoughts bring US directly to the con-
sderation of our subject, dreams and Dream
ers" Doubtless all have been delighted and
pleased, and at other times terrified and fright
ened by literal dreams.
+ Let US enquire a little into the phenomena of
dreams Every dream, to the dreamer, for the
time being is reality. In dreaming we have
all the sensations, feelings aud excitements we
lave in our waking hours.
Another popularity of dreams is the rapdity
with which our thoughts travel during onr
sleeping hours. In our dreams we can break
fast 10 Boston. dine in London, and take tea in
the far off city of Pekin, among the Chinese,
and all in less time than it takes to relate it
There is no order or regularity in our dreams.
Dreaming has no absolute rules; our thoughts
fly from one subject to another without any re-
gard TO order.
Consciousness ordinarily is but feebly exer-
csed In our dreams, and yet there are some
times connecting links between the phantasy
of dream and external objects. Again our
mental and physical condition has more or less
to do with our sleeping hours. We always
dream during our sleeping hours, for the soul
is always active, whether asleep or awake
Are dreams supernatural at the present day?
While | would give general negative answer,
l must contess there are occasional cases where
1T would seem dreams have supernatural sig
nificanee (several marked instances of this kind
were here related by the speaker.) Dreams
sometimes turn to good account. We cream
out what we cannot study out in our waking
hours.
Second, We dream more when awake than
during our sleeping hours. All of us have
tunes and seasons when our heads are filled
with phantoms and visions.
Old Dr. Watts says: This life's dream, an
empty show" but L dissent in part, at least,
from this sentiment In youth we indulge more
ia day dreams than at any period in life. Boys
OF ten dream they are wiser than their fathers,
whom they denominate 'old fogies," not fit to
teach 'young America Girls ripen into wo-
manhood remarkably young and have delight
fal reverles OF their mothers in the kitchen and
they in the parlOrS receiving "callS." And
what dreams of love steal the hearts and be-
wilder the heads of the young Others lose
much of life by an undue reliance upon others
instead of depending upon themselves.
The dreams of the dScontented man are the
most gloomy hateful. cherries phantoms that
ever troubled the widest brain. The soldiers
dreams of home come to him like Angels visits,
the dull hours of the sentineps tramp
Professional life has its dreamers, and they
are found at the Bar, among The clergy and the
practitioners of medicine and surgery. The
great mass in all these PROFESSIONS are high
minded, honorable men; but among the ficst
are pettfoggers; the second, men who have had
calls to lrelaud'-but none to preach; and the
third quacks and mountebanks.
Politicians are notorious dreamers What
startling dreams we had within the last six
months In regard TO the recent Presidential
election. Men had been dreaming out results,
and more or less of their numbers are dream
ing still 10 the same direction.
A long list of eminent statesmen have had
anxious dreams-in the directiin of the white
House which have ended in disappointment.
John Browns dreams of emancipation were
at the time denounced as the widest fanatai-
clsm, yet thu y are now verified In history.
Our patriotic forefathers clearly saw the
shadows which preceded coming events the
crumblIng away of the mOnarcbieS of the old
word-and the establishment of permanent
free government founded upon the will of the
people. We are now century old. We have
lived long enough to demonstrate, not only
that We have government, but that We have
Inherent vitality and power enough to preserve
and maintain IL against rebels as home and
foes abroad.
Aud let no political dreamer rise up aud de-
Clare the union is in danger from the excite
ments OF the last Presidential election.
Only few years since Presidential cleo
ton Was m ade pretext of an amount of money
can be computed and the people neither North
nor South have any desire to repeat the expert
meDt. And that man who would counsel an
other rebellion, to settle auy Of the compilca
tons now existing 10 this government, Is De-
Iore GOD and his country a traitor, and deserves
to hang as high as Hannah There is not
single disturbing question before US which is
not susceptible of peaceful solution. What
Il g people want is sratesmanship-a love of
country above party, an intense patriotism
that Will lift US above the petty tricks and
bubbles of demagouges. And what the people
earnestly and persistenLly demand, they will
in the end obtain, aud the dreams OF traitors
and partisans Will come to an end. Our coun-
try to-day is stronger than ever before, and we
are marching on to higher and more glorious
DESTINY.