Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-09-19
Dreams

=EfSWCl u lOO llCully llSttlf ONOllOtth-
ta4 Iie stomach, or strangeness OF loca
M A believer in dreams will answer
the1 feams come from some spilit TO warn
hl6I 8 good luck or i'll luck. In past ages
fINe and queens were ruled by dreams,
a. aEeam Interpreters were in great de-
n,and We laugh at the idea, and yet in
i6Is lie nineteenth century, every book
ssfs has its stock of dream books, and
Io|te2# tickets and real estate are sold on
EhS ltrength of dreams. Men enjoying
taIstionS us keen business men have
fstn known to purchase largely or spar
Of goods as dictated by dreams;
~fa7sn of sound mind have kept their
ck.|dfen from schools because they dream
oa 81 IRE; and out of one hundred young
IaIIss who may pass the night in strange
rom ninety Of them will put their shoe
6hfIsf lhe pillow or "name the bedpost,'
N order that their dreams may bring
fooa Iuck.
N H0uld destroy many pleasant To-
nance and belittle many II thrilling story
N ifHHuina,ion if readers were convinced
ihat ahgels do not whisper to sleeping
babies and bring the smile which delights
tho m0ther's heart, and that the spirits OF
sleaplof danger close at hand or of i'll
luck io come, The delusion Gf they are
deusIons) are widespread and popular, and
nothing but time and higher intellectual
standard will destroy them
Having suffered II serious injury not
lonq hgo, and being in II city of strangers,
lie writer was sent to II public hospital for
treatment. One day, after the pain of the
wound had been greatly reduced and com
Portable rest could be obtained, he fell
asleep. 1t was very quiet afternoon;
the ward was still and the sleep was heavy
"A dream came, dreamed that stood on
tie banks of river and saw and heard
The still waters breaking over rocks with
nroat noise. Great trees, rail, and logs
we're carried down, and | saw some OF
them ground to splinlers on the Jagged
rocks. Leaning over the banks to get
befl6rview, lost my hold and fell no,
aWoke. A fellow patient in the ward was
reading aloud to Il friend who was worse
III IHan either of us. There was no other
noisa. and | concluding that his tones had
SHAPED the current OF my dream, | deter
mined to make some experiments. At
thS efher end of the ward was II patient
ino over to him found him snoring away
ii aound sleep, Sitting near his head
and apeaking in low but distinct voice,
fepsaEed part of Poe's Raven" COM
neneing;
Once upon midnight dIcary.
had repeated only three lines when
lie Keeper ceased TO snore. AT the fifth
lina he moved little. AT the tenth | saw
k4sDiration on his forehead, and he was
nef4ons. As | finished the fifteenth he
Kwoke with shout. He had had a terri
hIe Dream. He dreamed that he was
sifuegling in the water, swimming to
reach boat, which kept dancing on ahead
of him, always just out OF reach lie was
ht length exhausted, and rs he found him.
self sinking he uttered cry and awoke
Had my tones caused him to dream OF wa
t8f. AZ the tones of the other man had
caused me to dream? Hardly prepared to
adnsIt or believe, proceeded 10 another
oot, occupied by n patient who had been
i'll 81 bilious fever, but who was now con-
ralescent and whose mind was clear. He
was Sleeping very quietly and evenly, as
Told bv timing his respirations.
III tones no louder than before, and
standipp within six feet of his head, re-
n|sssed the celebrated war speech of Pat
Siak Henry, ns | learned it when school
bar. After had uttered fifteen or twenty
words the sleeper moved his head; ten
worlds more and his breathing was very
irfeanar; | had not spoken above ten
minutes when lie gave sudden start and
awoke; and it was half a minute before he
a5nIa be convinced that his dream was not
rd,.i. He had dreamed of being out on II
rabid. muddy river in skiif and of losing
his nnrs and being carried over II dam. 10
fnish with this experiment OF theory l
n,aV state that out of twenty-one persons
tested at one time or another, have found
Ulneteen of them dreamed OF water when
oh8 stood near them and held conversation
81 fepeated verse or prose. 1t made no
iI|taFence whether they rested upon the
hShk OF side, whether the head was low or
hieh. or whether the bed was strange OF
fl9ifliar. In three instances the seepers
tgkfa enioyinp other dreams when began
a4saking, ane those were put to flight, and
arasms of water substituted. In each case
&ISa The dreams were of troubled waters
XN4 nerilous adventures. 1t cannot be
tI4.sned that there was any influence in
Nea6liarity of voice, for no less than six OF
sere engaged in the experiments; nol
VA IL be argued that the minds of ouI
victims were rendered nervous and sus'
aeaIibe by bodily sickness, for In twelve
tHsss we tested people wlo were IN per
eH health | have made repeated tests
an.side the hospital, and, while they were
6oS perfectly satisfactory us II whole, they
Fe SO successful rs to convince any can
ala mind that the sound Of human voice
ma perhaps the barking Of II dog, or the
nei4hing of Il horse, will cause most sleep
ls ID dream of adventure by water.
within a dav or two after our first eX
NsHsment fell asleepin the forenoon, and
aee1rding to q previous agreement, Tho
mon made another trial An accordeor
was brought in and one of them playe'
snSslv for three or four minutes, and ther
si4nek out with Il lively tune. was no
awakened, but there WAS IL movement 0
tka head, IL hand was lifted and it was no
nnfil the music ceased that my respiration
kaeane regular again. dreamed of stand
a near q chu ch ia my native village,
e'A which had neither seen OF dreamed
for fifteen years. The church buildin!
szd its surroundings appeared the same "a
shen 7 last beheld them. | saw man
1sbple going into church, and recognize
res of them, seeing among the rest,
en or more who had been dead fo
aVeral wears. 1t was summer, and as
sod there sounds of low, sad singing an
8h music floated out. When | wok
sre were tears in my eyes, and it was on
by strong effort that could shake o
AZ feeling OF sadness which the dreal
fsa left behind. Nearly every believer i
Ifeams believe that to dream of seein
I'D friends walking about in everyda
rb is sure warning that death will il
de the family, Or that some accident is
open, and yet it was natural enoug
IA the sounds of music made me drear
af music, and call up tender memorie:
bntinued experiments went to show th'
e minds of half dozen others were jus
susceptible. We tried the accorded
lille the ward master slept, playing so
aaa low again, and he awoke with tears
ia ewes. His parents had long been dea'
and he dreamed of seeing them both, an
ii his mother singing a pIaintive old ba
Iad. Singing had the same effect of II
4ccordeon on three patients, but anoth'
Vas totally insensible to both though trie
E.a,,I tin,ee Ont of twelve cases e,