Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-12-18
Curfosfties or Dreams,

The following shows how a dream
may be true and yet not true, in curl
GUS way. Itwas lately told to the writer
by one secondarily connected with the
circumstances. The narrator occupied
lodgings in Edinburgh in company with
friend at the time Of the occurrence.
One morning, during the winter before
last, his fellow-lodger said to my in
fOrmant: :" had curious dream about
John Fleming last night. [ dreamt that
he was drowned while skating on Dun
sappie loch. haven't been able to get
the thing out of my head. The loch will
be bearing to-day. Supposing we walk
over after Office hours and see the skat-
ing?"
TIE young men took their way in the
afternoon to Dunsappie loch. There,
sure enough, among the skaters was their
friend John Fleming. Portions of the ice
were but in an Indifferent state for skat-
ing, and the two young men, who were
not themselves skaters, warned their
friend of the dangerous ground. But the
skater made somewhat light of their
fears, and showed himself more venture
some than was quite .judicious in the cir
cumstances. However, no mischance
befell; the skater finished his sport IN
and his companion--my infOrmant-the
former good deal relieved in mind. re-
turned home. While the dreamer was
looking over the Scotsman next morning.
one of the first things his eve fell upon
was paragraph recounting the death on
the previous day of young man named
John Fleming, who had been drowned
while skating. 1t was, of course. some
other John Fleming-anothe Young
man of the same name.
1t is of course an uncommon thing
for persons to have dreams Of this
character-for the poet to dream verses
1.-The novelist plots and situations-the
barrister cause.-the mathematician
roblems-but it is very rarely that these
dreams are of any practical service to the
dreamers. They vanish with the waking,
leaving only a vague and incongruous
memory. We have all heard persons re-
late how they have successfully wrought
out in their sleep some piece OF work
that has been exercising their mental
faculties all day; but the above is one OF
the few instances the present writer has
ever known of a dream Of this naturere-
sulting thus practically.
There are, however, historical ex-
amples of the same kind, one of which
relates to the poet Campbell, and is not,
! think, very widely known. While
Campbell was engaged in composing
" Lochiers Warming he became per-
picked as to how lie should best put
into rythmical shape an idea which was
working in his brain. He had been
striving whole day to find adequate
expression for his thought, but night
found him still unsatistieG It will be
remembered by readers that Campbell
was fastidious and difficult to please in
regard to niceties of language. With his
mind still running in the same groove he
went to bed and fell asleep. While he
slept. the idea flashed through his brain
clothed in fitting and adequate words.
He started up in bed, suddenly wide
awake, rose, struck light, sat down at
a table. and instantly wrote the we'll
known couplet.
q Tis the sunset oi life gives me mystical lore,
And events to come cast their shadows before"
The poet then went to sleep again.
In the morning he made single altera-
tion in the couplet, writing for events
to come" " coming events" the shape
in which of course the lines appeared in
the comp 'eted poem. .--Cham5ers Jour
nal.