Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-06
NOTES ON DREAMING,
How Some Dreams May BE and Vet
Are Net T,rne.

Few subjects. says Chambers Journal. have
been oftener written upon than that Of dreams
and dreaming; yet, frequently as the theme has
keen treated. It is of that sort which never
seems to lose interest for the generality OF per-
sons. No doubt the subject is a vague and to
considerable extent an unsatisfactory one-one
upon which you may talk and write very long
time. and at the end be not much wiser than
you were at the beginning. But as long as peo-
Pile dream they will continue to talk about their
dreams, just as mankind will continue to talk
about the weather so long as there is rain and
sunshine. heat and cold, and not only to talk
about but TO be more or less curious concerning
them We have no wish to speak about dreams
either from psychological or any other aspect.
What is proposed to do is to record few facts
and observations. with the preface that the
greater portion OF what follows either came ut-
der the writer's own experience or was related
to him by friends as having happened to them
selves. Upon this fact, indeed, depends alto
gether whatever interest these notes may pos
The following shows how dream may be true
ana yet not true. In curious way. 1t was
lately told to the..writer by one secondarily con-
necfed 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 odger said to my informant: 81 had
curious dream about John Fleming last night.
dreamt he was drowned while skating on Dun
sappe Loeb. l haven't been able to get the
thing out OF my head. The lOch will be bearing
to-day. Surprising we walk over after Office
hours and see the skating?"
The young men took their way in the after
noon to Dunsappie Loeb. There sure enough,
among the skaters was their friend John Flem-
ing. Portions OF the ice were in but an indif-
ierent state for skating. 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 bold and ventureSOme than
was quite judiciouS In the circumstances. How
ever, no miSchance befell: the skater finished
his sport unScathed, and the dreamer OF the
dream and his companion-my informant-the
former good deal relieved in mind, returned
home While the dreamer was looking over the
scotsman next morning, one of the first things
his eye fell upon was paragraph recounting
the death on the previous day of a young man
named John Fleming, who had been drowned
While skating. 1t was, of course, some other
John Fleming--another young man OF the same
name
1t is of course an uncommon thing, as we have
on more than one occasion noted in these pages,
for persons to have dreams of this character
for the poet to dream verseS-the novelist plots
and SituatiOnS-the barriSter cause.-the mathe-
matician prOblems-but it is very rarely that
these dreams are of any practical service to the
dreamers. They vanish with the waking, leav-
ing only vague and incOngruous memory. We
have ali heard persons relate how they have sue
ceSSfully 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 nature resulting thus practically.
There, are, however, historical examples 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
9 Lochiels Warning" he became perplexed as to
how he should best put into rythmical shape an
idea which was working in his brain. He had
been striving whole day to find adequate ex-
preston for his thought, but night found him
still unSatiSTed. 1t will be remembered by read
erS 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 brat 1 clothed in hitting
and adequate words He sta, Ted up in bed, sud
denly wide awake, rose struck light sat down
at table, and Instantly wrote the well-known
couplet:
''Tis the sunset of 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 alteration in the COUP
let, writing for ''eventS to come" 'scoming
events" the shape in which of course the lines
appeared in the completed poem.