The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-11-27

ward from the floor, and thus dance
about the room in what was years AFTER
ward known as popular music nan
dance under the name of. tie " Fef1ec,
Cure.'' This she would continue untll
thoroughly fatigued, and then i'etlr s
quietly to bed and to sleep. ain gl;s,
to add the case did end truly in a per.
feet cure, without the Intervention of
strait.waistcoat or private asylum.
This strange state is generally called
somnambulism. It Is really alternating
identity, in which the ordinary state of
mind is suspended, and another identity
Il do not know what else to call it
takes possession of the individual, and,
like warp and welt, alternates without
mixing, the warp presenting continuity
at one time and the welt the same at
another. One Of these alterations oc-
ours more often in sleep, when the or
binary mental power is no longer gov
erned; and hence the attack is called
somnambulisni. The somnambulist will
weave the somnambulisfn of one night
with that of the preceding into con-
tinuous warp or welt, and so with the
ordinary mental power; and thus the
two identities alternate, but do not mix.
This alternating identity will, however,
occasionally force itself into the waking
hours, and thus the two identities divide
the unhappy being between them.
A young lady under my observation
exhibited an instance of this. For some
time a somnambulist, the alternating
identity at length became strong enough
to intrude upon her waking hours. Her
ordinary perceptive and voluntary pow
ers would be suddenly arrested during
the day, and whether at music or work
no matter how employed-the in
terruption was sudden and instantane-
Gus. If at the piano or harp, voluntary
movement ceased at the moment; if
walking across the floor, she remained
in the position in which she was when 1t
occurred, and remained thus for a lon
ger or shorter time She would sit at
dinner apparently as cheerful and col
lected as as any one at the table. At
the time of which 1 speak, it was Gus
tomary for guests to take wine with one
another. A gentleman would ask her
to take wine. She bowed her head as
usual; and, in raising the glass to her
mouth, there suddenly passed over her
face and figure slight but indescriba-
BILE shudder. She Immediately lost all
knowledge of those about her, and would
address them with names quite foreign
to them. This state would continue for
two days, until at dinner on the third
day she would turn to her relative and
say in her natural tone: "Did you not
b %o1y1 f,,,
state then returned; but those altera-
tons became more frequent and more
painful, until at length the unfortunate
girl was deprived of the society of all
but her nearest relatives.
[Cases of sleep-walking are by no
means unfrequent, and the habit some
times runs in families. In family with
which we are connected, the children
while young were all more or less adj
dicted to sleep-walking. One of the
younger branches, a girl of Is, on one
occasion rose from her bed, and, walk
ing down stairs, entered the drawing
room, where were assembled few
guests. Fortunately the girls habit was
known to most of the company, who,
instead OF evincing horror of the I'M
wonted visitor, treated the matter in a
philosophic light, and even maintained
their usual conversation as the girls
father took her hand and led her up
stairs to bed. Had the somnambulist
been rudely awakened, the consequence
might have been serious; and the calm
demeanor of the spectators and judi
cious management Of the girls parent
on the occasion we have related. NAV.
perhaps, act as hint to others who
may be similarly situated. Never awake
a sleep-walker if it can possibly be
avoided.-EDIToR CHAMBERs's JOUR-
NAL.