The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-11-27

i do not know what else to call it
takes possession of the individual, and,
like warp and weft, alternates without
mixing, the warp presenting continuity
at one time and the weft the same at
another. One of these alterations oc-
ours more often in sleep, when the or
/ dinary mental power Is no longer gov
/ erned; and hence the attack is called
| somnambulism. The somnambulist will
weave the sOmnambuliSm of one night
with that of the preceding into a CON
tinuous warp or weft, 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 it
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 [ 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
ask me to take wineP" Her natural
state then returned; but those altera-
tiOns became more frequent and more
painful, until ut 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 a family with
which we are connected, the children
while young were all more or less ad-
utCbCN " SlGCp-W clAhllt2 NJLt VI lllC
younger branches, a girl of 10, on one
occasion rose from her bed, and, walk
ing down stairs, entered the drawing
room, where were assembled a few
guests. Fortunately the girls habit was
known to most of the company, who,
instead of evincing horror of the un-
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, may,
perhaps, act as a hint to others who
may be similarly situated. Never awake
sleep-walker if it can possibly be
avoided.--EDITOR CHAMBERs's JOUR-