The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-05-13
DIsCOvERIES MADE THROUGH
DREAMS

DISCOVERIES MADE THROUGH
DREAMS.
A certain lawyer was seriously per-
plexed with complicated law case In
the night his wife saw him get up,walk
to q writing table, compose an elabo-
rate "opinion," place it carefully in a
drawer, and return to bed. Next
morning he remembered nothing of
his dream, and could not believe it
till his wife gave him occular demon
stration of the fact by pointing ont the
drawer where the "epinion" lay COM
plete.
Students and poets are often indebt-
ed to dreams for their brightest ideas,
and the marvellous composition Of the
fragment Kubla Khan" by Coleridge
will occur TO eYeay reader. He says
he had fallen asleep in his chair while
reading in "Purchas' Pilgrimage" of q
palace built by Khan Kubls, and re-
mained asleep about three hours, dur
ing which time he "couid not have
composed less than two or three hun
dred lines" The images rose before
him as things. and with them the cor
responding expressions, +" without any
sensation, or consciousness of effort. :"
When he awoke he instantly sat down
to commit his composition to paper,
but was called away by q person on
business, and when he returned to re-
sumo the poem it had utterly vanished
from his memory.
Languages long forgotten, or appar-
emily but mperfectly known in wax
ing life, have been known to return in
dreams and delirium. Abercrombie
relates several authenticated instances
of this sort; and the writer knew an
able clergyman who, when a boy,
preached over in his sleep the sermon
he had last heard, seemingly word for
word, and it was no uncommon oc-
currence. for his friends to gather
round his bedside to hear his discourse.
Bot he was endowed with marvellous
memory in his waking hours; and on
one occasion, it is said, he learned
three books of Euclid on his way
home from school.
Missing documents and forgotten
places are sometimes recovered In
dreams. Sir Walter Scott, in his
notes to the "Antiquary," speaks of a
gentleman sorely troubled in his mind
because he was pressed for the pay
ment of some tithe money which he
believed was unjustly charged, and
which he had a confused recollection
of having been bought ont by his de-
ceased father many years ago. In his
dreams he thought the shade of his
father appeared TO him and inquired
the cause of his grief. Not at all start
led by the apparition he grayely stated
the facts of the case. The shade told
him that he must seek out an old law
yer who had retired from professional
business and was now living at Inver-
SEX. He gave the lawyers name and
remsrked that the papers relating to
the purchase of the tithes were in his
hands now, but that the transaction
had occurred many years ago. and this
was the only one in which the lawyer
was eyer engaged on his account, it
would be necessary to call it to his
recollection by this token, that :. when
/ went to pay his account there was a
difficulty in getting change for Por-
'tugal piece of gold, and we were forced
to drink out the balance at a tavern"
On reaching Inveresk the gentleman
called upon the lawyer, who could not
remember the transaction referred to,
until the incident of the Portugal coin
was mentioned, when it all recurred to
his memory. The documents were
handed over and taken to Edinburg to
prove his case.