Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-07-01
REMARKABLE DREAM.


REMARKABLE DREAM.
Abraham LincOln's Prophetic
Dream.
No trait in the character of Abraham
! Lincoln was more prominent and ad.
mired than his domesticity and love oil
those times when he could surround
himself with his family and entertain
himself and them with cheerful and
profitable conversation. In the midst
,ot his great cares and responsibilities
at Washington, these were the scenes
in which he took his true delight. Often
the pressure of business deprived him
of the opportunity to meet his family
in this way, but there was seldom a
Sunday evening that he failed to gather
his wife and children in one of the
rooms of the White House for loving
intercourse. He used to call these
meetings the Glove Circle"
While he was neither q professor of
religion nor even fixed in his belief in
any particular creed, still he was fond
of reading and discussing the Bible.
On these Sunday evenings he invari-
ably read chapter or two from the
Scriptures, and then gave his explana-
ti0n of 1t. One evening he read num-
Der of passages In both the Old and New
Testaments relating to dreams, to which
Mrs. Lincoln and the children gave
great attention. At length he raised
his eyes from the book and said:
sit is strange how much there is in
the Bible about dreams There are,
think, some sixty different chapters in
the Old Testament and four in the New
in which dreams are mentioned, and
there are many other passages that refer
to visions. If we believe the Bible
we must accept the fact that In those
days God and his angels came to men
in their sleep In dreams. Now a days
dreams are regarded as very foolish
things, and are seldom told, except
among old women, and young men and
maidens."
"Well," said Mrs. Lincoln, with a
slight smile, ''do you believe in
dreams?" ~
"Frankly | can say that l do not;
but / had one the other night that has
haunted me ever since. When opened
the Bible this evening, strangely
enough, 1t was at the passage relating
TO Jacobs dream, and have turned to
others and read them, as In keeping
with my own thoughts turning in that
direction"
Mr.. Lincoln looked serious, and he
was evidently rejecting on the subject
"Do tell the dream, father!" cried
bright-eyed little Tad Lincoln.
"Why," said Mrs. Lincoln, "you be-
gin to frighten me with your solemn
looks"
.'I'm afraid I've done wrong to men,
tion the subject at ALL" remarked Mr..
Lincoln quite seriously; "but somehow
or other the thing has got possession Of
me.n
"I'm astonIshedn' cried Mrs. Lin
coin, "for ! don't regard dreams in the
slightest
Well, Pm glad to hear you say that, |
for then l know it will not trouble |
you.'
Thus urged and pressed, Mr.. Lincoln
began the narration of his dream. Mrs. |
Lincoln was seated at his side, looking
intently into his face, and his beloved |
Tad was leaning upon him. AS he pro-
ceeded they all grew more and more in
terested, when Mrs. Lincoln with her
contempt for dreams was visibly moved.
Mr.. Lincoln spoke in these words:
"About ten days ago retired quite
late. L had been up waiting for i'm
portant dispatches from the front, and
could not have been long in bed be-
fore fell into slumber, for | was very
weary. Dnring my slumber | began to
dream. l thought that there was great
stiffness about me, and heard weeping.
thought that | got up and wandered
down stairs. The same stiffness was
there; as / went from room to room / I.
heard moaning and weeping. At length
came to the end room, which en-
tered, and there before me was a mag
nificent dias, on which there was a
corpse. Here there were sentries and a
crowd of people. said to one of the
soldiers:
"Who is dead in the White House?" !
He answered: II
"The President"
"HOw did he die 2" / asked.
BY the hand Of an assassin" was the {
'eply. {
'fhen l heard great wailing all !
'ver the house, and it was so loud it
eemed to awake me. / awOke much G
and slept no more during the
light. Such was my dream. II
swell, father, l don't wonder that
uch dream made an impression upon
7ou," said Robert Lincoln. - In
"Let us talk no more about it." said
drs. Lincoln, Sand try to forget it. o
Father, you must stop dreaming Ii you i
annot dream pretty aud romantic
hings" 7
81 make solemn matter ont of IL +
hat is fact. Come, cheer up, all of
'ou. Our Love Circle must not be a II
one.'' t
From this moment he launched into afse
1ore lively style of conversation, and
made every effort to remove a
he impression created by his dream. G
n fact he rebuked himself for telling 1t
: all, and was only induced to do it n
y the persuasion which was addressed @
J. him. --.s-,-z-...-.s