The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-05-04
Misrfllann.
EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS.

Discoveries Made Through Them.
A writer in the April number of Tenn
Pile Bar has the following about dreams: !:
A certain lawyer was seriously perplex-
ed with complicated law case. In the
night his wife saw him get up, walk to
d writing table, compose an elaborate
"opinion," place it carefully in drawer
and return to bed Next morning he
Remembered nothing of hisream, and
could not believe it till his wife gave
him ocular demonstration of the fact by
lpointing out the drawer where the 'opin-
ION lay complete.
Students and poets are indebted to
dreams for their bright ideas, and the
marvellous composition of the fragment
|"Kubla Khan," by Coleridge, will occur
to every reader. He says he had fallen
asleep in his chair while reading in "Pur-
chas' Pilgrimage" of palace built by
Khan Kubla, and remained asleep about
three hours, during which time he "could
not have composed less than two or
three hundred lines" The images rose
before him as things, and with them the
corresponding 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 person on busi'
ness; and when be returned to resume
the poem it had utterly vanished from
his memory.
Languages long forgotten, or appar-
emily but imperfectly known in waking
life, have been known to recur in dreams
and delirium. Abercrombie relates sew.
eral authenticated instances of this sort
and the writer knew an able clergyman
who, when boy, preached over in his
sleep the sermon he had last heard,
seemingly word for word, and it was no
uncommon occurrence for his friends to
gather round his bedside to hear his dis
course. But be was endowed with q
marvellous memory in his waking hours
and on one occasion, it is said, he learn
ed 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 gentle.
man sorely troubled in his mind because
be was pressed for the payment of some
tithe.m oney which he believed was ur-
justly charged, and which he had con-
fused recollection of as having been
bought out by his deceased 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 startled by the apparition, he
tgtayely stated the facts of the case. The
shade told him that he must seek out an
old lawyer who had retired from pro-
fessionsl business, and was now living
at Inveresk. He gave the lawyers name,
and remarked that the papers relating to
the purchase of the tithes were in his
hands now, hut that as the transaction
had occurred many years ago, and this
was the only one in which the lawyer
was ever engaged on his account, it
would be necessary to call 1t to bis re
collection by this token, that, "wiien /
went to pay his account there was a dif-
ficulty in getting change for Portugal
piece of gold, and we we're forced to
drink out the balance at tavern" On
reaching Inveresk the gentleman called
upon the lawyer, who could not remem-
Der the transaction till the incident OF
the Portugal coin was mentioned, when
1t all recurred to his memory. The doc
uments were handed over to him and
carried to Edinburgh 90 prove his case.