American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-09-11


wakeneI with n thrill OF delight, as
though saved from some fascinating
peril, after the lying dreams. About
twice year | have the former, and
about once in two years the latter.
dream. | have regarded the oft-re-
peated recurrence of these dreams as
an idiosyncrlSy of my own, rs | never
before knew any one confess to n SIM
liar experience.
For about three years of my life
from eleven to fourteen, | scarcely
passed a week without dreaming two or
three times that was living a kind of
divided life. | seemed to know that
was i'll bed, and yet the real | was float
ing about the room near the ceiling in
the form of several globes of incandes-
cence. U use tho abstract noun be-
cause | was not always conscious
whether the material was molten metal,
glass, or simply gas.) The globes
times roll together like dewdrops,
making n larger globe; at other times
separate into n countless multitude.
The conviction was always present with
me that if the whole would roll into one
my soul would come back to me and all
would be well; but never came to the
point of realizing this happy consumma-
ton; L constantly awoke in terror be-
fore the end came. The sense was so
perplcxing and so vivid that for a
long time l absolutely dreaded the
night knew the same dream would
come.
Then l think had year or two free
from dreams of any kind. An illness
something like brain fever turned the
current of my life altogether; but when
dreams came again they came with
provoking regularity. 1 know to an
inch the exact spot where was always
standing when a big black dog leaped
on me, and could point out, l believe,
the stone over which, night after night,
Twas accustomed to trip and fall most
ANONYMOUSLY, within a yard of a friend
ly door.
That form of dream, too, passed.
The third aud last that 1 can call at all
regularly recurrent was even more
perplexing, but more whimsical. Twas
at Cambridge, having taken my de-
gree, but remained in my college
rooms, reading with private pupils. and
holding the curacy of church at
short distance from the place. l sup
pose the desire to settle down in some
more home-like way had taken full
possession of me. l was then, two or
three times a week, in the habit of
waking with the dream fresh in my
brain that had gone to the town where
my lady-love dwelt, and had been in
it two or three days without having
called to see her Incandescent globes
and black dogs were mot circum-
stance to the trouble caused by this
negligence. About three years of this
last dream was enough for me: l ban
ished that evil by marrying the lady.
A late number of some magazine
it seems to me that it was the Popular
Science Monthly-contained a hint to-
ward shaking off recurrent dreams OF a
painful character, which was boldly to
meet, and even invite, the threatened
danSeror disagreeable occurrence FORM
ing the basis of the vision. AS dreams
usually come when we are near waking,
we are often sufficiently conscious to
exert slight control over our ideas;
hence, believe the suggestion practica-
BILE. | have been troubled by two kinds
of recurrent dreams, which have been
mitigated by just such a course. Until
young manhood was the victim OF inn
aginary falls, occurring at intervals of
a week or SO. l tumbled over terrific
precipices, out of balloons, and from the
tops of trees like those in California, but
always, though alighting with shock,
which caused nervous start, sinking in
to some soft material that arrested my
progress without injury. Whether l
struck on rocks, turf or house-tops, 1
always fell on my feet, sank gently to
my waist, and pulled myself out with
lI 1tle dSiptX over g5 a nn
cies that / was able to say, Il am
asleep, and therefore this fall will not
hurt me-" Instead of struggling, 1
would allow myself to take the inevita-
BILE plunge, and by idly submitting to
the force of gravitat;on | came to earth
without a jar, or checked my flight in
mid-air. The other form of persistent
dream is of later occurrence, and takes
the form of such a flight through space
as would have delighted De QuinceY. L
have made few attempts to checKthis
dream as yet, beyond getting back to
earth when have had enough of it. and
rousing myself when there il in it
suggestion of vertigo. At first it was
startling and awful, but after l had
made sure of safe return there was
kind of tremulous joy in thus casting
loose from earth and soaring off with.
the rush of a meteor into the solemn
regions of chill and starlit space, pass
ing the great lighted globes that wheel
about the sun and comets wandering in
measureless orbits. The Joy of rapid
motion. like that felt in riding in To-
connective cab, or coming down a gray
ity road, or blowing the pillows in
trim yacht, is modified by the necessity
of shooting along on my back, head
first, so that L get nothing but celestial
retrospects; and my advance into the
starry regions Is accompanied by the
feeling that 1 may run my head against
a big meteor, or drop upon Jupiter,
Saturn, or into the horrific craters of
the moon, like a meteor myself. When
in tranquil waking or doing state l
can repeat this dream by sheer force of
imagination.
Physical causes and business perplex-
tiles largely influence our dreams;
hence. the gentleman to whom this is
addressed-I take it that the contribu-
tor is of the male "persuasion" may
find that an anxiety, ill success, late
suppers, hard bed. an uncomfortable
position (such as lying upon the back,
aching teeth, or some such matters are
in part responsible for the somber char
acter of his dreams. Pain may induce
recurrent dreams. During a severe in
flammatory disease / was dosed with
immense quantities of opium, but the
visions caused by the drug were dis
torted by pain into such scenes of horror
and occurrences of distress that their
reality exhausted me to the point of
death. Once only l was permitted
pleasant dream: A boundless and beau
tiful park extended on every side, and
in the midst of it was set marble pal
ace. whose wings stretched to an i'm