New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1881-04-27

WHOLE NUMBER .l72.

before knew any one confess to a sim
liar experience.
For about three years of my life.
from eleven to fourteen, I scarcely
passed week without dreaming two or
three times that was living kind OF
divided life. seemed to know that I
was in bed, land yet the real was float
ing about the room near the ceiling in
the form of several globes of incandes-
cence. q use the abstract noun be-
cause was not always conscious
| whether the material was molten metal,
glass, or simply gas.) The globes
would circle round each other; some
times roll together like dewdrops,
making a larger globe; at other times
| separate into q 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
perplexing and so vivid that for a
long time absolutely dreaded the
| night knew the same dream would
come. ,..s-z.--.
Then 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 l could point out, believe,
the stone over which, night after night,
was accustomed to trip and fall most
ANONYMOUSLY, within yard of friend
~ door. ri -s.5.sa,
That form of dream, too, passed.
The third aud last that 1 can call at all
regularly recurrent was even moro
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. sup
pose the desire to settle down in some
more home-like way had taken full
possession OF me. was then, two or
three times 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. hcandescent globes
| and black dogs were stnot a circum-
stance to the trouble caused by this
negligence. About three years of this
last dream was enough for me: I ban
ished that evil by marrying the lady.
A late number of some magazine
it seems to me that it was the Popular
Science osthly-contained hint to-
ward shaking off recurrent dreams of
painful character, which was boldly to
meet, and even invite, the threatened
danger or 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 a slight control over our ideas;
hence, believe the suggestion practical
bic. have been troubled by two kinds
of recurrent dreams, which have been
mitigated by just such course. Until
young manhood was the victim of i'm
| aginary falls, occurring at intervals of
a week or so. I 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 a nervous start, sinking in
to some soft material that arrested nv
progress without injury. Whether
struck on rocks, turf or house-tops. ]
always fell on my feet, sank gently to
my waist, and pulled myself out with
title difficulty. gradually acquired.
such control over INV wandering fan.
cies that I 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 gravitation I came to earth
without jar, or checked my flight in
mid.air. The other form of persistent
dream is of later occurrence, and takes
the form of such flight through space
as would have delighted De Quincy. 1
have made few attempts to check this
dream as yet, beyond getting back to
earth when Ihave had enough of it. and
rousing myself when there is in it
suggestion of vertigo. At first it was
startling and awful, but after I had
made sure of safe return there was a
kind of tremulous Joy in thus casting
loose from earth and soaring off with
the rush of a meteor into tho 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 gray
ity road, or blowing the pillows in a
trim yacht, is modified by the necessity
OF shooting along on my back, head
first, so that Iget nothing but celestial
retrospects; and my advance into the
starry regions Is accompanied by the
feeling that may run my head against
9 big meteor, or drop upon Jupiter,
Saturn, or into the horrifc craters Of
the moon, like meteor myself. When
in a tranquil waking or doing state I
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 take it that the contribu-
tor is of the male persuasion may
find that an anxiety, i'll success, late
suppers, a 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 severe in
flammatory disease I 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 was permitted q
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
measurable horizon and woro Lost ~
distance. Its front glowed. with the
warm red light of the setting sun, every
one of its countless windows, as it re-
Elected the luminary, shining like bur-
nished gold. The entire sky was of the
hue of red wine held to the light, and
in this rich crimson great stars blazed
and flashed like diamonds and eme-
raids. The memory of that scene Is
stronger than the memory of Niagara.
The same exercise of the will that
checks bad dream can s0metimas ca.