Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-15
VISIONS OF THE DARKNESS.
Tine Queer Sights Some People SEES
When Their Eyes Arc Shut.

| by Mr.. Gallon. In this article that dis.
tinguished writer brought forward some
| cases, which he seemed to think re.
markable, of persons who, when IN the
dark, saw strange apparitions. Net That
these persons imagined that what filed
their vision existed anywhere out ii it.
But these phantoms had all the appear-
ance of external objects, and were Ger.
tainly not produced by any effort OF
memory or imagination, but quite invol-
unfairly. One lady told how she used
to see In this way, from time TO time,
showers Of red roses, which presently
turned into fight Of golden speckles
or spangles, the roses being presented 10
her vision as distinctly SIS real flowers in
broad day might be. (And not only SO,
but the lady says she used to smell their
perfume, too; but there Is nothing like
that in my own experience.) And there
were stories OF faces seen 10 the dark in
like manner; not pictures in the men,
DRY, but seemingly standing off upon
the air for the eye to gaze upon, and
coming and going as with a viii and
purpose of their own.
What struck me most about ali this
when I read it was that Nh. Cation
should think it strange enough to lay
before the world as curiosity. Fer all
my life had myself been familiar with
phantoms of this kind and without much
thought about the matter assumed that
many, if not most other people, were
equally at home with them. The golden
spangles too used to see when was a
child; only instead of turning into
showers of roses in my vision they were
transformed into focks of sheep running
rapidly down hill, as In a distant land
scape. When the sheep got to the bot
tom of the hill they faded into the dark
ness and then the tiny bright-yellow
spangles appeared at the top again, to
be again transformed. There was not
much in that, however; though I dare
say, since Mr.. Cation thinks so. that as
visual illusionit was curious. But as to
the faces that appear to my vision in the
dark, that IS another matter. After
having been haunted 10y them in a civil,
quiet way for many years, I still find
them very Interestingly indeed.
These faces are never seen EXCEPT
when the eyelids are closed, and thew
have always an apparent distance of
four Or five feet. Though they seem
living enough, and not nero pictures
or reflections, they look through the
darkness as If traced In chalk on
black ground. Color sometimes they
have, but the color is very faint. Moth
ing more than face is ever seen. and.
except for fraction Of a moment, per-
haps, not all at one time. Here and
there their lines waver, fade and return,
as if drawn with pencil Of phosphorus;
but there is no phosphoric appearance
about them. their general aspect is as
if their substance were of pale smoke.
The faces In the dark always confront
the vision. Only one I have seen in
profile; and this, also, was singular in
bearing ascertain resemblance to some
one whom I knew IN real life. For (to
me) the most remarkable thing about
these visionary faces is that, while they
are always OF a strikingly-distinct
character, they are Ike none that T can
ever remember to have seen in life or in
pictures. Passing through the street
We see hundreds of people with unfa-
miliar faces, of whom yet we could not
say that We beheld nobody like them
before. But occasionally some very
strange or striking, or what may be
called original, face meets our view
and excites our wonder. Now, my
faces in the dark are all of that
character. As I look at them
for there they are, plain to be looked
at-and ask myself who was ever like
that. L find no answer except in fancied
resemblance to some historical or myth
illogical parsonage. Possibly Blake's
visions were some such faces as these,
presented to his eyes in broad daylight;
am inclined to think it might have
been SO, because his wonderful and
dreadful drawing, "The Ghost of a
Flea" is precisely such a transcript as
could have made by the score had [ pos
sessed the artists skill and his memory
for transcription. My faces in the dark
are much more often of men than of
women; they are rarely quite agreeable.
But they are all extremely interesting
(when they can be endured), because
they look like the fleeing embodiment
of some passion or some mood Of mind;
usually not the best of moods. There
are some very noble faces among these
apparitions-I rather mean expressive
OF great nobility; but have never seen
among them the mask of pity or love, or
of any tender emotion. Grief the most
despairing, scorn, pride, hatred, greed,
cunning inquiry, envious or triumphant
mockery-if Blake really did see these
faces, either in daylight or in darkness,
he must have had more than his imag-
ination to draw upon when he depicted
the passions.
These apparitions are entirely indie
pendent of the viii. The golden spangles
and the flock of sheep 1 can generally
call into vision when please, but the
faces come and go as pleases them. You
may be awake with your eyes closed,
thinking Of the weather or the last
change Of government in France, and,
as wreath of smoke might rise. there
is face in the dark. It is useless to
seek to retain it for contemplation, or
attempt to recall it when it has faded
out. Ibis you may greatly wish to do,
for sometimes the phantom has pro-
foundry meaning, or appealing or reveal
ing look; but all your arts Of magma
ton fail to project it or the air when it
has once died way. Only for few
seconds does it ever remain, and 1t never