The National tribune., 1882-01-14
THELAND OF DREAMS.

A 10 Inc dOuF, ABOUT q year since
suggested that perhaps the time would come
when dreams might be controlled. Sleep, he
thought, could be utilized, so that during the
still hours of the night the human subject could
be made pleasantly conscious, of an ideal, if not
of real, existence. 1t was pointed out that ply
steal conditions determine the character of dreams
and that narcotics and stimulants, as we'll as an
aesthetics affect the nerves in such different ways
as to produce variots dreams. Indeed different
the visions Of night each in its own way
Recent publications have done something to
attract attention to this subject. The London
Telegraph and the Journal Of Psychological Medi-
cine have been discussing dreams in a way which
piques curiosity as to the possibility of man
regulating the character of his dreams at night
Some men and women never dream, others only
occasionally. Archbishop Laud passed his night
in vivid dreaming, so much so that he really led
a kind of double life. Other people, again, under
certain abnormal physical conditions, have night
mare which are horribly vivid and far more in
tense and thrilling than the stories of Wilkie
Collins and Mrs. Radcliffe. One strange story is
that Of an English gentleman, who actually
thought that he was pursued by vindictive be-
ing like the "Paara" or Sending" which the
Icelandic wizards create by a magical process
and send out into the world to torment their VIC
TINS. After series Of fearful adventures, this
gentleman dreamt he slew his tormentor; but,
as he had not give him Christian burial, he dis
inferred the gdastly remains, whose coffin was
sunk " deep in the dreadful dust that once was
man" As the coffin was opened blood trickled
amongst the dry dust of the dead. All this SEEM
ed to the sleeper as real as life itself A common
dream with reputable men and women is to find
themselves in strange places with very little
clothing on. They undergo intOlerable agonies
of shame and distress to reach some place where
they can be arrayed in fitting garments. Very
unimaginative persons often have highly poetic
and fanciful, as well as fantastical dreams. Such
an one dreamt he had fairy mistress. She told
him she would be with him whenever he pluck
ed a certain white flower from the country he
passed through; but that, after securing certain
number the last flower would bring her to him
and she would see him pass through the gates of
death Unthinkingly he did pluck the last flower,
when the angel appeared, her eyes full of tears,
reproaching him Tor this carelessness, where
upon he awoke, after having experienced most
idyllic vision
A noted English clergyman states that in his
dreams he can invent most complicated plots for
novels, which he can partly recall during his
waking hours; yet when fully awake, he "cud-
gels his dull brains in vain to conceive even
simple plot. The sense of humor is not dormant
in dreams, as is shown by the fantastic images
which fit through the visions of the dreamer
Dean Swift once awoke shouting with laugh
ter at a verbal witticism which really had no
point to it. The London Spectator tells of man
who had better luck, for he wrote poem in his
dreams, the first two lines of which were:
The Great AUX seized the Lesser AUX
In his Castle of AUX wardness,
which is vesy fair word jingling for man in his
sleep. The only really fine poem, however, so
far as is known, composed in Sleep is Coleridge's
"Kubla Khan"
But few people nowadays attach any import
ance to dreams. They have lost their prophetic
value to the modern man and woman. 1t is true
that here and there is found a person who affects
to believe that certain kinds of dreams foreshadoW
ill-luck but such superstitions are dying out
even among the vulgar. An educated person
would be ashamed to admit belief in anything
of the kind.
The problem to be solved is, can experts so
manipulate the human subject as to induce
dreams more or less pleasant through all the
hours of the night? Is it feasible to thus utilize
sleep and make us delightfully."- conscious when
under the influence of the drowsy god? Seven
to eight hours out of the twenty four are now
passed in mock death. Every part OF the
body lives and carries on its functions, with the
single exception of the nerve centres. These sue
cumb to Inconsistencies. Surprising results
would follow the discovery of any means to make
man susceptible to influences which would induce
a particular kind of vision, for there Is no time
or space in dreamland. In a few seconds events
apparently occur which would take years for their
ful6llment There is no fact so we'll established
about dreams as that of the abolition Of all con-
ception of time and space during their occurrence.
Hence the dream-induoer, should he ever come,
will be the inventor of a kind of eternity pro
tem!-Ihe Hour.
It is sometimes necessary to bore one OR more
holes in porcelain, but the usual way of doing
this is not easy. If, however, an ordinary drill
be hardened and kept moist with oil of turpentine
it will easily penetrate the porcelain. The drill
commonly employed in connection with SCROLL
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