Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-29
Some Remarkable Dreams


At the French lottery office il used IN ha
a custom TO keep separate register of
the lucky numbers which had been sug-
gested by dreams, they were so numerous
and so remarkable. Never did a day mass
without adding to the wonderful record
and faith in dreams grew in consequence
even more rapidly than the list did in the
register. Ii was so in England while the
lotteries existed, and is so abroad. where
they still exist. Many strange stories of
this kind are told.
Among remarkable dreamers we have
authors who, continuing the occupation
OF the day, have composed through the
night while asleep. In this way Noltaire
composed his verses to Monsieur Touron
From the most ancient times dreams
have been regarded as prophetic symbols.
capable OF useful and important interpre-
tations, and many astOnishingly strange
stories are told in which their signiti-
canoe was apparently demonstrated.
Anclently they were broadly divided into
good and evil dreams, and means for Sc
curing the one or avoiding the
other were sOlemnly adopted. Plinv said
anlseed placed on the pillow, so that
the sleeper smelled it, would prevent
dreams from being disagreeable, while the
seed OF pycnOcOmen, taken in doses of one
drachm in wine. produced nightmare.
Both Pliny and Aristotle regarded dreams
as most frequent in the spring and au-
tumn. Among the ancients dream-inter-
pretlng was regular trade, and Artemi.
dorus is credited with eXalting it into a
science by the publication OF his five
books of ''OneirOcritica,' first printed in
Greek at Venice in the year 1918, and
some time called THE Dreamer's Bible -
Galen tells us of a man who dreamed
that his left thigh had become stone, and
who soon after lost the use of it by dead
palsy; of another. one of his patients.
who dreamed that he was in a vessel full
OF blood, which he accepted as a sign that
the man ought to be bled, by which means
serious disease under which he labored
was cured.
Cicero is the authority for remarkable
dream, related by Nalerius MaXimus, of
two travellers who put up in Megara, one
at an inn, the other at the house of a
friend. At night one dreamed that the
other came to him in a state of awful
agitation, saying mis- host was attempting
to murder him, and implOring his aid.
This made deep impression, and awoke
him; but, treating it as ''Only a dream
he again went to sleep. His friend once
more appeared, saving the crime was
committed, and his body had been con-
cealed under a dung-heap, from which
he desired him TO remove it. In the
morning early he went to rouse his com
panion and resume their journey, and as
he entered the courtyard met a carter
removing a load of dung, which he in
sisted upon. examining.
The body of his murdered friend was
found in it, the crime was exposed and
the murderer executed. We may add
that as no record exists of Cicero's visit
ing Megara-and it is most improbable
that no did bn IL
repeated this Old Greek story from hear
say, although there is nothing in it more
astonishing than we have in the preced-
ing records.
Pliny, on better authority, tells as
strange a story Of one of his own slaves,
who, while sleeping among his fellows.
dreamed that two men in white came into
the slaves sleeping place, shaved their
the slaves heads and escaped as they
had come. In the morning he found the
dream realized.
One dreamer-an old woman of Mar
seilles, who visited church every day and
passed almost her entire time before a
certain altar-dreamed that she had been
transformed into a lamp eternally burning
before it, and herself made as sure of its
realization as she could by leaving in her
will the money for suspending there a sill
yer lamp; but this was hardly fair case
Of prophetic dreaming.
A remarkable dream-stOry is told by the
present German Emperor. He dreamed
one night that, standing at the Kur
spring, harlsbad, man gave him a small
china cup to drink from which contained
deadly poison. He laughed in the morn
ing at the remembrance of this dream,
and mentioned the fact that every morn
ing when he drank at the Kur Spring the
cup was presented to him by charming
young girl whom he was sure could never
contemplate murder. For the first time,
however, on that morning, instead of the
girl, man appeared and handed him the
cup. The Emperor hesitated, but. looking
into the mans kindly face, he smiled to
himself and took the draught. "Ofcourse
it did not harm me-" says Emperor Will
liam; but, on the contrary, my stay at
Karlsbad, instead of proving fatal, was
very beneficial"