The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-06
THE BAD MIR. BEECHER.
His Thievish and Murderous Dreams, and
the Dreams of Other People.

His Thievish and Murderous Dreams, and
the Dreams of Other People.
New York Times.
Il have stolen like thief, and l have MUIR
dered men without qualm of conscience-in
my Dreams" said Henry Ward Beecher during
his prayer meeting talk last night. ''Yet when
| have been awake have carried my sense of
honesty so far that have even gone back and
corrected the mistake of tradesmen when they
have given me too much change. Some persons
place great stress dream. They take its
tanclful pictures for signs. What is a drean2
1t is simply when one part of tEe brain wakes
up and goes to work, while the other part con-
tinues sleeping That is why dreams usually
comes so near the morning, and it also explains
the contradictory character of the dream as com
pared with the usual train OF thought and dispo-
sltlon Of the dreamer. In reality dreams don't
amount to anything. They come neither from
God nor the devil. Their origin is in disordered
stomach"
But, Mr. Beecher," interposed one of his
flock, what do you think Of the dreams spoken
OF in the Bble!"
''What dreamsl' asked Mr.. Beecher.
'Josephs dream concerning the infant
Christ"
II doubt the fact" promptly replied the
Plymouth pastor ''To my mind such forms of
prophecy very nebulOus.'
What do you think of John Bunyan's
dreamw asked a timid man.
Il think he dreamed it while wide awake, !"
answered Mr. Beecher
The Plymouth pastor was talking about the
power of superstition and the Importance that
many persons place upon signs. Superstition,
he said was very important element in human
lie. Combined with certain degree of moral
sense, superstition had been the cause of all re-
hgious deSpOtism. Some persons had morbid
dread Oh having thirteen persons sit down to a
table together to eat, lest one of the persons
should die. What possible connection could
there be between the number thirteen and anv
supernatural ntuences 1t was true that one of
the thirteen might eat or drink something that
did not agree with him, and die, but such occur
rences were frequent at dinners where there
were not thirteen diners. 1t was an old tradition
that If you spilled salt you would be sure to have
a quarrel just though quarrellng had to be
sailed There are many estmabe ladies who
shrink from wearing opals because an opal is an
unlucky stone. Mr. Beecher knew of a lady who
sold some very fine opals for mere song, be-
cause, as she explained, she had been unucky
ever since she was married. She laid her bad
luck to the opals, although there were probably
tens of thousands of unlucky married women
who never had any opals.
The mOonstone was a sign of good luck A
Boston man bought fine moonstone and gave
it to his daughter. A year afterward he called
upon the jeweler who sold him the stone, and
said that he wanted another one just like it. Il
gave that mOOnstOne to my daughter" he said,
and she got married. Now | want moonstone
for my other daughter. so that she will get mar
RED" Mr. Beecher said that of the signs
that ne observed when boy was never TO creep
under the bars to get into an orchard, but
always to climb over them He never saw a set
of bars now that he did not feel like climbing
over them.
Abiding to signs and dreams spoken of in the
Bible, Mr. Beecher said he thought they would
bear careful winnowing Much of the language
of the holy book was fgurative. and should be
considered in the light OF the prevailing customs
and notions of the people of biblical times. For
instance, Christ is quoted in the Bible as saying
las wise as serpent and as harmless as a dove. ,
said Mr.. Beecher, 'for We now know positively
that serpent is not wise serpent has no
wisdom at all"