Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-04-17
THE DREaMSOF THE BLIND.
PECULIAR VISIONS OF THE SIGHT
LESS IN THEIR SLUMBERS.
Scenes Beheld in Childhood anu
Youth Recalled. but Events o'
After life a Blank.

Ancr Iafs q Blank.
Dreaming the happy hours away -
the refrain of once peculiar song
There are few people. nevertheless, who
do not profess to prefer the pleasures oil
the waking hour. to those Of siumoer.
however bright may be their VISIONS
But 10 the blind who have I'm other days
looked out upon the beauties ci NATURE
and met their fellows in the fuunss. o.
sight, the happieSt hours are those "hefs
bring to them oblivion of sleep and inc
sweet consolation of dreamland. super
intendent hall, Of the working home for
blind men In west Philadelphia, said. In
a conversation upon this subject
Il have no greater pleasure in life, now
that have lost my sight than III dream"
ing, for then. and then only l catcf
glimpses of the world about me. l am
no longer blind The scales fall from my
ewes and see like other men; ser as
did in wears gone by before the terrible
atfiiction came on me and shut out the
light of day | never dream that l am
blind. In dream-land l never seem to
have been blind am ut the Home,
to be sure, but instead Of having only my
fingers and nv ears 10 guide me can seo
the inmates, and what is stranger yet, oil,
though in reality have never seen one
of them, in nv dreams they sill appear
familiar to me by sight and not by their
voices
The curious experience of Mr.. Hall
seems to be that of all persons who have
been blind after the early years OF life have
passed. The blind who have been 50
afflicted from birth never dreamed of see
ing any thing. The impressions oil
their dreams are regulated by the I'M
! pressions made and ideas obtained by the
/ sense Of touch, of hearing, of taste and
/ smell One of the most intelligent ln-
mates of the West Philadelphia home.
t who came into the world blind, says
that, although he has read a great deal,
j he never dreams of the things he has read
about, and never dreams of any thing or
person with which he has not IN some
way come in personal contact. lie
dreams of music. of the voices Of persons
he knows, of such incidents as might
happen at the home or some place III
which he has actually been, but never OF
incidents in Others places or IN other
lands Of landscape, picture, tree
or a human being he never dreams. Even
although he has read descriptions OF
localities, Of natural beauties, of the ap-
pearance of street or city no idea OF
what they look like is formed in his
mind, and none comes 10 him in the fan.
cies of his sleep.
A blind man has been known to dream
of ghost, and he thus tells the story
g heard a voice at the door, and said ;
h" Bless me- If that amt John" and
took him by the sleeve; it was his shirt
sleeve | felt, and was afraid of him
Then dreamed that he continued 10
frighten me, as knew that he was dead
l thought that was being pushed by
his ghost Then | woke up, and felt no
more Our blind friend at the home
often dreams Of being out in the street OF
in the country but he did not dream that
he saw the street or the scenery In tho
country, but he felt the open air OF the
country, and recognized the street be
cause he was dreaming Of one along
which he had frequently walked.
Curious and full Of interest as arc thu
dreams of the blind Of every condition,
, there is class Of blind people who's
sleeping impressions are Of especial inter
est-that class of unfortunate people wh'
become blind when quite young, at
period when external objects, and th'
outward world generally, had just berur
to make an impression upon them. Sncf
blind people sometimes, but not always
dream that tifey can see; but in thei
vision they see things with the eyes o
childhood. and they never dream Of an.
scene or object except those which, lik
5 dim recollection, have remained IN TIL
, memory from what they actually saw be
fore they became blind. A blind maj
who was stricken at the age Of five year
and never visited the country dreams 0
seeing city streets. city houses or cit
parks. but never of country scenery, Of
railroad, or Of river, and 70 vice versa
As often as not thD class Of bind per
: sons dream as If they had never bee
e blind at all, and at other times il al
: memory Of blindness had passed fror
them Philad<lphi4 heoord
The Presidents Musical Taste.