The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-04-04
wHAr DREAMS nlrAN.


ritual of dreams that go by contraries,
"of dreams of the morning light" Of
dreams with significances, some of which
seem natural enough, while to few Of
those apparently most arbitrary, science
herself has offered certain amount OF
explanation.
Dreaming is an experience which may
be called common to humanity, though
it varies so widely in different individu'
ais that in few exceptional cases it is
absolutely unknown.
Certainly dreams are often made Of
materials very inadequate to their finish
ed results. Abercrombie relates that
during an alarm of French invasion in
Edinburgh it had been arranged that the
first intimation of the enemy's approach
was to be the firing of gun from the
castle. A certain gentlemen, jealous
volunteer, retired to bed, dreamed that
he heard this gun, went out, and witness
ed and Joined in the proceedings OF the
troops. At this junction he was awaken
ed by his wife in great fright, she hav-
ng had similar dream. 1t was ascer.
iained that the falling of a pair Of tongs
tn an upper chamber was the common
iorigin of the dream in two minds already
predisposed to the same line of fancy.
Another instance is giving OF person
sleeping in a room where flatiron wal
allowed to scorch a wooden garment
The sleeper dreamed that the house was
burned down and that she could not es'
cape because all her clothes were de.
etroyed.
A gentleman, who, before retiring to
sleep, had been reading book OF pic
turesque travels, dreamed that he was
journeying across the Rocky Mountains.
He was attacked by two Mexicans, and
after gallant fight was taken prisoner,
His captors believed him to be the pos
SCISSOR of a secret treasure, and in order
to make him reveal its whereabouts, put
him to the torture of stripping his feet
and holding them over a fire, Waking
with a cry of agony, he discovered that
his hot water bottle had escaped from Its
flannel swathings and that the undue
heat of his toes had conjured up all the
rest of the tragic story.
A French Psychologist caused many
curious experiments to be made on him
self during sleep. These experiments
took the form of trifling physical sensa'
ton, which produced almost invariably
wonderful exaggerated effect on the
sleeping mind. Thus feather tickling
the lips was converted into the horrible
punishment of a mask of pitch being ap'
piled to the face. A bottle Of eau de
cologne held to the nose sent him into 9
dream of a perfumer's shop in Cairo. A
pinch on the neck recalled the days OF
his boyhood and the old family phyh
clan applying blister to that region.
One authority declares that ina dream
he made a voyage to India, spending
several days in Calcutta, continued his
journey to Egypt, visited the cataracts
and pyramids, and held confidential in
terviews with Mahomet Ali, Cleopatra
and Saladin, the whole journey appar'
emily occupyin several months, but he
had slept only an hour,
Scientific writer's admit that there is a
type of dream in which coming physical
disease or disaster is Swallowed forth
some bodily sensations, perhaps too
slight to be noticed by the subject when
awake, yet contriving to impress itself
in some symbolic from on the sleeping
mind. The more striking instances OF
this sort may serve to explain how, in
some lesser degree, certain symbols are
likely to attach themselves to certain
painful sensations or conditions, until at
last they are finally accepted as mysteri-
GUS presages of evil,
Conrad Gesner the eminent naturalist,
dreamed that he was bitten on the left
side by venomous serpent. In short
time a severe carbumcle appeared on
the very spot, terminating his, in three
days. Another scientific man, who
dreamed of being bitten by black cat,
also suffered in the same way.
A learned Jesuit, author of many cru
dite theological works, saw one night in
his sleep man laying bis hand upon his
chest, who announced to him that he
would soon die. He was then in per-
feet health, but was shortly after carried
off by pulmonary disorder.
A lady who had dream in which she
saw objects dim and obscured as by a
mist was soon after attacked by dis
ease of the eye, of which that was a
symptom,
A dream of a great fire, in which the
sleeper himself seemed to be consumed,
was followed soon after by an attack Of
inflammation of the brain. Apoplexy,
epilepsy and similar diseases are often
preceded by frightful dreams, in which
the sleeper feels himself scalped by In
dams, thrown over precipices or torn TO
pieces by wild beasts. Such
Miserable nights
50 full Of fearful dreams, Of ugly sights
should be treated as warnings" in the
truest sense of the word-a sent by ma
ture to foretell impending evils which
skill and wisdom may be able to avert,
Thus, if science has dispelled such old
wives fables as that to dream of a mar
riage signified death, or to dream OF a
cat meant to meet foe, she has certain
ly added mysteries and terrors of her
own to the subject. One learned man
has actually tried to systematic these
subtle premonitions-to ma Ike them more
available for use and guidance. In his
opinion
Lively dreams are in general sign
of the excitement of nervous action.
soft dreams are sign of slight ir-
ritation of the head; often IN nervous
fevers announcing the approach Of a
favorable crisis.
"Frightful dreams are sign of de
of blood to the head,
dreams about blood and red objects
are signs of inflapinatory conditions.
Dreams of distorted forms are fire.
quently a sign Of distractions and dis
eases of the liver.
dreams i'll which the patient imag-
ines torture or injury of any limb indi
cate disease in that limb.
dreams about death often precede
which is connected with de-
Of blood to the head"
An educated and very sensible lady
had been through rather fatiguiDg and
social day. On retiring to bed she soon
fell asleep and presently dreamed that
an old man clothed in black, approached
her, holding out an iron crown Of enor-
nous weight. As he drew near she re-
cognized the features of her father, who
had been dead for many years. He ad.
dressed her thus; my daughter, during
my liftime was forced to wear this
crown. Death relieved me OF the bur-
den, but it now descends to you" He
placed it on her head and gradually dis
Immediately she felt weight
and tighness about her brow, Further
to add to her torture, the rim OF the
crown was studde on the inside with
sharp points. whic hwounded her fore
head so that the blood ran down her
face. She awoke, agitated and excited,
but otherwise quite well, and found she