The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-12-11
THE MIND IN SLEEP.
Mental Activity During the Sea-
son Of Slumber.
Instances Of the Action Of the Brain
Forces While the Bodily Senses
Were Asieep-some Strange
Sensations.

What Is dream?
Simply the working of the mind while
the body is asleep.
The mind does not need sleep; at
least, in good health, it never takes it.
Sir William Hamilton declares says the
New York Sunday Journal, that the
mind is never wholly inactive, and that
we are never entirely unconscious of its
activity. Jouffroy is quoted as denying
that during bodily sleep the mind is
dormant. Even if we do not remember
our dreams, he says, it is no proof that
we have not dreamed
How many dreams leave only the
faintest trace on the memory! 1t is,
therefore, permitted to suppose that
many dreams leave no trace at all.
Kant said that we always dream when
asleep, and that to cease to dream would
be to cease to live. People who talk
Of dreamless sleep use an expression
which really is at variance with facts;
the mind works on, works ever.
When any one is engaged on pro-
longed enterprise, like a great boook,
the building of an edifce, the conduct
of military campaign, the negotiation
of valuable contract, he not only fre-
quently dreams of his work, but the
mind dreams Of it at times when the
memory does not record it distinctly.
This is the unconscious cerebration"
which has worn out SO many brains and
wrecked so many careers.
When Sir Walter Scott was writing
his great series of historical novels he
recorded in his diary that whenever he
came to difficult place, where his char
situation, he wal ted patiently until the
next morning, when on awakening, the
solution of the whole trouble would
come into his mind.
This was because the "unconscious
cerebration," which in time was to use
up the splendid brain, had been going
on all night. solving the difficulty while
the authors body was allowed to take
repose.
Sometimes the body is Influenced by
its surroundings, or by certain sensa-
tions which penetrate through the vail
of sleep-so that the mind indulges in
pranks, such as afflicted good DR.. Greg
ory.
This wise man had bottle of hot
water put at his feet on going to bed
one cold night. Presently he burned
his toes so severely that he dreamed he
was climbing Mount Etna and that his
feet, breaking through the volcanic
soil, were burned in hot lava.
When he awoke and found that the
water bottle was the cause Of the dream,
he at once regarded 1t as o curious in
stance of the effect Of the sense of touch
in dreams.
His case was like that Of another doc
tor, who, having had his head blistered,
fell asleep and dreamed that he was be-
ing scalped by Indians.
Another instance Of the association of
the sensation Of touch with dreams was
that Of Western pioneer who, being in
camp one night wrapped in his blankets,
dreamed that he was climbing the
side of an iceberg, and that his face
was panied by coming in contact with
the ice.
Presently he awoke with start and
found that the cold nose of wolf was
touching his cheek.
A French scientist once experimental
on himself by operating on his mind,
through the sense Of touch, while he was
asleep.
He left his knees uncovered when he
won't to bed one cold night and dreamed
that he was riding on stage coech in 8
terrible tempest, during '7hich he suf
fered terribly from cold knees
Surroundings often give the prima
| 30 {,,I %ho% ,
dreams it is merely carrying out an i'm
preston partly formed by the bodily
sense before the body fell asleep.