The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-09
sIGNIFICANCEOF DREAMS
An Interesting Lecture by a Noted
English Scientist
6uperstitions About Visions During Sleep
Ruthlessly Dealt With - Physical
Ills In Most Cases Are
to Blame.

Ruthlessly Dealt With - Physical
Ills In Most Cases Are
to Blame.
"What the actual scientific view OF
dreaming now is may be inferred from
a lecture which was recently delivered
on the subject at the royal institution
by DR.. 3. w. Richardson. In the poets
view," says the London Telegraph,
dreams are visitors from the ivory gate,
or, as Shakespeare calls them, children
OF an idle BRAIN but science is more
prosaic and teaches that dreams may
be, after all. nothing more than the
common vibrations Of terrestrial
media acting upon corporal
vibratorium,' like the sound heard
on wire intension long after
it has been struck by the musi-
clan. All musical instruments dream
says DIR. Richardson, after we cease to
play on them and if we bring the mi
crophone into use we can hear the
dream. This is as near poetry as science
will permit US to approach in explain
ing the phenomena of thought gYing on
during sleep; for the accomplished
lecturer proceeded to inform his au-
dience that dreams are all explainable
on physical grounds-there is no mys-
terry about them save that which springs
from blindness to facts
After dividing dreams into sub
jective and objective, and mixtures of
both, he went on to class among the
first species dreams produced by indi-
gestion, pain or fever, while objective
dreams are those started by noises or
other events going on outside the Sleep
er. This is fair sample Of the ruthless
way in which science disposes of super
stition-' Against the imaginative view
of the significance of dreams men of
science protest, and will probably con-
tinue to protest as long as there are
any men of science LETT. They quote
the old lady in the Spectator, who be-
lieved that the earthquake at Lisbon
had some mysterious but quite unex-
planned connection with the fact that a
few days before she had happened to
spill some salt at table.
Perhaps the most practical lesson
taught at the royal institution lecture
was one which may assist us to know
which Of our dreams are signs that
something IS wrong with our bodily or
ganization. As rule, said the lecturer,
1t is better not to dream at all. Dream
lessness is usually symptom of all
round health. A childs dreams are in
variably signs of disturbed health, and
should be regarded with anxiety. For
adults it is a good thing to know that
our brains are being overstrained when
our nightly dreams relate to events OF
the day, and If we actually seem in
sleep to be continuing our daily work |
this is danger signal which never |
must be disregarded. When we feel |
wearied in the morning very likely 1t |
results from dreams we have forgotten,
and then the best thing to do is to take |
exercise. Without coming to any de-
cided opinion as to the supernatural |
attributed to dreams, we can
at least profit by these practical hints. |
considered as products Of bad diges-
ton dreams cannot be reasonably ex-
pected to tell US anything of a useful
character or to supply US with any warn
ing, except one directed against the
continuation of depraved dietetic hab-
its. If it is true that the sleep of health
IS dreamless, then II becomes difficult to
believe that the only persons to whom
visions in sleep are vouchsafed should
be the victims Of indigestion. 1t is al
ways puzzle for persons Of an unin-
aginative turn of mind to understand
1ow the future, which does not vet
sxlst, can be supposed to have any eff
ect on the present. and it must be ad-
nltted that dreams Of warning are
much harder TO believe in than the
brain waves and thought transfer
,nces' which members of the psychical
esearch society take as matters
quite in the ordinary course Of things.
There is considerable mass Of testi-
nony IN favor of the power of the mind
o produce results at an enormous dis
ance by some system of psychical
Biography Of which nobody has vet
discovered the secret. A man who goes
o sleep and dreams that his brother is :
'eing killed by wild tribe IN central
Africa, and who afterwards hears that :
re did meet with that fate at the pre-
Use time when the vision occurred, need :
ct ny to any supernatural explanation
I the Phenomenon 1t IS quite differ y
ut when a dream tells OF something
Thlch IS TO happen in few months
Inc In the latter case most people Z
Ill prefer to ioia with science in
ttributing the fact either TO "a law q
I coincidence or 10 simple deiusion-
We must DO science The Justice 20 :
Omit that Il she increases the gioomi-
eSs OF life in some directions, ? 5 bv her s
octrine Of the struggle for existence. 3
he decreases Il in other respects. one =
which Is by aiding in the gradual
anishnent Of any confidence in visions
I'd onens and 'ygeirdness' generally"