The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-17

ton to the cause of dreams and the con-
ditions which determine their origin:
"Q) Character and precedent mental
experience.
"2l Impressions on a special sense.
"(3l The state of the muscular sens-
"a Organic or systematic impress
sions.
"5) Conditions of cerebral circulation.
40 The state or tone of tue nervous
system"
These are the captions under which tho
subject is discussed by writers like Mauds-
ley in his treatise on the mind. Ii had
early been observed that person sleep
ing can be induced to dream. and the
character of the dream determined in a
general way by the kind of impression
conveyed to the brain through tho senses,
the sleeper being influenced by its eXag-
gerated Interpretation. Among the eX-
perimenters who have done most in this
line is Professor Mlury of Paris, whose
deductions have been sustained and whose
observations are confirmed by Prcyer,
Provost and others. Tho lightest condi-
ton of sleep, and the one that some OBJ
servers regard as most conducive to
dreaming. is called the "hypnagogicn
bNdAt. II - htsNIlbth AS AlliA tpAlllAlOi III
somnolence or "slcepness" in which OK
ternal Impressions cease to act, the inter-
nal attention is relaxed and the weird
imagery of sleep begins TO unfold itself,
and just as there is this anticipation of
dream-halucination in the presomuIal
condition. so there is the survival of it IN
the postsomnial condition. 1t may be re-
garded as the very earliest condition in
which consc lousncss loses, or the one inn
medIately preceding the assertion of It's
dominance. The savage couceivcs that
when he falls asleep his sccond-selt leaves
his familiar BODY and journeys forth to
unfamiliar regions. where II meets tho
departed second-selves of his dead ances-
tors. We find this TO he the belief OF
nearly ali the aborigincs. whether on the
American, African or Australian cont
nents.
For the purpose OF discussing dreams
intel igently writers on hypnotlsm, tel
epathy and kindred topics divide them
into two classes-tai, those induced by
nerve stimulation. and To-, those induced
by or the result of association of ideas.
Maury, Preyer, PIevost, Hlrvey aud
Leixner, through large series of eXperi-
ments, induced almost every ordinary form
of dreams by nerve stimulation. Those
TcldNlnk 10 Auc aHsbGlsiAAOl u lAGdH arc
somewhat obscure and the theory can be
moro lucidly conveyed by illustrations.
A friend speaks of n common acqCaint-
ance. remarks on his poor health, tho
language calling up vaguely visible pict-
ures of the person sinking in health and
dying. We establish IN our mind an asso-
citation between the person and death /;
a night or two after an image of this per-
son occurs to our dream fancy. resulting
in a dream where the previous association
is emphasized. The picture Is projec ell
Of corpse, a funeral, ctc., and all this,
both as TO the primary association and the
dream itself, may nave been unconscious
cerebration. and thus seem unaccount-
abe TO the precip ent.
INFLUENCE or WAKING HOURS.
The links Of the cham which holds to-
gether the dream images arc really forged
IN part in our waking hours, though the
process was 50 rapid as 20 escape our at
tention. One o. tae most remarka bl @
features OF dreams is tlc singular power
of arranging and combining ideas IA the
most vivid dramas. Tho same sort of
thing occurs IN the waking state when Tho
succession of thoughts Is uu, controlled
by reflection upon some definite subject.
As seen IN the vacant reycl.y. or spells of
abstraction Of some people who are thus