The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-06
SOMETHING ABOUT DREAMS.
A Subject of Great Interest Treated
I'm an Interesting Manner.

From the Pittsburgh Dispatch
Dreaming is a subject Of great interest.
by reason Of its points OF contact with
mental conditions 1t might be con5ec-
tured that the human mind at all times
would be profoundly impressed with the
fact Of dreaming, and seek 70 arrive at
some explanation OF what on the supSace
Is undoubtedly so mysterious, and so Won
derful phenomenon.
Men have in all known stages Of their
intellectual development endeavored to ac-
count for the visions Of the night: and va
rious theories have been put forward. II
the brain during sleep IS peculiarly excit-
able il Will follow that all sensational
stimuli, external and internal alike viii
prOdue an exaggerated result. and il helps
70 account for the preternaturaI irnures-
siNehess ana the eXaggerauons as well as
the variable and constant features which
meet us in dream life.
Descartes regarded thought as the es-
sence OF personal existence, and main
tanned that the mind Is always fbintting.
even during sleep IL has some little Der-
ceptlons or confused sentiments" and IS
never either inactive or wholly uncon-
sclous. PSYCHOLOGISTS seem TO have adop-
ted the view that dreaming is only an oc-
casional incident to sleep.
pr william Hamilton says; we dream
always, but simply forget with the utmost
readiness what We know we have
dreamed" Frequently all distinction of
ttAlAN anu pace rs l1SLs We converse with
the dead, and are transplanted thousands
OF miles IN few seconds The rapidity
OF the sequence Of our ideas is one OF the
most remarkable of the phenomena; ii
dreaming is the manifesto ton of conscious
mental activity during sleep. Ii is obvi-
Gus mat there may be degrees OF absolu-
ton OF activity in the various faculties
Some may be in fun power. while the 9th
ers are partially suspended
II has been said that the subject mat
ter OF dream Is always composed Of pre-
Yious mental experience. Persons who
work in india rubber factories who are
exposed 10 the inhalation of bisulphide OF
carbon suffer from fearful dreams and
other drugs produce the same result
To the mind of the savage the objects
and scenes which fit before his dreaming
iancy are real material eXistences, the
sounds he seems to hear are real external
sounds. the figures which converse with
him are real persons: When he dreams
that he goes forth TO hunt or fight he be-
lleNes that his NoWn second self or soul
leaves his body and passes forth.
According to Tyler and Spencer. it is
plain that even in the saVage's concep-
ton Of learning there is room for divine
announcement The ancients regarded
dreams as direct MESA yes from the spir-
itual world Of either divine or diaboIical
origin and their Interpretation was ele-
waited to a science. 1t being considered
communication from a supernatural
being, the meaning Of the message is
obvious and unInistakable and coming
events distinctly pictured
At times the messages are disguised. and
pie held this view of dreams as the pre-
vailing one. In Homer they are distinctly
said TO be sent by the gods. Plato found
room in his mystic scheme Of knowledge
for the idea OF. divine manifestation to
the soul in sleep. Aristotle treats the
supposition of divine revelation in dreams
considerably, when he writes that there
is diyinauon concerning some things In
dreams is not Incredible. "
There has been much discussion with
regard TO the time Of which we dream
IL Is certain that dreams differ very much
as to their degree of reasonableness Mr.
Gregory dreamed of ascending the crater
of Mt. Etna after having gone 10 sleep
with a bottle Of hot water al his feet
Yet no connection could be traced between
the dream and its immediate cause
Dreaming in the semi-conscious state
seems TO be evidence of somnambulism
yet in the somnambulistic dream acted
As well as thought, 10 is remarkable that
no recollection is retained. Sometimes
ideas constituting these mighty visions
are coherent. complicated trains OF
thought. Synesius eNalts the rank of
dreaming by affirming that he has reDeaf-
eddy found them of service in arranging
mis- ideas, and in improving his style of
composition. Legal opinions have been
given in difficult questions in this way;
sermons have been composed and writ
ten and mathematical problems inenfec-