The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-02
DREAMS AND THEIR CAUSE.
From Bow Bells.


Psychologists appear to have adopted
the view that dreaming is only an occa-
sional accompaniment to sleep. Sir Will
lam Hamilton says: I'VE dream always
but simply forget with the utmost readi.
ness what we know We have dreamed. y
Frequently all distinction of time and
place is lost; we converse with the dead.
and are transplanted thousands or miles
in a few seconds. The rapidity OF our
ideas Is one of the most remarkable or the
phenomena. If dreaming Is manifesta-
tion of conscious mental activity during
sleep, 1t is obvious that there may be de-
grees of absolutiOn of activity in the va
. rious states. Some may be In full power,
while others are partially suspended. 1t
has been said that the subject-matter or
Il dream is always composer ot previous
mental experience. Persons who work
in India rubber factories, who are eX-
posed to 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 fancy
are real material cXistences: the sounds he
seems TO hear are real external sounds,
the figures which converse with nm are
real persons. When he dreams that ne
Eoes forth to hunt, he believes that his
own second self. or SOUL leaves his BODY
and passes forth.
Dreaming in the semi conscious state
seems to be evidence of somnambulism; :;
y
as we'll as thought, 1t Is remarkable that
no recollection is retained Sometimes
ideas constituting these mighty visions are
coherent, complicated trains OF thousnt.
Synesius exalts the rank of dreaming by
affirming that he has repeatedly round
dreams Of service in arranging his ideas,
ard in improving his style of composition.
Legal opinions have been given IN ar
ficult questions in this way: sermons have
been composed and written, and mathe-
mat!cal problems, Intellectually attacked
during the day, have been solved.-Col-
eridge composed the poem of kubla Kahn
during three hours sleep, yet in most
eases there is no apparent cohesion IN the
sequence of our ideas; control of will
seems to be completely lost. There are
certain exceptional features, as vague
sumes the form of a dream within
dream. The effect of these visions is no
doubt forgotten entirely and those for
gotten when awake are frequently vividly
recalled during succeeding dreams. As
with Clarence, some produce an ineradi-
cable impression of reality. Then there
are those which arise from the action of
external objects on the organs OF sensa-
ton. DR.. Beattle writes of man who
could be made to dream about a subject
by whispering in his ear during sleep.
Maury had many experiments, and sought
to determine conditions simultaneous and
successive which are observable in
dreams.
Most people consider them incoherent,
and this Is no doubt frequently the case,
yet many appear to stimulate orderly ar
rangements of objects and success ions of
| events; the attention. instead of dOminat-
Ing the images which present themselves,
is itself dominated by them: at the same
time, the action of attention, though no
longer controlled by the will and directed
to some practical end, plays an important
part in dream construction.-Hipp
while inclined to admit that some may be
divine, distinctly says that others rise
from the actions of the mind and body.
There are dreams which announce be-
forehand the affections of the body, and
the special character of many is deter
mined by the condition of the organs Of
the thorax and abdomen. and the mus ,u-
lar system. Somehow the muscles wlich
convey impressions to the brain during
sleep affect consciousness, and so influ-
ence dreams. 1t is well known that inli-
gestible food causes various forms Of
| nightmare; so, also, a strained condition
of the muscular system produces that
frightful sensation of falling. The state
of the nervous tissue of the brain and the
circulation are important factors whose
influence can hardly he separated. In an
overconSeSted brain sound sleep Is inroS-
sible. as there is a tendency to a rapi sue.
cessiOn of vivid dreams, interrupted by
WakefulneSS; the brain cells become too
excited by the excess of blood to pas, into
a state Of repose. If the blood is deli
cient in quantity or quality, or Is poisoned
by substances which ought to be rem oved
from the body. or the nervous system is
exhausted by fatigue or erinduiyence in
any form, one suffers from depressing
dreams, and it is an indication :ha, the
health needs attention or relaxation from
work, especially by those engaged in
professional duties. 1t n.ly also bn OBJ
sembances to the mental state of the in
sane.