Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-10-23

symptoms. Another gets into n panic
If her finger sweils so as to make her
| ring tight.
Impotence of restraint is n
more widely diffused form of
| THIS same fear, Bonds of any
| kind are so hateful to some peu-
| pie that they refuse to live in the mar
riage estate, for no other reason; and
most of us can sympathlze with the
wee maiden who said, stamping her
| tiny foot: Papa, don't say must to
me- it makes me feel wont all over"
WATER AND WIND
The fear OF water, in some unrcason-
able form, is almost universal at some
stuge of childhood. ITO be washed -
writes one young lady. always made
me stiffen out, my eyes bulge, and |
was almost convulsed with fear"
Mothers with few exceptions can tell
of how one or perhaps all OF their chill
dren fought against the bath tub; and
the absurd fears that may be wit
messed at any bathing resort are quite
as characteristic as they are amusing.
So also Of winds and cyclones. 10
be out in a violent wind" writes a
young woman of %, not only makes
me cross and very irritable. but its
bowling, especially at night. has al
ways been extremely depressing;
have no definite fear but It brings to
disasters. and makes me sad and blue"
Most OF the wlnd-fears are expressed
by women.
t"Noise has wonderful power over
the emotions of childhood, especially
during all the plastic nceptive stages
OF language, and creates all kinds of
scenes and imagery on the principle
illustrated in descriptive program
music. The wind starts up rafting,
roaring, signing, all kinds Of sounds
suggesting animals, monsters, cngln-
cry. battles, the sea in all its moods,
pathetic scenes, and universal dissolu-
ton. 1t Is the band-master of natures
many-membcred orchestra and can
play upon almost the whole gamut n
our emotional life. Yet with
all its power 1t Is invisible. More per-
haps than anything else, 1t created in
primitive consciousness, the unseen
spiritual word."l
CLOUDS AND SKY FORCES
What child has not passed through
period of awe when first led to con-
template the clouds and other moving
forces of nature-the sun the moon,
the stars, to say nothing of thunder
and lightning? And such awe is the
most refined form of fear. Connect
ed Herewith we find many falling
fears Risky, clouds sun. moon. rain
bow, meteors, comets, balls of fire, the
man in the moon. the monsters of
the constellation-may drop on us,
knock things OFF the earth or crush it.
There may he collisions or explosions,
heavenly visitors, guests from other
planets, cloud monsters or demons, or
beasts of prey may arrive. The flu
ture is revealed, the terrors of the
judgment or of the next world are
foreshown; cyclones are imagined the
northern lights strike terror, cold wea-
Their on snow suggests the freezing up
IL Ia
that all things will dry up or melt;
rain, that floods impend or yet more
superstitlous terrors, Bible scenes are
reproduced in the clouds, the sun. the
moon, and In the shadows and bright
Colors of twilight Many hymns
from the Dies Irae down show how
commonly divine wrath and even the
terors of the judgement are conceived
and described as simply awful wea-
ther"l
FIRE AND DARKNESS.
Ever since the tabled fire was stolen
from the gods and presented to NOR
tails, fire has been an object OF wor-
ship. OF reverence. or of dread as to
what use was made of this fear in the
uld-time religion, every one is aware;
but it is not alone as an after-death
terror that fire influences men. "The
fear of fire." writes girl Of nineteen,
"preys upon my mind waking and in
dreams; | always imagine | smell II,
and am always expecting to see
flames, when l explore the house;
black smoke from any chimney. or any
cracking noise makes me tremble."
Darkness has always gecemcd a
mysterious thing. SavaEes stamp up
on their shadows and try to run away
from them, The prehistoric race ter
rors which grew out Of darkness,
still linger in the active fears of child
rem who see things at night" Little
prayers are shortened through dread
of n monster standing at the foot of
the bed, and health is often interfered
with by covering up the head for fear
of seeing horrible eyes in the dark. So
distressing is darkness, even to many
grown up people, that they keep a
light burning all night
THE NIGHT MARE.
Dream fears are extremely common
f"Any class or form of fear may arise
in dreams: falling. ordinations ami
mails, thunder, water, fire, etc. To eN-
plain dream fears would be to explain
all fears. There are frequent tanden-
cies both to specialize and repeat.
Any impression grows TO illusion
more easily In dreams than IN dark
ness, because the represslvc influence,
not only OF sight, but OF other senses
and centers, is removed. Hence evils
only feared In waking become real in
sleep. and we actually fight. fan are
chased, seized, ChOked run till we
drop fly, sob, love. and dle."l Some
children are so terrorized by their
dreams that they lie awake for hours.
nfraid to enter the dreaded land Of !
shadows.
n good way to avoid the incubus or |
night mare, Is to think, before going |
to sleep Of the things usually connect |
Ell with IL. The brain cells controlling |
the dream viii thus be discharged, !
and the sleep be left undisturbed.
FEAR OF SHOCK.
shocks and the fear Of shock are |
peculiarly hurtful TO the nervous sys-
tenn. They leave sears upou tine soul !
and often lead to epilepsy, To sensi- |
tive person a shock Is the most dread |
cd OF an fears.
Civilization is the outcome ~ mans |
desire 20 avoid shock, and is itreIf the /
strongest c0untereheck against IL. /
Elements and forces that were rough /
and merciiess to our foreflthrrs he /
come comparatively smooth and pain I
less to us. II has become proVeThial to I
sneak of those who are able TO COM /
mand the blessings OF civilization as |
having q smooth. easy time that IS, |
they are comparatively free from
shocks. Provision, or the power TO an 1
ticipate and provide Tor any contin- /
gency. Is the best OF an science that /
relates Immediately TO the welfare Of /
the race.
II is the suddcnness and uncEpected- /
ness of an event that gives us a shock. /