The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-13
DREAMS THAT COME TRUE.
rho DOCTORS VINO BBLIEFE d"
Nv" r1rTr pSrCHIO WARNINGS.

49,. ocouIt side Of life had met to discuss
and compare things. A few were confessed
s.,,ovors in spirit intercourse. some were
w., orr,ous inquirers, while others had
.,,.r,ences which could not be explain
cd to their satisfaction.
ON tell you what tires me In tho whole
,o,,,ar way Of looking at this matter" said
~. n, the last. Nearly everybody who
80. ort 70 Investigate confines himself to
,ho so.cn,led professional side of 1t; while
,o wbo have knowledge OF the thing at hrst
,o,d know that anything OF real value
,oe. either to oneself directly or through
an. who does not make It a business.
Nobody can investigate psychic phenomena
without coming on one Tangible iact AT
last and that Is that there 10 no clue or
rule which fully explains why communica-
,,o,s whether through mediums. dreams.
mr. Impressions, will come sometimes and
M, nj other times; or why they generally
ooro when we least expect them, or why
oce, when We seek them most ardently
,bov will not como at all. Now profess
,,onal Is expected to supply something al
vova and since he cannot command occult
/, order TO keep up his reputation Hence,
oil the exposures of this kind neither prove
ror d,sprove anything l would give more
,, tba onInion OF one man of science, who
respected the matter enough to give 1t some
serious study, than for the Investigations OF
erv sceptics who attend platform seances
for the purpose OF breaking them up.
81 don't suppose there Is another man
In America to-day who has had SO many
strange mental stories related to him as
has Prof. William James of Harvard. His
great reputation as a psychologist and his
ceaseIess Investigation into mental states
have made him the recipient OF thousands OF
mental experiences from people who make
M professional study OF spiritualism. put
n question to him not long ago. and in
answer he replied, in substance. that SO far
as absolute knowledge goes psychic pho
pomena are not controlled by any known
law They seem to be entirely sporadic.
Sometimes they come to people with ap-
parently tangible cause. and at other times
without any cause that can be traced. II
all the lesser men OF science would only be
ms honestly outspoken in this matter as
are most OF the great men, notably such
men as Crookes. Wallace, Hodgson, Myers,
and others of the Society for Psychical Re-
search. the public would obtain much more
light on the subject than It gets now. ]
could name a good many medical men. for
instance, and right here in New York, too.
who are Just now working most zealously
to guard the public against fake doctors. in
GLIDING spirituaists. as we'll as Christian
Scientists, and who are more than half be-
levers in the things they openly condemn.
l was talking the other night with a ply
slcian, a keen, alert. up-to-date little man,
who told me some very strange things in
his own experience.
"T're been a believer in the super
natural all my life.' he confessed. 1T
Is not a matter Of seeking; / can't help 1t.
How am most affected you ask. Well. in
two ways: by overpowering impression and
by dreams which cannot be ignored.
am fairly impelled to do certain
things; experimenting with my Impressions
has taught me to respect them. Where
have not done SO I have como to grief. Do
l act upon my dreams? Well. would be a
chump II ! did not. I have known some
dreams which were almost literal forerunners
Of the event which followed. For example,
friend Of mine dreamed that he had read
In the newspapers OF the failure OF concern
in which he had some money. The dream
was so vivid that he went at once and drew
his money out. He had some trouble in do
ing It, and made enemies of the concern.
hat ba0 (ap
in two weeks time the whole thing burst up
and there was enmity all round. But the
man who acted on a dream had his money
intact.
My dreams are seldom literal; they are
rather symbolic; but I have learned to dag
nose them as would the case OF a patient.
Let me illustrate CASE For years past a
messenger has come to me in dreams when
ever any important event was in the air. or
had any business project in mind about
which hestated to act This messenger 10
ouaint-looking little woman. plain aud
past middle age. I have never known such
person In this life She does not come
constantly; her visits are at intervals more
or less apart. Some three weeks ago she
visited me by dream again, dressed In the
same dark old-fashoned garb, with q close
little bonnet about her face. This time she
looked smiling and elated, came close up to
me- and touching my cheek with her hand.
SAID: Don't hesitate any longer; 60 right
on and do what you have in mind You'll
succeed Don't fear" ! went next day and
completed money transaction about which
there was scome venture. and which had let
hang IRE. The result is that am about
'lVooo more In pocket to-day.
1 laughed aloud" continued the narra-
TOT when the man had finished. And you,
SAID believing all this. and having rea-
son 10 believe 1t, are one OF the most ac-
i've among the men who are working to
get up an active law against all Boothsay-
ers' medicinemen. and faithcurlsts general
W Aren't you ashamed Of your inconsis-
tencyT
Not at ALL he replied with heightened
color not at all; everything needs to be
IN the hands OF educated men,
Another doctor. now middle aged
man. related to me not long ago q queer
case Of his being unprecedented. 1t was