The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-18
MENTAL PHENOMENA OF DREAMS.
Pigments of Thought During sleep
Vanish In waking Hours.

Mental phenomena have of late years
been subjected to scientific investigation
In what rs known as modern physiological
psychology. and an attempt has been
made to bring them under the laws that
apply to material things. Many curious
connections between the mind and the
body have been discovered, but dreams
seem TO resist analysis II is impossible
for an outsider TO note the dreams OF an
other person. and the dreamer's own re-
port Is apt to be very Indefinite. for he
cannot tell what he really dreamed, but
only what he thinks he dreamed. We all
have noticed how quickly a dream fades
aud IL forgotten unless set down In writ
ing promptly on waking
A theory has been adduced which seems
to connect tho phenomena OF dreaming
with the gradual manner I'm which human
consciousness has risen from the depths
from dead matter perhaps-in the long
history OF tho race. II Ia that sleep sub
merges us sometimes as a flood might sub
merge a continent, covering up the lower
part OF our natures flrst and not bIotting
ont our higher moral principles TN the
last ana thereby reversing the steps OF
the process through which man passed in
his development from a lower state Thus
the first power an animal acquires is thu
coordination of It's muscles and Its VIII.
the power 10 make prompt. decisive move
meuts OF It's limbs. This Is a power ac-
qufred by children during the first year
or two OF their lives, and IL nearly the
entire sum OF the faculties of the lowest
savage. In the state OF sleep this power
is lost first, for sieep~waiking s. entirely
an unconscious action the body acting
as a machine not under control OF the
Will As the savage rises IN the plane OF
life. he acquires the documentary reason
ing powers and becomes able TO estimate
roughly the relation OF cause and effect.
This ioelcai power IS the next faculty we
lose as sleep rises from the depths over rs,
Everyone must have noticed that IN
dreams things happen at random. We
ma ourselves In strange places and people
appear and disappear on the scene In an
absolutely lawless manner While We are
ia this condition we are stu Capable OF
remorse n We Do anything wrong. and we
feel fear or joy Our higher moral ma
lures are stil active. Now. the conscience
and the establishment IA the mind Of q
reasonable standard OF ethics "a the last
thing that grows UP In the mind Of man
either in the race or in the Individual Saw
ages have but the rgdiments Of either
and only thu man In whom the conscience
IS developed can be called ciyiuEcd In
the final stage sleep rises SO high as to
cover up our moral natures. the peaks az
which had projected above the FOG cover
ing our logical powers In this condition
We Nil our ENhA AAAF4AAN III our dreams
without the slightest hesitation and are
troubled with no remoTse though We
commit In Imagination frightful ana an
necessary crimes In a mood OF placid ,ndlt-
ference.
Il Is believed that the experience Of ev-
eryone rs To the character Of dreams or.
rather, 90 sleep. VIII CONFIRM the reality
of the above stages Nearly all who have
testified on tbs subject agree that In
D. ar ffs
appear FIRST and their moral natures after
ward II Il be really 80 and sleep Is a re-
Z hcarsal backward ot the great drama OF
human development our nightly rapose
ts a more serious matter than NE thought
&, 50 De and ought not 20 b lightly en-
tered into. !, oar dreams do iimly shadow
TIRE stSEss ln llfs history Of the race. Il IS
only another asocf % our common origin
and cur mysterious herediuos Hartford
Times