The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-01-24
SLEEPING AND DREAMING.
Deea ms May Have Taken Place With
eat Our knowledge of Them
when Waking.

That it may be dreamless will be
answered promptly in the affirmative
by most persons on the ground of
personal experience. Yet many au-
thorities, such as Sir BENJAMIN
Brodie, Sir Henry Holland, Goodwin
and DR.. John Reid, have held that
sleepers who assert on waking that
they have not dreamed are mistaken.
In the Scottish Medical and Surgical
Journal Sir Arthur Mitchell affirms
that these writers are correct. The
writer of a notice in the British
Medical Journal says that "upholders
of the theory of a dreamless slumber
will be comfOrted in finding that
nothing of the nature of actual proof
is offered by Sir Arthur Mitchell"
This, indeed, he admits, as he ex-
pressly states that he does not expect
to be able to do more than show that
his theory sis possibly if not prob
ably correct" and that he desires to
bring the matter into prominence.
With regard to the proposition that
continuous dreaming possibly occurs,
the author may fairly claim to have
established a case.
Sir Arthur Mitchell first attacks
the idea of dreamless slumber.
Many persons when awakened from
sleep assert very positively that they
have not been dreaming, and yet,
later on, remember that they have
done so after all. In large num-
Der of cases such people may never
be able to remember at all.
The absence of knowledge of hav-
ing dreamed furnishes no proof that
dreams have not taken place. The
watcher by the bedside of sleep
ing person may have what he regards
as satisfactory evidence that the per-
son is dreaming, yet that person.
when the sleep ends, may feel quite
positive that dreams have not taken
place. In the direct support of his
theory the author cannot be said to
be- very convincing, nor from the
nature of his subject is it possible
that he could be. Several resolute
observers" he says. "had for a con-
siderable time scarcely ever failed
to ask themselves Immediately on
awakening if they had dreamt or not,
and they nearly always got a salts
tying affirmative answer"
In many such cases the details of
the dream were completely gone, but
they knew that a dream had occurred.
If, then, these mental processes con-
tinue both during sleep and while we
are awake, it might naturally be sup
posed that the brain would become
worn-out. Such dreaming, or "sleep
thinking" however, according to the
author, is not to be considered as af-
fording no rest. On the contrary, by
the withdrawal of Twill" during sleep
this form of thought is, so to speak,
left free to sport. and accordingly
refreshment actually comes from the
change, not WEAKNESS. Similarly, de-
lirium is merely another form of this
thinking without the control of the
WILL Further, on such hypothesis
a reason might perhaps be found to
explain why raving may 60 on for
a considerable period without ordi-
nary sleep.
Some persons, again, are never real
" wide awake. and their thinking is
normally of this disordered charac-
ter. Into this class Sir Arthur
Mitchell would even place the man in
a "brown study" although surely one
would rather look upon this condi-
ton as a concentration of thought
and very clearly under the direction
of the will.
Sir Arthur Mitchell also touches on
other interesting points. All dream
thinking is incoherent and purpose
less in character. Consequently all
stories of intricate mathematical
problems having been solved during
sleep he regarded absolutely as
myths. In the same way he consid-
ers none of the reported somnambu-
listic feats will bear scientific in
vestigation. In stating that there is
often loss of moral sense during
dreams even in the most moral peo-
pie, the author is in agreement with
Miss Power Cobbe. Accounts, how
ever. of dreams must be received with
caution. With this certainly all will
agree.