Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-04-09
DREAMLESS SLUMBER
Competent Authorities Say There Is
No Such Thing.
Absence of Knowledge No Proof Thai
Dreams Have Not Taken Place
Interesting Discussion Of
the Subject.

May sleep be dreamless and morals
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 DIR. 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
viii 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 is 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 a 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 a large num-
her Of cases such people may never
be able 20 remember at ALL
The absence Of a knowledge Of hav-
ing dreamed furnishes no proof that
dreams have not taken place. The
watcher by the bedside Of a 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 II 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 II they had dreamt or not,
and they nearly always got satis-
fvinp affirmative answer"
In many such cases the details OF
the dream were completely gone, but
they knew that a dream had occurred.
II. then, these mental processes con-
tinue both during sleep and while we
are awake, II might naturally be sup
posed that the brain would become
WORKOUT. 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 "will" 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 tins
thinking without the control Of the
will Further. on such a hypothesis
a reason might perhaps be found to
explain why raving may go 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 viii.
Sir Arthur Mitchell also touches on
other interesting points. All dream
thinking Is incoherent and purpose
less in character. Consequently az
s,ories Of intricate mathematical
nroblems having been solved during
sleen he regarded absolutely as
MYTHS In the same way he consld-
80, none Of the reported somnambu-
l;stic feats will bear scientific IN
vestigation. In stating that there IL
often loss Of moral sense during
dreams even in the most moral peo-
Ne ne author is in agreement with
Rfiss Power Cobbe. Accounts, how
orer az dreams must be received with
caution. With this certainly al VIII
agree.