New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-04
SUNDAY MAGAZINE for MARCH 4, 1906


such "A dream, till going TO the room where he
had sat the evening before he noticed for the
FIRST time that the clock on the mantelpiece
had Inquiries 81 crawling lizards on IT, This his
mind, unconscIouslv TO himself had noticed
and once he was asleep II began to construct
a story on that basis
In the same way the mind viii reproduce
IN - dream facts which the dreamer has for
gotten that he ever knew. but which neverthe
les lazy dormant IN his mind. 1t Is IN this way
that many stories. we'll attested. can be
explained that otherwise should be
tempted to reject
MaculSh IN his book on sleep tells a story
OF "a man who was sued for a debt originally
contracted IN the lifetime of his father and,
as the man thought, settled by him, but OF
such settlement he could find no trace among
MS papers. After searching a long time TO no
purpose. he went To bed with the dctermina-
ton az giving up the fight and making the
best compromise he could. He dreamed that
his father came 10 HIM in his sleep and told
HIM that he had paid the debt and that he
would md the papers IN the possession of
certain solicitor. His father added that he
could remind the LAWYER OF the case by the
incident that they could not get change for q
Portuguese piece Of money and had TO drink
Il up IN q tavern. The man awokc and went
immediately To see the solicitor IN question.
whom he found an old man. vi first he denied
all remembrance OF the case, hut II mention
II the Portuguese money the whole event came
back u him. and after some trouble he found
the papers thai were needed, thus saving the
man from heavy loss
Marvellous a. TINS story sounds, II Is not hard
To explain. The facts had been told him by
his father, but he had forgotten them. The
brain taking up Al night these ideas which he
bad worried over for DAYS had brought to
light hidden treasures.
i seems If often the limitation of the
mind 10 certain ideas gave il an intensity
which Il had not IN our waking hours. The
story ] have lust told shows this, but il Is
~l'Wn SIlll more Strklngiy by the wonderful
power The mind sometimes exhibits OF working
put results II cannot accomplish At other
times Coeridge writing the poem OF kubla
Khan IN his sleep Is the classic instance but
mere are numerous others. ] give one which
Dr- Carpenter mentions IN his book on Mental
Physiology.
4 professor At Amsterdam had been given
10y clearinghouse OF that CITY question TO
solve. involving long and difficult calculation.
Several times he tired TO obtain the solution,
lut each time he made some mistake Vt
last all Wearled out. he gave the problem to
some OF his students, telling them that II
possible he would ike the answer IN three
DAYS. One OF them, eager To get into his
teachers good graces, took Il home and
worked on Il for three successive nights IN
vain
At last | bent myself over my figures for
third evening. 1t was winter, and | calculated
TIL hal1-past one IN the morning, all 10 no
purpose The product was erroneous. Low
At heart, ] threw down my pencil which already
by that time had beciphered three states.
hesitated whether ] would toll through the
night. AS ] knew that the professor wanted
an answer the very same morning But To-
my candle was already burning IN the socket,
and the persons with whom ] lived had gone
To- rest. Then ! also went 10 bed. my head
filled with CIphers, and tired in mind ] fell
asleep. In the morning ! awoke Just early
enough To dress and prepare myself to 90 TO
the lecture; veNed II heart al not having been
III -l na nest al ft