The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-20
STUFF OF DREAMS.
HOW q TubinEcn Duel ntruded into .
Fishing Party.


To THE EDITOR OF THE sUw-Sfr: / have
often been puzzled by dreams similar TO that
which one Of your correspondents relates,
When telling a story or discussing an arRu-
ment in my dreams I have been corrected.
reproved and shamed by some other person
What right have these fellows, mere creations
Of my own brain, 10 point out my mistakes
and omissionsp How can they give me any
new Information when I myself make them
taIk1 How can my Ego Know and not know
something at the same timer II seems 10 De
a fragrant violation OF the nrst logical law OF
identity.
Here IL an example: Many years ago. on .
summer morning. l was present at a series OF
German students duels near the old UniVer-
sity OF Tdbingen. At that time public opin-
ion and the authorities were temporarily
against duels. and after the fifth "mensur-
the students were surprised by the police
(LandjAEerl. Then followed half an hour OF
exciting incidents. but the old "Burschen"
kept cool heads. A wounded student. with an
artery torn open, tainted IN the rush. HIS
-Leibbursch" Immediately mufied himself up
az a fake duellant, jumped through the win
dow and drew the nearest policemen on on q
futile chase, which saved his chum from three
months Imprisonment.
Another bandaged freshman tried to escape
through the kitchen window. but was con-
fronted In the garden by a policeman. He
rushed back into the house and ran through
the hallway. A bluecoat stood at the front
door and. thinking that the desperate student
would try to run him over. remained there
braoIng himself. There was q staircase In
the middle Of the hallway. The freshman
caught with his right hand q knob OF the bal
ulster. swung himself around in a circle ana
leaped UP the stairs. while many students
walked quickly out Of the front barroom be-
tween the door and the stairs. After over
coming the passive resistance Of the crowd
and mounting the stairs, the policeman
turned into the next open room on the right.
Daredevil Muller, an "old one who-had fol-
lowed on his heels. promptly locked the door
behind him. While the bluecoat was beat
ing a tattoo with his heels on the panels
Muller let the wounded boy down from the
window by means OF two sheets taken from
the bed Of a ser want girl. The lassie was after
ward very proud Of these sheets. marked
them properly, and many we're the tips she
received from students for showing them and
telling the story.
All this happened long ago. and l had not
thought or talked about iC for years. Never
theless. a few weeks ago I dreamed that l
was telling the whole story OF that summer
morning In our hshing club. The boys seemed
TO be much interested. and 1 thought l spoke
with great effect; but somehow I left out
entirely the memorable Incident Of Muller's
quick action In locking up the policeman.
When l had finished the story Fred B.. an
American, who could not possibly have
known anything about II. cried out very loud
and emphaticslly: And Daredevil Muller
locked the cop up In the bedroom" Yes,
I said, mortified, Il left out the best part OF
the story. Muller, indeed. locked the cop up
and let the boy down from the window"
When l woke up I remembered wildly
the whole dream, and l was sorely puzzled
why, in my own dreamland. that impudent
Fred b. should shame me and complete my
story. The following explanation 10 the best
l can nnd: Through some association OF
ideas Cprobsbly German sones) / was re-
minded during the evening Of the old times
in T0bingen. My mind, working out these
remembrance In q dream. mixed them. nat
urally, with the meeting Of the fishing club,
which occurred on the same day. The dream
followed exactly the usual associations or TIM
and locality, beginning with the drive to the
village inn and ending with some Of the tu-
multuous incidents. Then followed probably
a short pause or distraction In the mind,
caused by the crowdng multitude OF stimuli
taneous events, when suddenly. from some
corner Of the brain, leaped the rememhrance
Of the last memorable Incident, which was
instantly dramatized by the imagination AZ
spoken by another person. The dramattz-
ing faculty In dreaming b Just as consptcu-
GUS as the IMAGINATIVE faculty Of creating
apparently real and natural scenery. A
dreamer can. with the obiectivity Of a Shake
speare, make a dozen persons talk. each In
his own manner, but the words themselves
never express anything else but his own ideas
worked out by the mind in dramatic form
Unhampered and uncontrolled by the evil
| dence OF the external senses. these dramatized
| ideas assume the appearance Of reality. al
though we know sometimes that We are
dreaming.
The dream mentioned by your correspond
ent has a close analogy In our waking hours,
It often happens that after thinking or writ
ing on a subject, suddenly an improved form
Of expression or new thought strikes ne forci-
bly,, without our knowing whence IL came. II
fully absorbed by a problem or in q brown
study, the birth OF ideas IL 30 spontaneous
and without conscious effort that we are pro-
voked TO Say 1T thinks in me" (whatever
this 1T" may be). instead Of Il think what
ever this Il" MAJ bel. besides the continuous
series OF our feelings. thou shts and volttions.
NEW YORK. September 10. A DREAMER.