The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1909-10-13
THE RIDDLE OF SLEEP
A Mystery That the Mind of Man
Is Unable to Penetrate.
THE CAVERN OF MORPHEUS.

II Is Pitch Black as Far as Human
Understanding Goes, For We Know
No More About It Than We Do About
Its Twin Mystery. Death.
When all is written, how little we
know of sleep. 1t is a closing of the
eyes, disappearance, wondering re-
turn. In uneasy slumber, In dreamless
dead rest, in horrid nightmare or in
ecstasies of somnolent fancies the eyes
are blinded, the body is abandoned,
while the inner essence Is we know not
where. We have no other knowledge
of sleep than we have of death. In de-
lirium or coma or trance, no less than
In normal sleep and in dissolution, the
soul Is gone. In these It returns, in
that 1t does not come again. or SO we
ignorantly think.
Yet when l reflect on my death for
get that l have encountered 1t many
times already and find myself none
the worse. forget that sleep. The
fly has no shorter existence than
mans. We hustle about for a few
years with ludicrous importance. as
bottlefies buzz at the window panes.
They. too, may imagine themselves of
infinite moment In this universe we
share with them. But this Is to take
no account of the prognostics of sleep.
There is something hidden. something
secret, some unfathomed mystery
whose presence we feel. but cannot
verify; some permeative thought In
phosphorescence that CLOVIS we know
not whence through our shadowy at
oms.
Neither sleep itself nor half Its prom
ises nor mysteries have been plumbed.
1t is the mother of superstitions and
of miracles. In dreams we may search
the surface powers of the freed soul.
Visions In the night are not all hallu-
cinations; voices in the night are not
all hooking. There is a prophet dwells
within the mind-not OF the mind, but
deeper throned In obscurity.
The brain cannot know of this holy
presence nor of its life In sleep. The
brain is mortal and untrustworthy. a
photograph and camera for audible
and palpable existence. Strike 1t a
blow In childhood so that 1t ceases its
labors and awake 1t by surgery after
forty years and II will repeat the In
fantile action or word 1t last recorded
and will take up its task on the IN
slant. making no account of the inter
mediate years. They are nonexistent
to It. Yet to that hidden memory those
diseased years are not blank. 1t knows,
1t has recorded. though the brain has
slept. And In hypnotic or psychic
trance. when that wonderful ruler Is
released from the prison of the body. 1t
can speak through the atom blent ma
chinery of the flesh and tell of things
man himself could not know because
of his paralyZed brain. This ruler is
not asleep in sleep, nor in dellrium is
1t deirious, and In death is 1t dead?
Through all the ages 1t has been our
sphinx. which we have Intercepted in
vain. II joins not In our laughter nor
our tears. We have fancied It with i'm
mobile, brooding features of utmost
knowledge and wisdom and sorrow. 1t
has asked us but one question. nor
have we answered rightly. so that we
die of our ignorance. 1t Is Osiris liv-
ing In u.s. 1t Is the unknown God to
whom we erect our affairs, the fire In
the tabernacle, the presence behind the
veil. Not In normal wakefulness at
least will 1t answer our queries but in
sleep sometimes 1t will speak. And II
these centuries, we are learning how
to question 1t and In hypnotic trance
and In the fearful law of suggestion
are discovering somewhat Of its mys-
terry and how to employ 1t for our
worldly good. Yet to its essential Sc
cret we are no closer than our fore
fathers were.
We may define dreams and night
mare, coma and swoon and trance
with what terms we will, search their
physical reasons and learn to guide
and guard. yet we know no more OF
them than OF electricity. We may be
gin to suspect that telepathy and clair.
voyance and occult forces Of the soul
are not superstitious fancies. and We
may even empirically classify and
study and direct them. Yet the SOU
itself is no nearer our inquisition.
Though we should know of its real
ity, though our finite minds should
fathom the infinitude. OF what benefit
would It be? Would 1t modify our be
lfefs or our homes or orr faiths? WOult
It dictate one action to our passionate
lives? There would be no change II
human nature aud no reforms of the
world. We are the children of our IN
theirs. and our children will tread the
prehistoric paths. Dreams are our life
whether we wake or sleep. We browse
through existence. awaking and dyinf
and being reborn daily. ever torpescen
and unamazed. and our thousand stun
berous deaths we call restorative sleeI
sleep that restores our physical be
ing. building up where we have tori
down. recreating what we destroy.
Black-pitch black. indeed-is the
cavern of Morpheus. Faith peoples l
with varied legions and builds IT
chaos into myriad forms. Nightly WI
enter 1t and drain the Lethean air ant
forget. and daily we return with re
Joicings, babbling Of dreams that wer'
not dreamed, and finally we enter FOL
the last time and drain somewhat
more deeply the essence of ecstasy
and awake no more and no more re
turn TO the autumn dyed skies Of the