Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1909-10-23
TAE RIDDLE or SLEEP
A Mystery That the Mind Of Man
Is Unable to Penetrate.
THE CAVERN OF MORPHEUS.
II 10 Pitch Black as Far a. Human
Understanding Goes, For We Know
No More About Il Than We DO About
its Twin Mystery. Death.


whed all is written, how little W,
know of sleep. II is a closing OF the
eyes. a disappearance. n wondering re
turn. In uneasy slumber. In ORGANIZES,
dead rest. In borrid nightmare or In
scstasies Of somnolent fancics the eyes
are blinded. the body Is abandoned
while the inner essence is we know moi
where. We have no other knowledge
OF sleep than we have of death. In de-
lirium or coma or trance. no less han
IN normal sleep and In dissolution the
soul Is gone. In these II returns In
that II does not come again. OF 50 We
ignorantly think.
Yet when I reflect on my death ! for
get that | have encountered II many
times already and ind myself none
the worse. I forget that | sleep. The
fy aias no shorter existence than
mans. We hustle about for n few
years with ludlcrous Importance. as
b~oftleHlcs buzz at the window pancs.
They. ioo may imagine themselves OF
infinite moment In this universe we
share with them. But this Is 10 take
no account Of the prognosiics OF sleep.
There II something hidden. something
secret. some unfathomcd mystery
whose presence we feel. but cannot
verify. some permeative thought In
sistently moving In u hearts. some
phosphorescencc that giows we know
not whence through our shadowy at
oms.
Neither sleep itself nor half Its prom
lses nor mysteries have been plumbed.
Il 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 halIu-
cinaiions: voices In the night are not
all hooking. There is n prophet dwells
within the mind-not OF the mind. but
deeper throned In obscurity.
The brain cannof know of this holy
presence o OF It's life In sleep. The
brain Is mortal and untrustworthy. a
photograph and n camera for audible
and palTable existence. Strike Il a
blow IN childhood 81 that Il ceases Its
hbors and awake II by surgery after
forty years and II Will repeat the In
fanfile action or word II last recorded
and viii take M its task OF the In
slant. making no account Of the inter.
mediate years. They are nonexistent
10 u. Yet 10 that hidden memory those
diseased years are not blank. II knows.
II 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. Il
can speak through the atom blent INA
chincry of the flesh and tell Of things
man himself could not know because
OF his paralyzcd brain. This ruler II
not asleep In sleep. nor In dcllrium Is
u dellrious. and IN death Is n dead;
Through all the ages u has been our
which we have interrocated In
u Joins not In u laughter nor
our tears. We have fancicd II with I'm.
broodlng features OF utmost
knowledge and wisdom and sorrow. n
has asked us but one question. nor
from the day Of Oedipus unto today
have we answered rightly. So that we
lie OF u ignorance II Is Osiris llv-
Ing In us. II Is the unknown God 10
we erect u affairs. the FIRE In
he tabernacle. the presence behind the
veil. Not In normal wakefulness at
will II answer our queries. but In
sometimes II viii speak. And Il
may possibly be- that at last. after all
these centuries. we are learning how
10 question II and in hypnotic trance
aud In the fearful law Of suggestion
are discovering somewhat OF Its mys.
terry aud how TO employ II for
good, Yet 90 It's essential sc
FRET we are no closer than our fore.
were.
We may define dreams aud night
mare. coma and swoon and trance
with what terms we will. search their
reasons aud learn 10 guide
and guard. yet we know no more OF
hem than OF electricity. w may be
gin to suspect that telepathy aud clair
voyance and occult forces OF the soul
are not superStitious fancies. and we
may even emnirically classify and
study and direct them. Yet the soul
Is ~ nearer our inqulsition.
Though we should know OF Its real
Iiy. though our finite minds should
the lnhnitude. OF what benefit
II he? Would Il modify our be
Iiefs or our hopes or our faiths; Would
Il dictate one action to our passionate
There would he no change In
human nature aud no reforms Of the
world. We are the children OF our IA
hers. and our children will tread the
prehistoric paths. Dreams are our life.
we wake or sleep. We browse
through existence. awaking and dying
md being reborn daily. ever torpcsccnt
md unamazcd. and our thousand Stun.
deaths we call restorative sleep
that restores our physical be-
Ing. building up where we have torn
Town. r%ecreating what we destroy.
Black-pltch black. lndeed-is the
.avern OF Morpheus. Faith peoples II
with varied lcsions and builds It's
,haos Into myriad forms. Nightly we
inter II and drain the Lethcan air and
and daily We return with re-
bnbbling Of dreams that were |
droap,cn aud 0nailv uo ontor for |