The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-11-22
Dream FANTASIES
Cause and Effect In the Visions
That Come In Sleep.
A DREAMS CURIOUS SEQUEL.

~~p'aHeo the meaning OF the OFT
Recurring Fancy That a Cat Was
Clawng the SIumberers Throat.
Rapidly Of the Dream Process.
1t was personal experience Of a
singular character that first impressed
upon me. some years ago. the impor
tance of dreams as subject for Sc
rious investigation. says H. Addington
Bruce In the Outlook. Until then /
had shared the opinion prevailing
among laymen-and, it would seem.
among most scientists also that
dreams are entirely fanciful and
meaningless. But my experience was
such could no longer believe this
10 state 1t briefly, 1t involved the
recurrence OF most bizarre dream.
At least twenty times during period
OK six months had the same dream
namely, that cat was clawing at my
throat. The stage setting and the mi
nor incidents might vary, but a'--ays
the central episode was the same, and
usually the fury Of the dream cats
onset was so great that it would
awaken me. Naturally this recurrent
dream puzzled me, so much so that 7
spoke about It,
Then one day the accident Of a
heavy cold that settled in my throat
led to medical examination, which,
much to my surprise, revealed the
presence Of growth, requiring imme-
date treatment by the surgeons knife
Some time afterward it suddenly oc-
CURED TO me that since the removal
OF the dangerous growth / had not
once been troubled by the cat clawing
dream. Its significance now began to
dawn on me.
had suffered no pain, not even in
convenience, FROM the growth in my
throat. In fact l had not consciously
been aware Of its presence But un-
questonably the organic changes ac-
companying 1T had given rise to sensa-
tfons which, slight though they were,
had made an impression on my Sleep
ing consciousness sufficient to excite
1t to activity. My recurrent dream
consequently was to be regarded as a
symbolic representation OF the disor-
der In my thrOat-an attempt to inter-
pret it, to explain 1t. And, indeed,
even in the dream, for all its fantastic
imagery and symbolism, the seat Of
the trouble was indicated plainly
enough as I could appreciate after the
surgeon had completed his labors.
An experience was reported by AL
fred Maury. one Of the earliest scien-
ttfc investigat tors or the phenomena
OF sleep. who dreamed that he was
living IN Paris during the Terror and
had been put or the prescribed list
After many exciting adventures he
was captured. tried AMI sentenced 10
execution. He saw himself dragged
through the streets amid q clamoring
multitude and forced to mount the
scaffold and bare his neck to the fatal
blow. In that instant as the guillo-
tine knife descended he awoke to find
that piece Of the cOrnice Of his bed
had fallen and struck him on the neck
Testifying even more impressively to
the twofold action of the dream proc
ess and to its rapidity is a dream ex-
perience Of my own. In this dream
I was walking alone at night along a
country road. 1t was lined on both
sides by trees which. as I learned
from man who presently joined ne,
were laden with fruit. picked some
pears and ate them as we walk I'd and
talked. The road seemed to overlook
broad valley in which l saw a sOli-
rary light. My companion told me that
II was in his home and invited me to
pass the night with him. After tir-
ing walk we reached the house, a
small two room cabin. He retired into
the inner room and I went to bed in
the outer. l had not been long asleep
when in my dreams, / was awakened
by the noise Of somebody running, and
the thought instantly flashed into my
mind that my host was making off
with my money. l leaped up shout
ing, "Stop, stop
Then veritably awOke and as did
below my window the sound Of hur-
ried footballs and voice crying eX-
cltedly, Stop, STOP" At once it was
clear that these two words. penetrat-
ing to my sleeping consciousness, had
provided the necessary stimulus to set
up dream process which, in the frac-
ton Of a second, had interpreted them
as best it could and had presented the
results Of Its Interpretation in the form
Of q curious little narrative of noctur-
nal adventure.
Dreams may be produced by the
use Of artificial irritants. One sleeper,
whose nose was lightly tickled with
feather, had horrible dream of
mask Of pitch being alternately APP
piled to and drawn violently from his
! face. Another, at whose feet hot