The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-24

H. Addington Bruce in the Outlok.
 TT was personal experience of sin
 gular character that first impressed portance of dreams as a subject for serious investigation. Until then I had shared the opinion prevailing amony Iaymen-and. it would seem. among most scientists also-that dreams are entirely fanciful and meaningless. But my experience was such that I could no longer believe this.
 To state it briefly, it involved tie recurrence of most bizarre dream. At months l had the same dream-namely, that eat was clawing at my throat. The stage setting and the minor inci- dents might vary, but always the cen tral episode was the same. and usually the fury of the dream cats onset was so great that 1t would awake me. Naturally, this recurrent dream puzzled me- so much so that I spoke about it.. But, ascribing it to indigestion, and classifying it with ordinary nightmares I did not let it worry me at all.
 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 immediate treat ment by the surgeons knife. Some time afterward it suddenly occurred to me that since the removal of the dangerous growth l had not once been troubled with the cat clawing dream. It's signi- ficance now began to dawn on me.
 l had suffered no pain, not even in- convenience from the growth ,in py throat. In fact. l had not consciously been aware of it's presence. But un- questionably the organic changes ac- compapying 1t had given rise to sen sations which, slight though they were. had made an impression on my sleeping S consciousness sufficient to excite it to activity. My recurrent dream conse quently was to be regarded as a sym- bolic representation of the disorder In my throat-an attempt to interpret it, to explain it. And indeed, even in the dream, for all it's fantastic imagery and symbolism, the seat of the trouble was indicated plainly enough, as l could ap- precate after the surgeon had complet- ed his labors.
 An experience was reported by Al fred Maury. one of the earliest scien- tific investigat tors of the phenomena of sleep. who dreamed that he was liv- ing in Paris during the Terror, and had been put on the prescribed list. After many exciting adventures, he was captured, tried and sentenced to exc cution lie saw himself dragged through the streets amid a clamoring multitude and forced to mount the scaf : fold, and bare his neck to the fatal blow. In that instant, as the guilotine knife descended, he awoke to find that piece of the eornice of his bed had fallen and struck him on the neck. Testifylng even more impressively tp the twofold action of the dream pro- cess and to it's rapidity Is dream eX- experience of my own. In this dream was walking alone, at night, along q country road It was lined on both sides by trees which, as learned from man who presently joined me- were heavily laden with fruit. l picked some pears and ate them as VIC Waikco ana talked. The road seemed to overlook a broad valley, in which, rat perhaps n miles distance, l saw solitary light My companion told me that it was in his home and invited me to pass the night with kim. After tiring walk in the dark across meadows We reached the house, small room cabin He retired into the inner room
 went to bed in the outer. had not 1 been long sleep when, in my dream. l twas awakened by the noise of some
 body running, and the thought instant ly flashed into my mind that my host was making off with iny money l leeped up shouting: stop! Stop!' Then l veritably awoke and as I did 1 so distinctly heard on the pavement below my window the sound of hurried | footfals and voice crying excitedly. stop! Stop!' At once 1t was clear that theso two words, penetrating to my
 sleeping consciousness, had provided | the necessary stimulus to get up |