Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-11-02
Il Explained tho Meaning Of the OFT
Recurring Fancy That 4 Cat Was
Ciawing the SIumberer's Throat.
Rapidity Of the Dream Process.

recurrence of most bizarre dream
At least twenty times during period
Of six months had the same dream
namely. that a cat was clawing at my
throat. The stage setting and the mi
nor incidents might vary, but always
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 l
spoke about it.
Then one day the accident Of a
heavy cold that settled in my throat
led to a 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 &C.
Cured to me that since the removal
Of the dangerous growth l 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 had not consciously
been aware Of its presence. But un-
questionably the organic changes &C.
companying it had given rise to sensa-
tons which, slight though they were.
had made an impression on my Sleep
ing consciousness sufficient to excite
it to activity. My recurrent dream
consequently was to be regarded as
symbolic representation Of the disor-
der in my throat-an attempt to inter-
pref 1t, to explain It. And, indeed,
even in the dream, for all its fantastic
imagery and symbolism, the seat Of
the trouble was indicated plainly
enough as l could appreciate after the
surgeon had completed his labors.
An experience was reported by Al
fred Maury. one Of the earliest scien-
tihc Investigators Of the phenomena
of sleep. who dreamed that he was
living in Paris during the Terror and
had been put on the prescribed list.
After many exciting adventures he
was captured. tried and sentenced to
execution. He saw himself dragged
through the streets amid a clamoring
multitude and forced to mount the
scadold and bare his neck to the fatal
blow. In that instant as the guillo-
tine knife descended he awoke to find
that a piece Of the cornice Of bis 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 rapidly is q dream ex-
perience Of my own. In this dream
! was walking alone at night along
country road It was lined on both
sides by trees which. as I learned
from a man who presently Joined me.
were laden with fruit. I picked some
pears and ate them al we walked and
talked The road seemed to overlook
a broad valley In which I saw a soil
tary light. My companion told me that
It was in his home and invited me to
pass the night with him. After tir-
ing walk we reached the house.
small two room cabin. He retired into
the inner room and I went to bed in
the outer. I had not been long asleep
when, in my dreams, I was awakened
by the noise Of somebody running. and
the thought instantly flashed into my
mind that my host was making of
with my money. I leaped up shout
ing, "Stop. stop!'
Then I veritably awoke and as 1 did
10 distinctly heard on the pavement
below my window the sound Of bur
ried footballs and voice crying ex-
citedly, 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 a 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 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 a
feather. had horrible dream of a
mask of pitch being alternately ap-
piled to and drawn violently from his
face. Another. at whose feet a hot
water bag was placed, dreamed that
he was walking over hot lava. In a
second experiment Of the same sort
the accidental slipping Of the cover
from the hot water bag led to an elab-
crate dream Of capture and torture by
Rocky mountain bandits who insisted
that the dreamer knew how to convert
copper into gold and held his naked
feet in a FIRE in order to compel him to
communicate his valuable secret. SINH
iarly the application Of slight degree
Of heat to the feet of patient with
paralyzed limbs was followed by 4
dream of being transformed into a
bear and taught to dance by being
placed on red hot iron plates.
Life without laughing. u q dreary
blank.-Thackeray.