New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-11-08
DREAM FANTASIES
Cause and Effect In the Visions
That Come In Sleep.

sss0s SVtssS W oS6Cps
A DREAMS CURIOUS SEQUEL
Il Explained the Meaning Of the OF
Recurring Fancy That Cat Va,
cIawins the siumbsrsr's Throat
Rapidity Of the Dream Process.
It was a personal experience of 8
singular character that first impressed
upon me. some years ago. the impor
lance of dreams as subject for Sc
rious investigation. says II. 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.
To state it briefly. it involved the
recurrence of most bizarre dream.
At least twenty times during a period
of 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 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 recurrerIt
dream puzzled me, SO much so that |
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.
l had suffered no pain. not even in
convenience. from the growth in my
throat. In fact l had not consciously
been aware Of it's presence. But I'M
questionably the organic changes ac-
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 it. 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 could appreciate after the
surgeon had completed his labors.
An experience was reported by AL
fred Maury. one of the earliest scien-
tific 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 clamoring
multitude and forced to mount the
scaffold and bare his neck to the fatal
blow. In that instant as the guilo-
tine knife descended he awoke to find
that a 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 it's rapidly is dream ex
)erience Of my own. In this dream
was walking alone at night along
country road. 1t was lined on both
sides by trees which. as learned
rom q man who presently joined me.
we're laden with fruit picked some
pears and ate them as we walked and
alked The road seemed to overlook
broad valley in which saw soil
airy light. My companion told me that
was in his home and invited me to
,ass the night with him. After tir-
ng walk we reached the house,
mall two room cabin. He retired into
he inner room and I went to bed in
he outer. had not been long asleep
when. in my dreams, I was awakened
y the noise Of somebody running, and
he thought instantly flashed into my
mind that my host was making of
With my money. leaped up shout
ng, "Stop. stop!'
Then I vertically awoke and as did
o distinctly heard on the pavement !
Glow my window the sound Of bur
led footballs and a voice crying ex-
itedly, stop. stop!' At once it was
lear that these two words. penetrat-
1g to my sleeping consciousness. had
rovided the necessary stimulus to set
p dream process which. in the frac-
on of q second, had interpreted them
3 best it could and had presented the
,sults Of its Interpretation in the form
{ curious little narrative of noctur
al adventure.
Dreams may be produced by the