The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-07-14
DREAMS.
The Unconscious Working OF the meh'A'
Powers,


49,. Hoo moi seem 10 be very success,
mi In investigating mental oPp.a .is Il ,sely
al late years Il has eonllneu m,' lie In.
to observing the bodily phenolhs , ~ tenn.
.'.,'.aJ sc,ivIty OF the heart or rise IN .cn'
.,n.s,,re which accompany violent eno'
m, or hard thinking These can We ineas
',,aj accurately aud some lntefesllhs ~
vi. have been obtained by the noue'I'
heel of physioal psychologists but ans.,'
c. and love are not chemical reaet,ons'
I,dignation IL something more tnah sw
-. ','ar,n although we cannot be thoiousn
M a,ansnt and keep cool at the SAINT
-" In particular science seems 70 nav.
I'D ma progress in explaining somethlns
,,'b;ah hannens 10 every man every - hou's
WI tbat h the dream. Dreams cannot oe
a.s'.sniIv observed because the man VINO eA.
na,iences them is largely unconscious Whe aa
dreaming, unconscious ~ least - 20 .aool.
IN he Incapable OF attention. anu vi ssan.
lection when he awakes u con'uS'"' '"e
mentary. and soon obliterated' - an
Dreams, Of course, must pe 49, ho,onJ
memory, much OF when Is pu,is s - Cor
the reach OF our waking cohseiousn, nc
- oome ont of the mind which was hoss
!, come time nut into t. The theory y,
III. ancients that dreams we're Suggested
IN a supernatural power - diseie,il.e.u'
,Iouoh there are some pretty wen suthenu'
lied instances where dream mas cor
I'll, presented the death OF friend at a
~. $500 I'm, his NAV possibly happen TO
u,'.apin,, nerson and the evidence OF such
,,,Saations i Al best confused ana eA'
nisinable on other grounds than the super
Natural Nor do our dreams have mhcn OF
sny connection with immediate waxing
tbougbt. Halleck was probably wrong Wheh
he wrote
Al midnight in his guarded tent
Tie turk was dreaming OF the hour
When Greece. her knee in supplianee bent,
should tremble at his power.
IL the Turk was dreaming OF that he was
.,,ate n ne was really dreaming the
visions that fitted before his Imagination
were confused and lawless. When we are
dreaming we find, as far as we can recaii
the scenes OF our dreams, first mat our
moral sence is in allegiance; we can VII
ness n murder or commit murder outssNes
without conjunction and with a very slight
feeling OF remorse. In the next stage our
Judgment has disappeared; we ma that we
can walk on water without dlilleuity OF
lump from height unlnlured' lhese arc
common experiences But we are never
sstonisbed even If a camel becomes trolley
car or our friends change personalities.
This fact that we are never surprised py
the most impossible event IN a dream
shows that in sleep our judgment Is entire,
liz submerged. II it were not we would
not get much rest, for thinking Is hard
work Sleep therefore descends on us,
submerping. first. our sense OF moral dis
tinctions or the highest faculties. next our
Judgment. and last our sense OF indivld'
uality or personality, the very foundation
OF lie. Ks soon as the descending cloud
submerges that We are sound asleep-no
relic Of consciousness is left uncovered.
There is another singular thing connected
with sleep which has been observed by
most OF us. and that is that II we. have
been occupied with difficult question, a
problem in engineering or mathematics or
chess we never dream OF it. but If We sleep
on it the mind will work on 1t and often
solve it. and when we wake the solution
comes to us at once, and we feel refreshed:
Ii would seem as If unconscious work OF
the brain did not result in fatigue though
conscious work will wear Us out. BRAIN
work is mysterious operation and must
be accompanied with periods OF sleep and
recreation or trouble results, as many a
nervous business man finds out and many
a parent, too, who has forced the pace
in his child's education.