The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-08
EVENING CHAT
81 RUTH CAMERON.

If all the wise and clever savings. all
the successful solutions of vexed PROB
lens, all the admirable literary produc-
ions and brilliant plans and ideas which
come to us In that beautiful borderland
time between waking and sleeping. could
only be remembered and utilized in ali
their pristine brilliancy the next morning.
what wonderful world of clever people
this would be-
There is a certain question which 1
have never solved entirely TO my satisfac-
tlon-perhaps you will be glad to know
that questions really do exist which 1 do
not feel competent to decide-and that is
whether all these thoughts really are so
tremendously brilliant, and seem foolish
the next morning only because we can
not fully recall them, or whether they
really are foolish and seem so brilliant
only because they come to us when we
are half asleep and not capable of juds-
ing clearly.
Personally, / am inclined to the latter
rather pessimistic hypothesis but / know
many people who hold the former. One
very persistent optimist, for instance,
who was a writer by profession and was
in the habit of thinking of the most won
derful plots and the Wittiest conVersl-
tons for his characters just as he drop
ped off to sleep, none of which he could
remember the next morning, always used
to argue with me that the ideas really
were wonderful, and if he could only
have stenographer handy to take them
down, he could surely have every magd-
zine in the country eager for his stories.
Incidentally, this person has since mar
rted stenographer, so ] suppose we may
expect some wonderful productions from
his pen in the near future.
Coleridge, you will remember,
brought that beautiful fragment Kubla
Khan, back from dreamland with him.
Who knows but that dreams and their
twin sisters. the borderland inspirations.
may not be wonderful, undeveloped
source of power and efficiency which the
psychologist shall some day teach us tc
utilize? Isn't this opportunity for the
efficiency engineer to join forces with the
psychologist and find some way by which
We can crystalline these brilliant ideas.
so that they will stand the strain OF
morning light without disappearing?
Or. are they like those beautiful little
dew-spangled cobwebs that the summer
night lays on the grass-in the days OF
long ago / used to pretend that these
fairies wore in the intervals of the dance.
and sometimes left behind in their haste
when they fled at dawn-are these
borderland inspirations, / say, as in
ty under the sunlight as the fairies
scarfs?
You see am back again to my original
question. 1t is maze from which /
friend can give me the clue that will lead
unlike poor Rosamond's-to the light OF
day.
NOW what on earth does all this
mean?" I can hear some practical per-
son exclaiming. There must have been
something the matter with Ruth when
she wrote that"
Cheer up, my friend, 1t may not please
you, but / know there will be some fool
ish dreamer like myself. who will know
what I'm trying to say. You see, was
just trying to put some of those border
land thoughts on paper. And tomorrow.
/ promise you, l shall be as practical as
you please.