The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-06-22
PremOnitory Visions
nv n. ApDINGroN BRUCE
Author OF The Riddle 81 Person
atty" Psychology anu
parenthood," etc.


From time to time / receive let
tiers reporting dreams out OF the
ordinary and requesting intorma.
ZION as TO their origin. The writers
OF these letters are quite evidently
inclined to believe that their dreams
are so exceptional as to be account
ed for only by resort to some
hypothesis that smacks OF the oc-
cult.
Especially IS this the tendency
With regard 90 dreams that purport
20 reveal future events Take. for
example. the following greatly
abridged from The original account.
When / was IN college nay faith.
or one day sent me check. ! did
not cash it FOR a Few days when
wanted 20 cash IL I could not find
n.
II naturally was greatly worried
especially as tt was not n personal
check 81 my fathers A couple ~
nights later had q queer dream
II seemed 90 be IN tho college a.
hrary on a shelf were FIVE books.
one bound in blue. one in yellow.
aud between them three in white
took down one Of the Whitecovered
books and inside II Was my check
This was The dream Next day.
happening 20 visit the library ! was
startled TO see this Identical Ar
rangement OF books Feeling rather
foolish. / looked in The white-cov.
cred ones In the second one that
opened actually found the miss
ng check
Then remembered that this
book had been In my room for few
hours the day received the check
! must have absent.mindedly slipped
tho check into n But how explain
my most mysterious dream. which
has quite disturbed me p"
would explain Il entirely on the
basis of subconscious perception and
memory.
Consciously this college student
had forgotten all about her action
in respect to the check But II has
been established that subconscious-
I ly We have An excellent memory FOR
all our acts
Undoubtedly. the day before the
4 dream, she Was in the library and,
without being aware OF it. saw on
\ the shelf the book into which she
I had put the check. This would be
enough 10 stir into activity her sub
I conscious memoryimage OF the
forgotten act, and 20 provide her
mind with material for the odd but
helpful dream.
I Most premonitory dreams ~ nnd
ing lost objects. OF illness. etc are
! 10 be explained in this Nay
A person dreams. let VIC say. that
a friend has been suddenly taken
/ III In a day or 20 the dreamer
learns that the friend e. actually il
This seems mysterious and "un
canny' until d Is appreciated that
possibly the friends appearance or
! behavior before the dream occurred
was such that the dreamer might
suhconsciously IL no, consciously.
have inferred that all was not well
with the friend
The dream would then be nothing
more than dramatic presentation
20 the sleeper's mind OF the subcon.
sciously perceived indications Of
coming illness
Similarly II the dream has TO do
with oncoming illness Of the dream
er himself
II is we'll 70 know that many dis.
eases in their early stages cause
no consciously felt sensations. But
they do cause sensations that may
readily be felt in sleep. when the
stronger external sensations Of wax
ing life are not present 70 inter
/ fore with their being felt.
There are some premonltory
dreams, II must be added that are
difficult. n not impossible. Of Ok.
I plantation f,ft ii4c basis NJ Eubcon-
scious perception and memory. But
they are comparatively few. and no
doubt We shall some day have an
adequate, non-occult explanation Of
these also
/