Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1918-07-20 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

NOTABLE DREAMS. Whether we regard dreams as the children a. an idle brain, begot of nonaing but vain fantasy, or accept them as an important integral part ot the human constitution, they offer an interesting field of inquiry. Simply as stray shadows, flitting across the half sleepiing mind, they present an iecongruous variety of peculiar incidents—tragie, pathetic, wonderful, ludicrous. There are varied degrees of sleep. Some of our senses may be cernperatively wakeful, whilst others are in sound repose. It is this incomplete state of sleep, this semi-repose of the faculties, which produces dreams. Dr. Nacnish says once his dreaming travelled so far into the regions of absurdity that he conceived hiinself to be Tiding upon his own back; one of the resemblances being mounted on, another, and both animated with a soul appertainirig to himself, in such a inanner that he knew not whether he was the carrier or the carried. Dr. Symonds relates that a-person having a blister 'applied to his head fancied he was scalped by a party of Indians. Of the prophetic chaaseter or drew-fie there are many strangely. startlisigt—ln the -"Gentleman's Magazine '• for December, 1787, there is ftwonderful account of the discovery of, a murder through a dream. The narrative called forth a note from A. j., who said that some few years before the erection of those well-known eight. houses tailed the Caskets, near that island, an islet/der dreumed that a ship had been wrecked, and that some part of the crew had saved themselves upon the roelie. He told this story the next morning, but the sailors were inclined to treat it as an idle dream. A repetition of the dream the next night, howevei, convinced the dreemex, so prevailing: on a companion, he went in a. boat to the spot and found three poor eretehes there and brought them back to :shore. Jung Stilling, in Theolle der Geister-Ktrede," relates a dream of Princess Nargetsk.y, of Warsaw. A short time before she travelled to Paris in. October, 1720, she dreamed that she fouled herself in a strenge room, where a 'man presented her with a cup and desired her to think. She declined, arid the unknown person said, " You should not refuse; this ie the lest you will ever drink th your life." In Paris the Prineees. was taken ill- and the king's play eiciae was sent tor. On hi s arrival he showed great signs of astonishment at the starthog resemblance between the doctor and the .man in het dream. She. recovered, arel eventually, in good hea3tli. forgot her - dream and the fears it had (reefed. Upwards 'of a e'etir eifterwerds, however, her dream was beeight home to her in a striking manner; when. dissatisfied with her lodgings, she requested apertments to be .arranged for .her in a convent in Parise • Immediately. on entering the room, she. exclaimed, Itis all over with. me; I shell not leave this room 'it Ls the on.e•l *saw .my dream at Warsaw." She died soon afterward, in. the same spertrneet, of :an ulcer irethe throat. occasioned by the drawing of a tooth., Dr. throat, give the following as an entitely authentic.- dream of a lady of his aceplaintance : This. lady- dreaniedehat bey,, hee nephew, had, been drovined along with some young companions v.tii w lile wee. erigeged to. go_oli a sailing ee• cursi•on in the .girth of Forth. She 9ent for him in, the morning, arid prevailed upon him to give up his engagement. His eonipanions went, and were thewned.—W. Birt,lo7. &Q.