Year: 1877

As illustrating the manner in Whicl


impressions Of the past may emery
from the brain, shall here furnish 81
instance bordering closely on tn


supernatural, and fairly representing
the most marvellous Of these psyche
logical phenomena. 1t occurred to
physician, who related it, in my hear
ing, TO q circle whose conversation


had turned on the subject OF persona


fear. what you are saying" he re


marked, "msy be very true; but
can assure you that the sentiment o


fear, in its utmost degree, Is much les


common than you suppose anC


though you may be surprised to heal


me say it, know from personal ex


perience that this is certainly 50.
When l was five or six years old,


dreamed that was passing by larg'


pond OF water in very solitary place


On the opposite side Of It there stood


3 great tree that looked as if it haC


been struck by lightning, and in the


pOEd at another part an old fallen


trunk, on one Of the prone limbs O


which there was q turtle summing him
self. On q sudden a wind arose


which forced me into the pond, and
in my dying struggles to extricaLe my.


self from its green and slimy waters ]
awOke, trembling with terror.


"AbOut eight years subsequently,


while recovering from q nearly fats
attack OF scarlet fever, this dream pre-
sented-itself to me, Identical in all re-
speets, again. Even up to this time
think had never seen n living toy
tOise or turtle, but l indistinetly re-
member that there was 3 picture OF
one in the first spelling-bOOk that had
been given me. Perhaps on account
OF nv critical condition, this second
dream impressed me more dreadfully


than the first.


"a dozen years more elapsed. i
had become physician, and was now
actively pursuing my professional du-
ties in one of the Southern States. II
so fell out that one July afternoon /
had t0tske long and wearisome ride
on horseback. 1t was Sunday, and
extremely hot /; the path was solitary,
there was not house for miles. The
forest had that intense silence so
characteristic of this time of the day
all the wild animals and birds had
gone to their retreats to be rid OF the


heat of the sun. Suddenly at one
point of the road came upon q great
stagnant water pool, and casting my
eyes across Ii, there stood a pine-tree
blasted by lightning, and on log that
was nearly even with the surface q
turtle was basking in the sun. The
dream OF my infancy was upon me ;
the brIdle fell from my hands, an un-
utterable fear overshadoWed me, and
I skunk away from the accursed place.


Though business occasionally after
ward would have drawn me that way,
] could not summon resolution to 90,
and actually have taken roundabout
paths. 1t seemed to me profoundly
amazing that the dream that / had
had should after twenty years be re-
allied, without respect 20 difference OF
scene, or climate, or age. A good
clergyman Of my acquaintance took
the opportunity of improving the
circumstance to my spiritual advan-
tage, and in his kind enthusiasm-fOr
he knew that had been more than
once brought to the point Of death by
such fevers-interpreted my dream
that should die OF marsh miasm.


"Most persons have doubtless OBJ
served that they suddenly encounter
events of q trivial nature, in their
course of life, of which they have an
indistinct recollection that they have
dreamed before. For a long time it
seemed to me that this Was q case OF
that kind, and that it might be set
down among the mysterious and un-
accountable. How wonderful it is
that we so often fail to see the simple
explanation OF things, when that ex-
planstion is actually intruding itself
before us And so in this case it
was lOug before the truth cleaned in
upon me, before my reasoning powers
shook OFF the delusive Impressions OF
my senses. But It occurred at last !;
for said to myself, is it more prob
able that such q mystery is true, or
that 1 have dreamed for the third
time that which had already dream
ed of twice before? Have 1 really
seen the blasted tree and the summing
turtle ? Are q weary ride of fifty
miles, the noontide heat, the silence
that could almost be felt, no provoea-
tion to a dream ? have ridden un-
der such circumstances many q mile
fast asleep, and have awoke and
known it and so / resolved that II
ever circumstances carried me to those
parts again, would satisfy myself az
to the matter.


Accordingly, after q few years,
when an incident led me to travel
there, revisited the well-remember-
ed scene. There was still the stag
nant pool, but the blasted pine-tree
was gone and after l had pushed my
horse through the marshy thicket as
far as / could force him, and then dis
mounted and pursued q close investi-
CATION on foot in every direction
around the spot, L was clearly con-
WINGED that no pine tree had ever
grown there; not stump nor any
token OF its remains could be seen
and so now / have concluded that at
the glimpse OF the water, with the
readiness OF those who are falling
asleep, l had adopted an external fact
into 3 dream that it had aroused the
trains of thought which in former
years had occupied me, and that, In
fine, the mystery was all delusion,
and that 1 had been frightened with
less than q shadow"


The instructive story of this physi-
clan teaches US how readily and yet
how impressively the remains OF old
ideas may be recalled how they
may, as iE were, be projected into the
space beyond US, and take q position
among existing realities. For this all
that is necessary is that there should
be an equalization Of old impressions
with new sensations, and that may be
accomplished either by diminishing
the force Of present sensations, or by
the activity OF those parts
Of the brain in which the old impres.
sions are stored up.


Thus, when we are falling asleep,
the organs of sense no longer convey |
their special impressions with the |
,leArness and force that they did in
bur waking hours, and this gives to
he traces that are stored up In the
brain the power OF drawing upon
themselves the attention of the
nind.-Dr. j. W. Draper, IN Hdrper's