Are Dreams Prophetic?

A curious and interesting article on the subject of dreams appears in The Freeman, of London. The writer discusses dreams from a scientific, a sentimental, and a speculative point of view. An attempt is made to describe the process of dreaming in the following words:

“Imagine an organ, which it was essential should keep playing continually, so that when the organist ceased touching the keys they would be automatically moved at random. You would find therein a correct illustration of the human brain. From such an instrument, if listened to when the master was absent, there would be a succession of tones, perhaps at times giving forth a weird music, occasionally issuing chords rarely heard and possibly now and then a charming air. So in sleep. Or to take another musical illustration. The difference between thinking and dreaming is similar to that of playing a violin with a bow or using it as an Æolian harp.”

It is contended that the phenomena of dreams afford no evidence of the supposed dual nature of human existence. Neither, it is said, is there anything supernatural about it. Aside from the recorded instances in the Scriptures where God made use of dreams to convey His messages to certain men, there is no authentic record of dreams being used as agencies for communication from the unseen world, this notwithstanding many alleged happenings of this kind. On this point the writer says:

“In passing we may note some of the weird unauthenticated narratives which have somehow gained currency. Such stories as those of Lord Lyttleton forecasting his death at Pitt Place by a dream. Or Maria Martin, in which a dream is said to have aided in the discovery of a murder at the Red Barn. Or the strange tale of Mr. John William, of Redruth, and the assassination of Mr. Percival in the House of Commons. These legends are singularly tenacious of life, and are repeated again and again after having been shown to be all but destitute of truth. Could any of these narratives bear the test of thorough examination it would be most unphilosophical to found a theory on the coincidence of a chance. It is an evidence of the widespread prevalence of good sense that we have not a hundred times as many tales of dreams coming true as have found acceptance among a certain class, and are related by certain authors.”

Coming to the interesting question whether dreams have any prophetic power, the writer says:

“Some very serious stories are undoubtedly told on very good authority of what is called fulfilment of dreams. How can it be otherwise? The famous professor, Herr Teufelsdrock, when he looked out of his garret window in Weisnitchwo, down upon the town, at the midnight hour, reflected on the fact that upward of five hundred thousand two-legged animals without feathers were lying round about in horizontal position, their heads all in nightcaps and full of the foolishest dreams. It would be indeed a miracle if no event happened the next day that would correspond to one of the dreams in those five hundred thousand brains. If you dream but three dreams a night you have had one thousand every year you have lived, and as most of these relate to ordinary life many must by chance have, what is called, come true. Consider this. There are, say, fifteen hundred millions of persons in the world. Each of these has dreams, some one, some a score or more, each of the 365 nights of the year. Five hundred thousand million dreams every year at least! On the doctrine of probabilities many thousands must truly represent coming events. Every person has at least ten thousand nights every thirty years. Suppose an individual in good health, waking only once each morning, formed the habit of remembering his last sleeping presentation. Say the chances are a thousand to one against the waking dream coming true. Then the chances are that he will have ten remarkable dreams in the thirty years. Consider the probabilities as less, and add the experience of acquaintances, then each one might know of many coincidences of dreams and subsequent events. So that the fact that out of the countless number of dreams dreamed, now and then one strangely and even vividly forecasts an event, need be no mystery. The less so when the power of the imagination over the memory is taken into account.

“Representation with many persons is a growing thing; the plain green blade soon develops into a fine plant with abundance of flowers unseen before. Skilfully draw out a dream-teller. Get him to relate his vision on meeting him in the morning. Have the story retold later on in the day. Note carefully the difference between the narrative at breakfast and at dinnertime. You will find it budding into new forms and colors. Now introduce into conversation some circumstances you have just heard of — say, a death in the family, or some murder told in the newspaper, or some singular discovery which might in a faint way correspond with the vision. See how the remembrance alters even while you talk. By tea-time that dream has lost the feature which did not coincide with the fact to which it is about to be united as a very remarkable forecast, and has gained some additions which improve the resemblance. By supper-time it has developed into a very satisfactory vision, and the dreamer, with perfect good faith, declares that henceforth no one shall ever persuade him that there is no truth in dreams, and grows proud with the consciousness that he is the subject of functions which do not belong to ordinary mortals, and is the true successor of the patriarch Joseph and the prophet Daniel — a veritable Zaphnath Paaneah. We all are pleased to feel ourselves in some small point a little superior to our fellows, especially in supernatural revelation.”