George Sand On Dreams

Why these ohimeras of sleep 't Phys; cal disposition, I shall h tola. Woll auc good ; butthat doos uot oxplain why the have such aud such a shapo. That re latos tu au orgunio muchanism of whic we do not kiiow tlio luutivo power, hik wliich ïumaius an enigma to us all. A our eyes lor u long tiiue rotaiu tho ini presuon of the solar spuctrutn whioli ha dazzlod thüin, the mind lilis with the ob jeots which havo fillod the oyus, und tht fancy, while it transforma, traces thutu upon I know not what back chainber tlio sanotuary of dr-aias. Our brain i not, then a photogniphiu apparatus in whioh iuiagos aro aoourately transmittvd It resolubles rather a theater whore tho facts of lite aro presentad under tho ibrm ot ttction. ÍJiit it ia richor and wovo original than all the ñotiona oí' tho theater. It is tho unfors eu in all it power, it is tho impossible acceptiid beforoiiand, it is the uiu-cstraiiiod festival of the imagmuüon. The serious and the burlosque daooe together, terror and joy Bucoeed eaoh othur there. Sorrow is ofton bittor there, our tears flow and wet tho pillow. But it most frequently vaniahes to give way to anrealized coraijensations Tho friond who has just left us suddonly returns from animinense journey, whioh has Usted but an instant ; ho even, if need bu, eaves tlie touib to whieli we havo just oarried him, to converse with us. We oursolves easily die in a droam, and fael nrsilvesat onco living anddoad without surpriso and without angnish. Thus, ;hauks to the iictions, whjeh rock our hour of reposo, wo spond a notablo part of our existeneo outside the doniain of reality. All the more becauso it ia not iry to sleep ia orderto dream. Contemplation leads almost ahvays to a stute of highest satisfaction in which reason sluuibur.s, and wanderings moro deflned and less jirolonged tlian those of a drouni none the loss escapo tho control of argument. There is, thorefore in us, tomething which is ciilled a soul, and wliich is perhaps quite anothor tliing from that whioh bears its name, hitherto vei-y ill-dofinod. I have luyself long belir.-, il that wo have three souls - ono to direct tho eiuployinent of our organs, anothor to regúlate; our relations with our spe lies, a third to coiumu:úcu.tti with the Divine Spirit which auimates the universo. St. Benve used to siailu when I said thut to him. "Three bouIs," said he, "if we could bo 8ure of having ono 'i " I darnd notanswerhim that we 'had more. .' are not such limpie phonomena as people havo choson tp tliink in order to be able to classify us as good and bad, as oloct ;uii oondemned.