Timson on Dreams.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 447, 19 February 1890, Page 3

Timson on Dreams.

My friend Timson, of the Psychical Society, is peculiarly successful in the matter of dreams. For. years they have gone on in an ascending ratio; each one is more vivid than the, last, and fulfilled in more detail. There are some people who consider that Timson overdoes it a little—that he rides his nightmares too hard. Tastes differ as to the proportion of untrustworthy narrative which a man may introduce about himself into the general conversation; and, when a man has three distinct dreams in one night, and relates them all at one dinner on the following evening, he does lay himself open to a certain amount of criticism. But Timson is no ordinary man, and cannot be judged by ordinary standards. He Lives in a Haunted House. his wife is a medium, and he numbers among his intimate acquaintance several fascinating people who have positively seen with their bodily eyes things unspeakable. His extensive leisure is spent entirely in researches of the deepest and most psychical character, and though you may be thankless enough to find him a little wearisome, you must at least own that he is an authority in his special subject. In fact, what Timson does not know, or thinks he knows, about the unseen world is'hardly worth the knowing. Yet when, a few months ago, I took Timson a dream from which I had recently suffered, he proved most unsatisfactory. I related it to him partly to repay him for the many wicked falsehoods he must have told meat different times about himself, but chiefly because I thought that Timson’s great knowledge of this subject would enable him to give me some explanation and advice. In the latter point I was wrong. Timson is An Exponent of the Scientific Methodi which does not explain, but classifies. In my case he refused even to classify definitely. I could get little from him except some criticism on part of my story. 1 may possibly have offended him by something in my manner which he mistook for levity, but it appeared that the fatal objection was that my dream had not come true, and never would come true, and was therefore not worth consideration. Now, although admitting the fact, I took exception to his deductions from it. I pointed out to him that I was only a beginner, and, that if I were encouraged, I should soon acquire the right knabk ; that, besides, a dream which did not come true must be more startling to him than the other kind. But my Arguments Were of No Use ; he positively refused to classify my story i£ its present incomplete condition, although he owned that if it ever did come true it would rank as an aggravated case of inverted telepathy. Ido hope it is not going to be as bad as that, and I told Timson so. I feel that I could not bear it. I entreated him to. tell me if he thought that a few weeks at the seaside, or riding exercise, or a generous diet, would do anything to avert disaster. But at this point the oracle had the misfortune to lose its temper, and insisted that I was not being serious with It. . So I obtained no further information.—From the ‘Cornhill Magazine.'