It is childish to attach supernatural significance to either dreams or crystal-gazing, both of which mirror, not the future, but only the past, the subject’s own past.

It is noteworthy that women dream more frequently and vividly than men.  When a dreamer has few worries, he usually dreams but forgets his dream on waking; when greatly worried, he often carries his problems to bed with him, and recent “representative dreams” are merely unprofitable overtime work done by the brain.  Occasionally, dreams have a purely physical basis as when palpitation becomes transformed in a dream into a scene wherein a horse is struggling violently, or where an uncovered foot originates a dream of polar-exploration; in this latter type the dream is protective, in that it is an effort to side-track some irritation without breaking sleep.

Since Freud has traced a sex-basis in all our dreams, many worthy people have been much worried about the things they see or do in dreams.  Let them remember that virtue is not an inability to conceive of misconduct, so much as the determination to refrain from it, and it may well be that the centres which so determinedly inhibit sexual or unsocial thoughts in the day, are tired by the very vigour of their resistance, and so in sleep allow the thoughts they have so stoutly opposed when waking to slip by.  The man who is long-suffering and slow to wrath when awake, may surely be excused if he murders a few of his tormentors during sleep.

Epileptiform Seizures are convulsions due to causes other than epilepsy, and only a doctor can tell if an attack be epileptic or not and prescribe appropriate treatment.  To give “patent” medicines for “fits”, to a man who may be suffering from lead poisoning or heart disease, is criminal.

Convulsions in Children often occur before or after some other ailment.  Such children need careful training, but less than 10 per cent of children who have convulsions become epileptic.  Epilepsy should only be suspected if the first attack occurs in a previously healthy child of over two years of age.  There are many possible causes for infantile convulsions, and but one treatment; call in a doctor at once, and, while waiting for him, put the child in a warm bath (not over 100 deg.  F.) in a quiet, darkened room, and hold a sponge wrung out of hot water to the throat at intervals of five minutes.  Never give “soothing syrups” or “teething powders”.

The “soothing” portion of such preparations is some essential oil, like aniseed, caraway or dill, and there are often present strong drugs unsuitable for children.  According to the analyses made by the British Medical Association, the following are the essential ingredients of some well-known preparations for children: 

Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Potassium Bromide,
Syrup.  Aniseed, and Syrup
(sugar and water).