1 It has long been known that certain stimuli will cause awakening quicker than others. Thus, we are awakened when our own name is called sooner than when an indifferent name is uttered; a mother will awake when her babe cries, but sleep through other sounds of even greater intensity; a nurse is aware of the slightest change in her patient; a telegraph operator will awake when his station is called, etc. We may explain this as a response to an accustomed stimulus, something in the nature of a reflex action.

We will find on study that the majority of our dreams are associated with some incident of the past twenty-four or forty-eight hours; we might say that the dream begins with this incident. Often the incident used is of very slight significance, or seems to be; we have reason to think that the dream rarely concerns itself with the non-important. A transient thought of home, sickness, death, etc., a scrap of conversation, a picture casually noted, and many other things that seem of no moment in the daily life may instigate the dream. This incident links itself to other incidents with which it has a relation, even slight. The memories that are called forth by association pour forth into consciousness, and pierce far back into our mental life, even to early childhood.

We may understand how, from an apparently trifling event of the day a long dream may arise, by studying one of our own dreams. If we write down the dream as we remember it, and take up, say the first sentence, and allow our thoughts to flow forward without criticism in connection with the sentence, we will find that we have enough material to fill several pages. If we go through the whole dream in the same way we will have enough material to occupy a dozen or more pages. There are some psychologists who believe that the thoughts which are elicited by a study of the dream, as in the above mentioned manner, are really the thoughts which have made the dream. Be this as it may, we can learn from the method how many associations a single thought may give rise to. By paying attention to our dreams, we will soon note how frequently they are prompted by an incident of the previous day, and how infrequently a physical disturbance can be held accountable for them.

Just what incident of the day the dream will select is a matter not easily determined. We may conceive that as we lull ourselves to sleep and the mental tension relaxes a number of thoughts which have a relation to the day's activities pass through consciousness. One or more of these is held up, retained in consciousness, because it is really of more significance than it seems to be, and because consciousness has noted this. Then are unfolded countless thoughts which have an association with the selected thought: which unfolding we call the dream.

It has been stated that the dream chooses material which is of significance to us. By this it is not implied that the dream thoughts are of so great importance as the psycho-analysts believe; merely, that out of the many incidents of the day the dream chooses one which, unknown to us probably, has an association with our present or past interests. The incident may be of significance to us, through its associations, because it has a relation to our desires, hopes, ambitions, present or past; because it is reminiscent of pleasure or pain, experiences which have excited our attention, which have had some influence on our thoughts, even our lives.

Accius said long ago: "It is no wonder if what men practice, think, care for, and do when awake, should also run in their heads, and move them when they are asleep." If a dream concerns itself with such things then it is certainly dealing with something of significance to us. Dreams are naturally seekers of past experiences. And should it depict persons, places, and things which have figured in our pasts, then it does so because some incident of the day had an association with these, and because these dream figures or incidents are of more importance to us than many other things with which the dream could deal.

In daily life we can find examples of how our thoughts may be directed along certain paths by something insignificant of itself but which has an association with something of significance. Thus, while walking along the street, or gazing into a window we may find ourselves thinking of certain longings or past experiences; the former thoughts are dislodged. Asked why these old memories should come up, we would usually be unable to explain. They have come up because something has attracted our attention; something has reminded us, if unconsciously, of desires, of former days. Doubtless, in the course of a day we meet with many things which have a resemblance, if slight, to old experiences, but which, at the time, are unable to bring the associations into consciousness, possibly because directive thinking was too strong, or the reminiscence was checked by some distraction. Yet these impressions are made constantly, and it is in sleep that they are apt to appear, and to serve as the instigators of dreams.