926 The American Naturalist. [November, 
gently approached without being startled, he may be asked 
questions which he will answer intelligently without any con- 
cious act on his part. Hissubconciousness, for the time being, 
holds him beneath its sway. Yet his active conciousness is 
not so much obtunded but that he can answer questions 
intelligently. Again, if a musician seated at a piano and im- 
provising, be approached and gently questioned, he will 
answer the questions intelligently without ever ceasing his 
improvisation. His subconciousness is elaborating the sweet- 
est harmonies, yet his active conciousness is not so far away but 
that it can give utterance to co-ordinating thought action. 
Again, when the active conciousness is stilled in slumber, sub- 
conciousness sometimes remains awake and makes itself evi- 
dent in dreams. The lack of rational thought—co-ordination 
in subconciousness is shown by the more or less extravagance 
and incoherence of dreams. Everything, no matter how un- 
natural and extravagant, occurring to the dreamer, is accepted 
by him as being natural and consistent. When, however, his 
active conciousness is aroused, he at once recognizes the inco- 
coherence of his dreams. I hold, emphatically, that all dreams, 
when closely studied, will show extravagance and incoherence. 
A dream may seem, at first glance, to be entirely coherent, but, 
if the remembrance of the dream be perfect and it be closely 
studied, numerous incoherences will always be discovered. 
We know how easy it is for us to lose ourselves in abstrac- 
tion. We will sit for several moments seemingly in profound 
thought, yet when suddenly aroused and asked what engaged 
our thoughts, we are unable to tell. We have been in a sub- 
concious state, probably revelling in the wildest vagaries. 
Fortunately for us, degeneration has left no weakened spot in 
our active conciousness on which to engraft the erotic im- 
aginings of our non-coordinating subconciousness, conse- 
quently our moments of subconciousness are blanks. The 
favorable hypnotic subject is easily thrown into the subconcious 
state. The sudden entrance of a bright light into a darkened 
room; a loud noise; a sudden stillness after prolonged noise; 
the crackling of a lighted match ; a breath of cold or warm air 
is all that necessary, sometimes, to bring about hypnosis. I 
SSS ces 
