BOYS OF THE BIBLE. 99

to be almost a poet in his dreams, tells the story of his
dreams.

‘“And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his breth-
ren: and they hated him yet the more.

“And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream
which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves
in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright;
and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obei-
sance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou
indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over
us? eae they hated him yet the more for his Ce and
for his words.

‘““And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his
brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more;
and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his
brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What
is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother
and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee
to the earth? eu as brethren envied him; but his father
observed the saying.”

It is hardly needful to say that, in the days of Jacob and
Joseph, much store was set by dreams, and we need not blame
the people of these old times, and upbraid them as _ being
unduly superstitious. Dreams are mysterious things, and
because they are mysterious they have great influence over
certain minds. Perhaps we are all influenced by them, to some
extent at least. It may be a matter of surprise, but it is a
matter of fact, that tens of thousands of so-called intelligent
people in America, as well as in less-favored lands, keep dream-
books by them to consult when they have had any special
dream. Now, if this is done in the nineteenth century, in the