Owen — Revision of Pronouns. 77 



common unit of measure. I am doing much the same as if I 

 said ^^This saucer's departure from flatness equals that tardy 

 student's departure from punctuality" ; or "It is as spherical as 

 he is late." The results also of comparisons are thems'^ives com- 

 pared, as in "lie is as superior to her as she is superior (or infer- 

 ior) to her sister ;" or "He is as superior to her as she is better 

 than her sister ;" or "He is more superior to her than she is su- 

 perior (or inferior) to her sister ;" or, with more confusion, "A 

 is more redder than B, than C is bluer (or less blue) than D." 

 Such comparisons obviously present the merest extensions of the 

 mathematical conception known as proportion. "A :B : :0 :D" (or 

 A:B=C :D) is a manifest preparer of the way to "A:B> C :D" 

 etc. Also the scope of reality or its imaginary degree is subjected 

 to comparison. Thus, "The more (truly) A equals B, the more 

 (truly) C equals D." Opportunity is thus offered for the occur- 

 rence in a single proposition of still further complication. A 

 comparison may be made between the realities of two proposi- 

 tions, each of which compares the results of preceding compari- 

 sons. Thus, "The more (truly) A is as much larger than B as 

 C is than D, the more (truly) E is as much larger than F as Gr is 

 than H." And examples of still greater complexity may be 

 made by comparing degrees of truth and untruth, or of inferior- 

 ity and superiority, and by substituting irrelevant qualities. 

 Thus, "The more truly A is as much yellower than B as C is 

 less magnetic than D, the less (truly) E is as much broader than 

 r as G is heavier than H." 



These illustrations, partly imaginary, I have not form.ulated 

 with any purpose of reviewing in their wearisome solution the 

 principles already indicated. I note them only as suggesting 

 that, however imperfectly those principles be established, the 

 effort to establish them lies in the right direction; as indicat- 

 ing that something more than the facile relegation of words 

 to "conjunctive" and "relative" categories must be attempted, 

 before the sentence as the picture of thought can be adequately 

 understood. 



