60 Wiscojisin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



(h) The Actual or Relative Method. 



To conform to linguistic fashion, I offer one more improve- 

 ment in my illustration, obtaining "Decent liominem qui ^^It 

 discere.'^ Although this change is formally somewhat striking, 

 I claim that in values there is no change whatever. As I read 

 my own thought and expressional purpose, the idea named by 

 "hom'' is still conceived but once; its objective function with 

 "docent" is still shown by '^nem;" its subjective function with 

 "\ailt" continues to be shown by "qui." Generalizing on the 

 value of "qui,'' as thus interpreted, I reach the following propo- 

 sitions : The relative is a function sign. It differs from other 

 function-signs in the fact that, while such others become parts 

 of the idea-sign or word, that is, inflections, the relative main- 

 tains its formal separateness or isolation. Also the relative is 

 employed only when it is desirable to indicate two functions of 

 a simultaneous thou a'ht-f actor. In such case one function is 

 indicated by an ordinary inflection. To indicate the other is 

 the special duty of the relative. Accordingly the relative is 

 merely a specialized and isolated function-sign. 



To illustrate more objectively the situation met by the relative, con- 

 ceive a wedding ceremony and a funeral service to occur simultaneously 

 and so near together, that a woman present may be regarded as form- 

 ing part of the group attending each. Thus situated she may cherish 

 the laudaBle wish to conform her dress to each of her two environ- 

 ments. She is in somewhat the predicament of a simultaneous sen- 

 tence factor, which might advantageously also suit itself to each of 

 two verbal companies. A harlequin costume, partly festal and partly 

 funereal, is forbidden by accepted usage. Could she, hov/ever, duplicate 

 herself in form, while remaining personally one; could she in short 

 make use of a dummy; or could she, in theosophic parlance, project 

 alongside of herself an astral body or fictitious self; this illusory second 

 self she might harmonize in dress with one environment, while her real 

 and primary self conformed to the other. That is, without repetition 

 of her actual self, her individual significance, or say her meaning, she 

 might be in formal accordance v/ith her two surroundings. So too of 

 the relative pronoun it may, very figuratively, be said that it is the 

 verbal dummy, on which we hang the drapery of inflections suitable to 

 a second verbal environment. 



That the action of the relative word is analogous is suggested by 

 some uses of the definite article. Remembering that the article is 



