58 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts, and Letters. 



misconception, tliat it can hardly be examined to advantage till 

 the mind is freed, so far as may be, from existing preconcep- 

 tions. Digressing therefore from the actual method, I offer, as 

 a help to breadth and clearness of view, a brief examination of 

 a priori possibilities. Snch examination will reveal a consist- 

 ent method of indicating double function — one the more worthy 

 of note, that the actual method will be found to be its merely 

 formal adaptation — a method which may be designated as 



(a) The Consistent Method. 



It has already been observed that the function of an idea in 

 one thouo:ht is indicated bv one inflection. The functions of 

 an idea in two thoughts w^ould self-suggestively be met by two in- 

 flections. The simultaneous thought-factor would be inflected 

 once to indicate its function in one thought, and again to indi- 

 cate its function in the other. 



In some languages, notably in Greek, inflections are applied, 

 as is the case with a part of the tense-signs, to the word's begin- 

 ning. More commonly inflections appear at the end. When 

 now an idea is simultaneous factor of two thoughts, an earlier 

 and a later, it would be distinctly proper to exhibit function in 

 the earlier thought by an inflection of the earlier part of the 

 idea-symbol or word, and to show function in later thought by 

 inflection of the latter part of the word. 



Remembering that the merest possibilities are in considera- 

 tion, suppose I have in mind a thought expressible by "The Bi- 

 ble teaches whosoever (or any one or the man) wishes to learn.'' 

 The idea expressed by "whosoever," "any one" or "man" is at 

 the same time last term or object in "The Bible teaches the 

 man," and first term or subject in "the man wishes to learn." 



Wishing novf in illustration the aid of a very distinct inflec- 

 tional system, I put my example into somewhat imaginary 

 Latin. Let then the idea named by "man" be expressed by 

 "hom." Inflecting my new symbol in its earlier part, to indi- 

 cate objective function in the earlier thought, I obtain "Biblia 

 decent nem-hom." Inflecting the word again in its later part, 

 to indicate subjective function in the later thought, I obtain 

 "hom-o vult discere." In combining the two sections of my to- 



