NUMBER FORMS. 



5 J 3 



In all these forms the figures and letters appear to me in my own handwrit- 

 ing, except in the divisions of the day. In these, I have the abstract idea of 

 morning, etc., in mind, hut with the distinct divisions as in the diagram. All the 

 plans are very much larger than here represented. The figures begin at my left 

 and cross to my right before me, curving at 8; and 1,000 seems about my finger- 

 tips when my arm is extended straight before me. The circle of the seasons is 

 about as large as would lie between my arms extended straight before me. The 

 days of the week occupy a line at my left, about a yard long. The divisions of 

 the day are perpendicular, as though hung on a wall, and morning begins at a 

 level with my hand. 



The number form in Fig. 18 is peculiar in this respect, that it 

 reads from right to left. The seer is an artist, and it may be worth 

 mentioning that she is not left- 



Yeilow July 

 YeOovy Aug. 



handed. Other features of her 

 form she describes as follows : 



June Yellow Morning 



May Green 



The line of the figures runs down to 

 8, 18, 28, 38, 48. They turn and ascend 

 to the multiples of 10, but after 40 I 

 see only the numbers found in the mul- 

 tiplication table — 42, 48, etc. The num- 

 bers 18 and 19 form a very dark cor- 

 ner ; 20 is quite light ; 24 again is dark, 

 the darkness continuing to 30; 30 is 

 again light, and the numbers following 

 are all quite light. The source of light 

 seems to be 60, which is much higher 

 than the rest, the light touching those 

 on either side; 75 is very distinct. 



AutumnI Sept - 

 Colors 1_ , 

 [Oct. 



White Nov. 



White "Dec. 



Nloon 



April Green 



Afternoon 



Mar. Green 

 Feb. White Evening 

 Jan. White 



Night 



Sun. 



Sat. 



Fri, 



(Morning 

 Afternoon l°°0 

 / 



■ ThuTs 

 Wed. 

 Tues. 



Mori, 



lOt) 



I 2 



Number forms being all un- 

 like, adequate explanation of 

 them becomes practically im- 

 possible. Speaking very gener- 

 ally, however, their origin may 

 be traced to one great cause — 

 namely, the attempt or necessi- Fig. 17. 



ties of children to give a con- 

 crete form to the abstract. Now, numbers are among the first 

 abstractions that children have to wrestle with. Our earliest ab- 

 stract ideas, perhaps also our later ones, are, as it is now well 

 known, either mere samples of individual things, or else a kind of 

 composite picture of them. The child's concept of boy, girl, dog, 

 horse, are nothing more than visual pictures of some particular 

 boy, girl, dog, horse, or else a composite picture of a limited num- 

 ber of individuals. Now, numbers do not admit of such compo- 

 site pictures. They are bald abstractions that the poor child must 

 manage in some way. In most cases, if he be an eye-minded 

 child, he merely visualizes the Arabic numeral. He may give it 



VOL. XLII. 34 



