CLASSIFICATION. 497 



European languages, the German ; while even that is inferior to the Greek, 

 in which the relation between the meaning of a derivative word and that 

 of its primitive is in general clearly marked by its mode of formation, ex- 

 cept in the case of words compounded with prepositions, which are often, 

 in both those languages, extremely anomalous. 



But all that can be done, by the mode of constructing words, to prevent 

 them from degenerating into sounds passing through the mind without any 

 distinct apprehension of what they signify, is far too little for the necessity 

 of the case. Words, however well constructed originally, are always tend- 

 ing, like coins, to have their inscription worn off by passing from hand to 

 hand ; and the only possible mode of reviving it is to be ever stamping 

 it afresh, by living in the habitual contemplation of the phenomena them- 

 selves, and not resting in our familiarity with the words that express them. 

 If any one, having possessed himself of the laws of phenomena as recorded 

 in words, whether delivered to him originally by others, or even found out 

 by himself, is content from thenceforth to live among these formula3, to 

 think exclusively of them, and of applying them to cases as they arise, with- 

 out keeping up his acquaintance with the realities from which these laws 

 were collected — not only will he continually fail in his practical efforts, be- 

 cause he will apply his formula? without duly considering whether, in this 

 case and in that, other laws of nature do not modify or supersede them ; 

 but the formulae themselves will progressively lose their meaning to him, 

 and he will cease at last even to be capable of recognizing with certainty 

 whether a case falls within the contemplation of his formula or not. It is, 

 in short, as necessary, on all subjects not mathematical, that the things on 

 which we reason should be conceived by us in the concrete, and " clothed 

 in circumstances," as it is in algebra that Me should keep all individualiz- 

 ing peculiarities sedulously out of view. 



With this remark we close our observations on the Philosophy of Lan- 

 guage. 



CHAPTER VII. 



OF CLASSIFICATIO^r, AS SUBSIDIARY TO INDUCTION. 



§ 1. There is, as has been frequently remarked in this work, a classifi- 

 cation of things, which is inseparable from the fact of giving them general 

 names. Every name which connotes an attribute, divides, by that very 

 fact, all things whatever into two classes, those which have the attribute 

 and those which have it not ; those of which the name can be predicated, 

 and those of which it can not. And the division thus made is not merely 

 a division of such things as actually exist, or are known to exist, but of all 

 such as may hereafter be discovered, and even of all which can be imagined. 



On this kind of Classification we have nothing to add to what has previ- 

 ously been said. The Classification which requires to be discussed as a sep- 

 arate act of the mind, is altogether different. In the one, the arrangement 

 of objects in groups, and distribution of them into compartments, is a mere 

 incidental effect consequent on the use of names given for another purpose, 

 namely that of simply expressing some of their qualities. In the other, the 

 arrangement and distribution are the main object, and the naming is sec- 

 Dndary to, and purposely conforms itself to, instead of governing, that 

 -uore important operation. 



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