ELEMENTS OF FORM AND NUMBER. 139 



nuni or filling-in of its depth or holding-capacity), is 

 also Abstract. 



166. That which has neither Length, Breadth, nor 

 Thickness is, obviously, from the Sensible or Natural 

 Point of View, a Pure Nothing ; so of the Line which 

 has Length merely ; so of the Surface, and so of the 

 Geometrical Solid, even. These are all Pure Nothings, 

 the mere Cut-up of the still more Negative or Noth- 

 ing-like Pure Space, in which they, as well as the 

 Concrete "World, are situated. Or, rather, they may 

 be merely Conceptions, in the Mind, of Positings and 

 Limitations which have no Real Existence in Actual 

 Space even ; but which are put there, by the Mind, as a 

 means of Measuring and so of thinking (or thinging) 

 other things. All these Primary Elements of Form 

 are Abstract, and, in a sense, very unreal ; but, on the 

 other hand, if all Points, Lines, and Surfaces were re- 

 moved, or ihought-away-from the Universe, nothing 

 would remain before the mind ; or, if the process 

 were even partially effected, nothing but The SUB- 

 STANCE of Things would remain ; for the Things them- 

 selves must have Form, in order to remain Things ; 

 and Form consists of precisely these Abstract Points, Lines 

 and Surfaces, which, when analyzed, are Nothings ; 

 except for the Keason or the Mind's eye, within us. 



167. So in respect to Number ; A Unit is not a real 

 object, not anything Concrete or sensibly real ; not a 

 mineral, a vegetable or an animal; though it may 

 represent any of these. So of any number of Units. 

 A Sum is only an aggregation of Units, or of Pure 

 Nothings ; except to the reason. Number is there- 



