Owen—Relations Expressed by the Passive Voice. 107 
what I may call the universe of nerve instructs me. Also, even 
if what I reverse is mental passage, the required reversal of 
the mind-senation calls at most for little mental effort. The 
universe of space is this time my instructor. If now I pass, 
in thought of eating, from the actor to the object, I perceive 
without a struggle the relation of eater to food. This relation 
is no doubt a trifle more obscure than those of space; but, on 
the other hand, I have the vast advantage now of being taught 
by that most stimulating of instructors—the universe of action. 
“Things in motion more do catch the eye than what not stirs.” 
Accordingly, if now, conversely, in a teachable state of mind, 
I often pass, in thought of eating, from actee (object) to actor, 
some day, in some brighter mental moment, as it seems to me 
I certainly shall hear and understand the great instructor: I 
shall, at first but dimly, but with growing clearness, sense the 
new relation of food to its own eater. 
The situation, as I apprehend it, may be indicated by a tabu¬ 
lation of ideas thus: 
Apples 
known to play the part 
of food 
i 
, some 
1 
► — s 
'relation' 
' [ 
Boys 
known to play the part 
of eater 
In view of fact the following relations are untenable: 
that of eater to food, 
that of eater to eating, 
that of eating to food. 
Indeed, the form of the reflexive phrase or verb (e. g. edun- 
tur), so different from that employed to express the above re¬ 
lations, points distinctly to a different relation. 
In view of mental tendencies discussed on pp. 29-30, the 
following relations are of secondary interest: 
that of food to eating, 
that of eating to eater. 
The one remaining* tenable relation not of secondary inter¬ 
est is that of food-to-eater. 
* It seems unnecessary to develop here relations thinkable between 
co-actors, co-actees, actor (or action) and an indirect actee, etc., since 
the illustration has no room for them. 
