ence is only mental or imaginary. It is on this principle that whole sentences are used as a noun in the nominative or objective case. Thus, "that one man should die for the crimes of another," is an unjust thing or thought. Here

it is plain that the sentence which precedes, and forms the nominative case to the verb is, is in apposition with the noun thing, or thought, in the nominative case after is, and that the sentence and thought both refer to and mean the same thing. I thought, (the thing, or thought,) to wit, "that you had gone to New York;" from which it appears that thoughts have only a mental existence, while beings, that is, God and his creation, have an actual one. These thoughts give rise, in a great measure, to abstract nouns. 1st. A tree has an actual and absolute existence, as a tree grows, or exists, in the woods. 2d. It has a mental existence in the mind of any one who has seen it; and, 3d. it has a verbal existence as soon as it is expressed in any language. Further, the same species of animals, vegetables, minerals, &c., are found in all parts of the universe. This gives rise to the uniformity of languages in all nations. Fire, air, earth, and water, are found in all the habitable parts of the earth, " that in quaternian run, perpetual, circle, multiform, and mix, temper and nourish all things;" and although each nation may have a different word to express the same thing, yet the thing or substance is uniformly the same, as

It is through the instrumentality of the things themselves that these words have any meaning, or that a translation can be made from one language to another. If America and England contained no such things as are found in France or Germany, not a single word could be translated from one language to the other. Doct. Blair imagines that language must have had a divine origin. If he means, that God gave to man a consciousness of his own existence and actions, and of the existence and actions of those be ings by which he was surrounded, and the power of speech to describe such existence or action, he must be

"that whatever may be affirmed or denied of any genus, may be affirmed or denied of any species included in it." Thus, when it is asserted that all active verbs govern an object; we conclude that the particular verb see, must govern an object. When it is affirmed that ALL names are nouns, we also affirm with confidence that the particular names, George, ox, tree, are nouns; because, we conclude that whatever may be asserted of the whole class, may be asserted of any particular individual under it; on the principle "that every greater includes the less" that is, the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 64, 81, and 99, are all included in the number 100.

OF PROPOSITIONS.

A Proposition is a verbal representation of some thoughts of the mind, and is precisely equal to a sentence; as, I am thinking; he is walking. The constituent parts of which are the subject, the predicate, and the copula. The two first are called terms, because they are the extremes of the proposition; and they may consist of a single word each, or of a collection of words, representing some person, place, thing, or attribute. The copula, is that by which the other two are connected, and always consists of some inflection of the verb "to be," as will be shown in the conjugations:

One part of a proposition is often included in another. In the following examples, the copula is contained in the predicate :

correct in his position. Things always antecede the names by which they are called, and more frequently suggest the name, than the name does the thing. If mankind had been created without the power of speech, it is certain that all created things would still have had an existence, and many of them action also; from whence it is plain, that the only use of language is to describe "THINGS AND BEINGS EXISTING AND ACTING."

2. Qualities. The quality which most generally belongs to, and makes a part of the person, place, or thing, called an adjective, is the different sizes, shapes, colors, numbers, &c., of nouns, as a large man, square sheet, white paper, black ink, five dollars. You perceive that the ink used in printing this book is black; now, black is a quality of ink, and belongs to and makes a part of it, because if you extract the black from the ink, you destroy it; it is always found that the adjective and noun, that is, the being or thing, and its quality, are inseparable companions; as, old man, young child, sharp razor, sour vinegar, sweet sugar. In short, there is no person, place, or thing, in the universe, without some quality by which it may be distinguished from others of the same or a different species; and as long as the quality exists, it actually makes a part of, and belongs to such being or thing, whether it be expressed or not. You may ask the grocer for sugar, or sweet brown Muscovada sugar; the omission to mentioning its qualities will neither create nor destroy them.

Again, all existence endured, or actions performed, by any person, place, or thing, may become, by changing the sentence into a logical proposition, a quality of such agent or

actor.

Sentences.
A ship sails.
Water runs.
A man thinks.
Cataract falls.
Planets move.

Propositions.
A ship is sailing.
Water is running.
Man is thinking.
Cataract is falling.
Planets are moving.

Qualities, Things, Exists.
A sailing ship exists.
Running water is.
Thinking man exists.
Falling cataract is.
Moving planets are.

The reason why verbs may be thus used in progressive sentences, as Professor Bullions calls them, is, that all persons, places, and things, actually have an existence; and

So, also, a single word may contain a complete proposition; as, in Latin, Scribo implies Ego sum scribens. Rejoice, attend, march, imply, be thou rejoicing, be thou attentive, be thou marching. A proposition or sentence may be affirmative, negative, imperative, explicative, identical, simple, or compound, for which, as well as all other things which apply to them, I would refer the student to Hedges' or Watts' Logic; as it is not my business to write a treatise on Logic, but Grammar. I shall, therefore, proceed to the consideration

OF SYLLOGISM,

Which is an ARGUMENT consisting of three propositions, the last of which is deduced from the two former, and included in them.

The names of the three propositions used in forming a logical syllogism, are the MAJOR, the MINOR, and the CON

CLUSION.

The major proposition must always be universal, but may be either affirmative or negative.

The minor term must always be affirmative, but may be either universal or particular.

The conclusion may be either universal or particular, affirmative or negative.

In every regular Syllogism, the major proposition is placed first; minor, next; and the conclusion, last; as, Major.-The name of any thing is a noun;

Minor. The word pen is the name of a thing;
Conclusion.-Therefore, pen, is a noun.

The truth, proved by the preceding example, is, "that pen is a noun.' The major premises, viz. :-"that the name of any thing is a noun," is first assumed on the ground of experience and observation. The minor barely asserts that pen belongs to that class of words. Now, if it be certain that ALL names are universally nouns, and that pen belongs to that class of words, it must of necessity follow that pen is a noun; for it is a law of syllogistic reasoning, "that whatever may be affirmed of any general term,

this existence, when not expressly declared by the verb TO BE, which alone forms the copula in a proposition, and declares the subject or nominative case in a state of existence, is always understood," as, I write, and you will read, imply, that I (now) am (or exist) writing, and that you will be (or exist) reading it; our existence, my dear friend, is not lost or destroyed, because it is not directly asserted by the verb be or exist, but is absolute, indefeasible, and unalienable, and cannot be terminated but by the same power from which it is derived. This principle was well understood by Aristotle, who moulded the logical syllogism into its moods and figures, because that things existed and acted pretty much in his day as they do now. Hedges says, in his Logic, "many ingenious artists are (existent) in China," from which it is plain that all verbs, except the verb to be, may be changed into participles and belong to nouns in the nature of an adjective.

3. Existing and acting.-All persons, places, and things, must have an existence; and all actors must perform an action. Agent and existence, actor and action, are correlative terms; that is, one can never exist without the other; as there never can be a husband without a wife, a son without a father, a guardian without a ward, an assassin without a victim, a creature without a Creator. So, "there never can be" a BEING without EXISTENCE, or EXISTENCE without a BEING; neither can there possibly be, or exist, such a thing as an ACTION without an ACTOR. or an ACTOR who never produced an ACTION. Or, as Mr. Murray has it," a verb without a nominative, or a nominative without a verb." As soon as the Almighty formed the universe, it instantly existed; which has continued regularly without intermission up to the present time. Again, all things have one joint existence; and further, many things always exist in a state of motion, which are never found in a state of rest; as, blood flows, runs, (is, or exists,) in veins and arteries. The planets move, run, or fly, (are, or exist,) in their orbits. Here it is plain, that the verbs, flows, runs, move, &c., denote nothing more than that their respective agents, blood and planets, exist in a state of motion, and are equally neuter with the verbs is and are; as, blood is in the veins; planets are in their