“2. That the more general or extensive concepts and the realities corresponding to them pre-exist to the less general, more comprehensive, concepts and their corresponding realities; and that the latter concepts and realities are derived from the former, either by a successive addition of attributes or properties, or by a process of evolution, the attributes or properties of the former being taken as implications of those of the latter. “3. That the order of the genesis of concepts is identical with the order of the genesis of things. “4. That things exist independently of and antecedently to their relations; that all relations are between absolute terms; and that therefore whatever reality belongs to the properties of things is distinct from that of the things themselves.” The differences between this procedure and that proper to the third (or scientific) direction need hardly be enumerated. Here the advance is step by step, without for an instant losing hold of the thread that leads back to the starting-point of experience. Even where the mind takes giant strides, or leaps across the intermediate generalisations, it pauses to verify its results and to take up the thread it had loosed for the moment. This is the typical process. Since it formed the basis of our discussion of the intermediate and higher forms of abstraction, we need not here return to it. Yet in conclusion, it is well to recall once more what makes it of sterling value.