s the propositions in order.

Some such procedure as this would be adopted by common-sense in
analysing an argument. But when common-sense has done this, it has
exhibited the argument in a series of syllogisms.

Such is Mill's early defence of the Syllogism. It is weak only in one
point, in failing to represent how common-sense would arrive at the
peculiar syllogistic form. It is the peculiar form of logical analysis
that is the distinction of the syllogism. When you have disentangled
the relevant propositions you have not necessarily put them in this
form. The arguments given in text-books to be cast into syllogistic
form, consist only as a rule of relevant propositions, but they are
not yet formal syllogisms. But common-sense had only one other step to
make to reach the distinctive form. It had only to ask after analysing
the argument, Is there any form of statement specially suitable
for exhibiting the connexion between a conclusion and the general
principle on which it is alleged to depend? Ask yourself the question,
and you will soon see that there would be an obvious advantage in
making the conclusion and the general principle uniform, in stating
them with the same predicate. But when you do this, as I have already
shown (p. 197) you state the argument in the First Figure of the
Syllogism.

It must, however, be admitted that it is chiefly for exhibiting, or
forcing into light, tacit or lurking assumptions that the Syllogistic
form is of use. Unless identity of meaning is disguised or distorted
by puzzling difference of language, there is no special illuminative
virtue in the Syllogism. The argument in a Euclidean demonstration
would not be made clearer by being cast into formal Syllogisms.

Again, when the subject matter is simple, the Syllogistic form is not
really required for protection against error. In such enthymemes as
the following for example:--

She must be clever: she is so uncompromisingly ugly.
Romeo must be in love: for is he not seventeen?

it is plain to the average intelligence without any knowledge of
Syllogism that the argument takes for granted a general proposition
and what the general proposition is.

Another thing is plain to the average intelligence, perhaps plainer
than to a proficient in the use of the Syllogism. Clearly we cannot
infer with certainty that a woman is clever because she is ugly,
unless it is the case that all ugly women are clever. But a
Syllogiser, seeing t