If "a horse black" be the arrangement, immediately on the utterance
of the word "horse," there arises, or tends to arise, in the mind,
a picture answering to that word; and as there has, been nothing
to indicate what _kind_ of horse, any image of a horse suggests
itself. Very likely, however, the image will be that of a brown
horse, brown horses being the most familiar. The result is that
when the word "black" is added, a check is given to the process
of thought. Either the picture of a brown horse already present to
the imagination has to be suppressed, and the picture of a black one
summoned in its place; or else, if the picture of a brown horse be
yet unformed, the tendency to form it has to be stopped. Whichever
is the case, a certain amount of hindrance results. But if, on the
other hand, "a black horse" be the expression used, no such mistake
can be made. The word "black," indicating an abstract quality, arouses
no definite idea. It simply prepares the mind for conceiving some
object of that colour; and the attention is kept suspended until
that object is known. If, then, by the precedence of the adjective,
the idea is conveyed without liability to error. whereas the
precedence of the substantive is apt to produce a misconception,
it follows that the one gives the mind less trouble than the other,
and is therefore more forcible.

13. Possibly it will be objected that the adjective and
substantive come so close together, that practically they may be
considered as uttered at the same moment; and that on hearing the
phrase, "a horse black," there is not time to imagine a wrongly-coloured
horse before the word "black" follows to prevent it. It must be
owned that it is not easy to decide by introspection whether this
is so or not. But there are facts collaterally implying that it
is not. Our ability to anticipate the words yet unspoken is one