ese drawbacks to avoid the inelegance
and the tedium of a long discourse in accurate syllogisms.

Many departures from the strictly logical statement of reasonings
consist in the use of vague or figurative language, or in the
substitution for one another of expressions supposed to be equivalent,
though, in fact, dangerously discrepant. Against such occasions of error
the logician can provide no safeguard, except the advice to be careful
and discriminating in what you say or hear. But as to any derangement
of the elements of an argument, or the omission of them, Logic
effectually aids the task of restoration; for it has shown what the
elements are that enter into the explicit statement of most
ratiocinations, namely, the four forms of propositions and what that
connected order of propositions is which most easily and surely exposes
the validity or invalidity of reasoning, namely, the premises and
conclusion of the Syllogism. Logic has even gone so far as to name
certain abbreviated forms of proof, which may be regarded as general
types of those that actually occur in debate, in leading articles,
pamphlets and other persuasive or polemic writings--namely, the
Enthymeme, Epicheirema and Sorites.

Sec. 2. The Enthymeme, according to Aristotle, is the Syllogism of probable
reasoning about practical affairs and matters of opinion, in contrast
with the Syllogism of theoretical demonstration upon necessary grounds.
But, as now commonly treated, it is an argument with one of its elements
omitted; a Categorical Syllogism, having one or other of its premises,
or else its conclusion, suppressed. If the major premise be suppressed,
it is called an Enthymeme of the First Order; if the minor premise be
wanting, it is said to be of the Second Order; if the conclusion be left
to be understood, there is an Enthymeme of the Third Order.

Let the following be a complete Syllogism:

All free nations are enterprising;
The Dutch are a free nation:
.'. The Dutch are enterprising.

Reduced to Enthymemes, this argument may be put thus:

In the First Order:

The Dutch are a free nation:
.'. The Dutch are enterprising.

In the Second Order--

All free nations are enterprising;
.'. The Dutch are enterprising.

In the Third Order--

All free nations are enterprising;
And the Dutch are a free nation.

It is certainly very common to meet with arguments whose statement may
be represented by one