the crowd-第20节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　insignificant　future　reserved　for　railways。



4。　REASON


In　enumerating　the　factors　capable　of　making　an　impression　on　the　minds　of　crowds　all　mention　of　reason　might　be　dispensed　with；　were　it　not　necessary　to　point　out　the　negative　value　of　its　influence。

We　have　already　shown　that　crowds　are　not　to　be　influenced　by　reasoning；　and　can　only　comprehend　rough…and…ready　associations　of　ideas。　　The　orators　who　know　how　to　make　an　impression　upon　them　always　appeal　in　consequence　to　their　sentiments　and　never　to　their　reason。　　The　laws　of　logic　have　no　action　on　crowds。＇16＇　To　bring　home　conviction　to　crowds　it　is　necessary　first　of　all　to　thoroughly　comprehend　the　sentiments　by　which　they　are　animated；　to　pretend　to　share　these　sentiments；　then　to　endeavour　to　modify　them　by　calling　up；　by　means　of　rudimentary　associations；　certain　eminently　suggestive　notions；　to　be　capable；　if　need　be；　of　going　back　to　the　point　of　view　from　which　a　start　was　made；　and；　above　all；　to　divine　from　instant　to　instant　the　sentiments　to　which　one's　discourse　is　giving　birth。　This　necessity　of　ceaselessly　varying　one's　language　in　accordance　with　the　effect　produced　at　the　moment　of　speaking　deprives　from　the　outset　a　prepared　and　studied　harangue　of　all　efficaciousness。　　In　such　a　speech　the　orator　follows　his　own　line　of　thought；　not　that　of　his　hearers；　and　from　this　fact　alone　his　influence　is　annihilated。


＇16＇　My　first　observations　with　regard　to　the　art　of　impressing　crowds　and　touching　the　slight　assistance　to　be　derived　in　this　connection　from　the　rules　of　logic　date　back　to　the　seige　of　Paris；　to　the　day　when　I　saw　conducted　to　the　Louvre；　where　the　Government　was　then　sitting；　Marshal　V；　whom　a　furious　crowd　asserted　they　had　surprised　in　the　act　of　taking　the　plans　of　the　fortifications　to　sell　them　to　the　Prussians。　　A　member　of　the　Government　（G。　P）；　a　very　celebrated　orator；　came　out　to　harangue　the　crowd；　which　was　demanding　the　immediate　execution　of　the　prisoner。　　I　had　expected　that　the　speaker　would　point　out　the　absurdity　of　the　accusation　by　remarking　that　the　accused　Marshal　was　positively　one　of　those　who　had　constructed　the　fortifications；　the　plan　of　which；　moreover；　was　on　sale　at　every　booksellers。　　To　my　immense　stupefactionI　was　very　young　thenthe　speech　was　on　quite　different　lines。　　〃Justice　shall　be　done；〃　exclaimed　the　orator；　advancing　towards　the　prisoner；　〃and　pitiless　justice。　　Let　the　Government　of　the　National　Defence　conclude　your　inquiry。　　In　the　meantime　we　will　keep　the　prisoner　in　custody。〃　　At　once　calmed　by　this　apparent　concession；　the　crowd　broke　up；　and　a　quarter　of　an　hour　later　the　Marshal　was　able　to　return　home。　　He　would　infallibly　have　been　torn　in　pieces　had　the　speaker　treated　the　infuriated　crowd　to　the　logical　arguments　that　my　extreme　youth　induced　me　to　consider　as　very　convincing。



Logical　minds；　accustomed　to　be　convinced　by　a　chain　of　somewhat　close　reasoning；　cannot　avoid　having　recourse　to　this　mode　of　persuasion　when　addressing　crowds；　and　the　inability　of　their　arguments　always　surprises　them。　　〃The　usual　mathematical　consequences　based　on　the　syllogismthat　is；　on　associations　of　identitiesare　imperative　。　。　。〃　writes　a　logician。　　〃This　imperativeness　would　enforce　the　assent　even　of　an　inorganic　mass　were　it　capable　of　following　associations　of　identities。〃　　This　is　doubtless　true；　but　a　crowd　is　no　more　capable　than　an　inorganic　mass　of　following　such　associations；　nor　even　of　understanding　them。　　If　the　attempt　be　made　to　convince　by　reasoning　primitive　mindssavages　or　children；　for　instancethe　slight　value　possessed　by　this　method　of　arguing　will　be　understood。

It　is　not　even　necessary　to　descend　so　low　as　primitive　beings　to　obtain　an　insight　into　the　utter　powerlessness　of　reasoning　when　it　has　to　fight　against　sentiment。　　Let　us　merely　call　to　mind　how　tenacious；　for　centuries　long；　have　been　religious　superstitions　in　contradiction　with　the　simplest　logic。　　For　nearly　two　thousand　years　the　most　luminous　geniuses　have　bowed　before　their　laws；　and　modern　times　have　to　be　reached　for　their　veracity　to　be　merely　contested。　　The　Middle　Ages　and　the　Renaissance　possessed　many　enlightened　men；　but　not　a　single　man　who　attained　by　reasoning　to　an　appreciation　of　the　childish　side　of　his　superstitions；　or　who　promulgated　even　a　slight　doubt　as　to　the　misdeeds　of　the　devil　or　the　necessity　of　burning　sorcerers。

Should　it　be　regretted　that　crowds　are　never　guided　by　reason？　We　would　not　venture　to　affirm　it。　　Without　a　doubt　human　reason　would　not　have　availed　to　spur　humanity　along　the　path　of　civilisation　with　the　ardour　and　hardihood　its　illusions　have　done。　　These　illusions；　the　offspring　of　those　unconscious　forces　by　which　we　are　led；　were　doubtless　necessary。　　Every　race　carries　in　its　mental　constitution　the　laws　of　its　destiny；　and　it　is；　perhaps；　these　laws　that　it　obeys　with　a　resistless　impulse；　even　in　the　case　of　those　of　its　impulses　which　apparently　are　the　most　unreasoned。　　It　seems　at　times　as　if　nations　were　submitted　to　secret　forces　analogous　to　those　which　compel　the　acorn　to　transform　itself　into　an　oak　or　a　comet　to　follow　its　orbit。

What　little　insight　we　can　get　into　these　forces　must　be　sought　for　in　the　general　course　of　the　evolution　of　a　people；　and　not　in　the　isolated　facts　from　which　this　evolution　appears　at　times　to　proceed。　　Were　these　facts　alone　to　be　taken　into　consideration；　history　would　seem　to　be　the　result　of　a　series　of　improbable　chances。　　It　was　improbable　that　a　Galilean　carpenter　should　become　for　two　thousand　years　an　all…powerful　God　in　whose　name　the　most　important　civilisations　were　founded；　improbable；　too；　that　a　few　bands　of　Arabs；　emerging　from　their　deserts；　should　conquer　the　greater　part　of　the　old　Graco…Roman　world；　and　establish　an　empire　greater　than　that　of　Alexander；　improbable；　again；　that　in　Europe；　at　an　advanced　period　of　its　development；　and　when　authority　throughout　it　had　been　systematically　hierarchised；　an　obscure　lieutenant　of　artillery　should　have　succeeded　in　reigning　over　a　multitude　of　peoples　and　kings。

Let　us　leave　reason；　then；　to　philosophers；　and　not　insist　too　strongly　on　its　intervention　in　the　governing　of　men。　　It　is　not　by　reason；　but　most　often　in　spite　of　it；　that　are　created　those　sentiments　that　are　the　mainsprings　of　all　civilisationsentiments　such　as　honour；　self…　sacrifice；　religious　faith；　patriotism；　and　the　love　of　glory。



CHAPTER　III

THE　LEADERS　OF　CROWDS　AND　THEIR　MEANS　OF　PERSUASION

1。　THE　LEADERS　OF　CROWDS。　　The　instinctive　need　of　all　beings　forming　a　crowd　to　obey　a　leaderThe　psychology　of　the　leaders　of　crowdsThey　alone　can　endow　crowds　with　faith　and　organise　themThe　leaders　forcibly　despoticClassification　of　the　leadersThe　part　played　by　the　will。　　　2。　THE　MEANS　OF　ACTION　OF　THE　LEADERS。　　Affirmation；　repetition；　contagionThe　respective　part　of　these　different　factorsThe　way　in　which　contagion　may　spread　from　the　lower　to　the　upper　classes　in　a　societyA　popular　opinion　soon　becomes　a　general　opinion。　3。　PRESTIGE。　Definition　of　prestige　and　classification　of　its　different　kindsAcquired　prestige　and　personal　prestigeVarious　examplesThe　way　in　which　prestige　is　destroyed。


We　are　now　acquainted　with　the　mental　constitution　of　crowds；　and　we　also　know　what　are　the　motives　capable　of　making　an　impression　on　their　mind。　　It　remains　to　investigate　how　these　motives　may　be　set　in　action；　and　by　whom　they　may　usefully　be　turned　to　practical　account。

1。　THE　LEADERS　OF　CROWDS。


As　soon　as　a　certain　number　of　living　beings　are　gathered　together；　whether　they　be　animals　or　men；　they　place　themselves　instinctively　under　the　authority　of　a　chief。

In　the　case　of　human　crowds　the　chief　is　often　nothing　more　than　a　ringleader　or　agitator；　but　as　such　he　plays　a　considerable　part。　　His　will　is　the　nucleus　around　which　the　opinions　of　the　crowd　are　grouped　and　attain　to　identity。　　He　constitutes　the　first　element　towards　the　organisation　of　heterogeneous　crowds；　and　paves　the　way　for　their　organisation　in　sects；　in　the　meantime　he　directs　them。　　A　crowd　is　a　servile　flock　that　is　incapable　of　ever　doing　without　a　master。

The　leader　has　most　often　started　as　one　of　the　led。　　He　has　himself　been　hypnotised　by　the　idea；　whose　apostle　he　has　since　become。　　It　has　taken　possession　of　him　to　such　a　degree　that　everything　outside　it　vanishes；　and　that　every　contrary　opinion　appears　to　him　an　error　or　a　superstition。　　An　example　in　point　is　Robespierre；　hypnotised　by　the　philosophical　ideas　of　Rousseau；　and　employing　the　methods　of　the　Inquisition　to　propagate　them。

The　leaders　we　speak　of　are　more　frequently　men　of　action　than　thinkers。　　They　are　not　gifted　with　keen　foresight；　nor　could　they　be；　as　this　quality　generally　conduces　to　doubt　and　inactivity。　　They　are　especially　recruited　from　the　ranks　of　those　morbidly　nervous；　excitable；　half…deranged　persons　who　are　bordering　on　madness。　　However　absurd　may　be　the　idea　they　uphold　or　the　goal　they　pursue；　their　convictions　are　so　strong　that　all　reasoning　is　lost　upon　them。　　Contempt　and　persecution　do　not　affect　them；　or　only　serve　to　excite　them　the　more。　　They　sacrifice　their　personal　interest；　the