criminal psychology-第21节

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　hence　do　not　trouble　to　do　so。

There　is　besides　another　reason　for　allowing　subordinate　or　indifferent　people　to　see　one's　weaknesses。　The　reason　is　that　we　　hate　those　who　are　witnesses　of　a　great　weakness。　Partly　it　is　shame；　partly　vexation　at　oneself；　partly　pure　egoism；　but　it　is　a　fact　that　one's　anger　turns　instinctively　upon　those　who　have　observed　one's　degradation　through　one's　own　weakness。　This　is　so　frequently　the　case　that　the　witness　is　to　be　the　more　relied　on　the　more　the　accused　would　seem　to　have　preferred　that　the　witness　had　not　seen　him。　Insignificant　people　are　not　taken　as　real　witnesses；　they　were　there　but　they　haven't　perceived　anything；　and　by　the　time　it　comes　to　light　that　they　see　at　least　as　well　as　anybody　else；　it　is　too　late。　One　will　not　go　far　wrong　in　explaining　the　situation　with　the　much　varied　epigram　of　Tacitus：　‘‘Figulus　odit　figulum。''　It　is；　at　least；　through　business…jealousy　that　one　porter　hates　another；　and　the　reason　for　it　lies　in　the　fact　that　two　of　a　trade　know　each　other's　weaknesses；　that　one　always　knows　how　the　other　tries　to　hide　his　lack　of　knowledge；　how　deceitful　fundamentally　every　human　activity　is；　and　how　much　trouble　everybody　takes　to　make　his　own　trade　appear　to　the　other　as　fine　as　possible。　If　you　know；　however；　that　your　neighbor　is　as　wise　as　you　are；　the　latter　becomes　a　troublesome　witness　in　any　disagreeable　matter；　and　if　he　is　often　thought　of　in　this　way；　he　comes　to　be　hated。　Hence　you　must　never　be　more　cautious　than　when　one　‘‘figulus''　gives　evidence　about　another。　Esprit　de　corps　and　jealousy　pull　the　truth　with　frightful　force；　this　way　and　that；　and　the　picture　becomes　the　more　distorted　because　so…called　esprit　de　corps　is　nothing　more　than　generalized　selfishness。　Kant＇1＇　is　not　saying　enough　when　he　says　that　the　egoist　is　a　person　who　always　tries　to　push　his　own　_*I_　forward　and　to　make　it　the　chief　object　of　his　own　and　of　everybody　else's　attention。　For　the　person　who　merely　seeks　attention　is　only　conceited；　the　egoist；　however；　seeks　his　own　advantage　alone；　even　at　the　cost　of　other　people；　and　when　he　shows　esprit　de　corps　he　desires　the　advantage　of　his　corps　because　he　also　has　a　share　in　that。　In　this　sense　one　of　a　trade　has　much　to　say　about　his　fellow　craftsmen；　but　because　of　jealousy；　says　too　littlein　what　direction；　however；　he　is　most　likely　to　turn　depends　on　the　nature　of　the　case　and　the　character　of　the　witness。

In　most　instances　it　will　be　possible　to　make　certain　distinctions　as　to　when　objectively　too　much　and　subjectively　too　little　is　said。　That　is　to　say；　the　craftsman　will　exaggerate　with　regard　to　all

＇1＇　Menschenkunde　oder　philosophische　Anthropologie。　Leipzig　1831。　Ch。　Starke。

　general　questions；　but　with　regard　to　his　special　fellow　jealousy　will　establish　her　rights。　An　absolute　distinction　may　never　be　drawn；　not　even　subjectively。　Suppose　that　A　has　something　to　say　about　his　fellow　craftsman　B；　and　suppose　that　certain　achievements　of　B　are　to　be　valued。　If　now　A　has　been　working　in　the　same　field　as　B　he　must　not　depreciate　too　much　the　value　of　B's　work；　since　otherwise　his　own　work　is　in　danger　of　the　same　low　valuation。　Objectively　the　converse　is　true：　for　if　A　bulls　the　general　efficiency　of　his　trade；　it　doesn't　serve　his　conceit；　since　we　find　simply　that　the　competitor　is　in　this　way　given　too　high　a　value。　It　would　be　inadvisable　to　give　particular　examples　from　special　trades；　but　everybody　who　has　before　him　one　‘‘figulus''　after　another；　from　the　lowest　to　the　highest　professions；　and　who　considers　the　statements　they　make　about　each　other；　will　grant　the　correctness　of　our　contention。　I　do　not；　at　this　point；　either；　assert　that　the　matter　is　the　same　in　each　and　every　case；　but　that　it　is　generally　so　is　indubitable。

There　is　still　another　thing　to　be　observed。　A　good　many　people　who　are　especially　efficient　in　their　trades　desire　to　be　known　as　especially　efficient　in　some　other　and　remote　circle。　It　is　historic　that　a　certain　regent　was　happy　when　his　very　modest　flute…playing　was　praised；　a　poet　was　pleased　when　his　miserable　drawings　were　admired；　a　marshal　wanted　to　hear　no　praise　of　his　victories　but　much　of　his　very　doubtful　declamation。　The　case　is　the　same　among　lesser　men。　A　craftsman　wants　to　shine　with　some　foolishness　in　another　craft；　and　‘‘the　philistine　is　happiest　when　he　is　considered　a　devil　of　a　fellow。''　The　importance　of　this　fact　lies　in　the　possibility　of　error　in　conclusions　drawn　from　what　the　subject　himself　tries　to　present　about　his　knowledge　and　power。　With　regard　to　the　past　it　leads　even　fundamentally　honest　persons　to　deception　and　lying。

So　for　example　a　student　who　might　have　been　the　most　solid　and　harmless　in　his　class　later　makes　suggestions　that　he　was　the　wildest　sport；　the　artist　who　tried　to　make　his　way　during　his　cubhood　most　bravely　with　the　hard…earned　money　of　his　mother　is　glad　to　have　it　known　that　he　was　guilty　as　a　young　man　of　unmitigated　nonsense；　and　the　ancient　dame　who　was　once　the　most　modest　of　girls　is　tickled　with　the　flattery　of　a　story　concerning　her　magnificent　flirtations。　When　such　a　matter　is　important　for　us　it　must　be　received　with　great　caution。

To　this　class　of　people　who　want　to　appear　rather　more　interesting　than　they　are；　either　in　their　past　or　present；　belong　also　those　who　　declare　that　everything　is　possible　and　who　have　led　many　a　judge　into　vexatious　mistakes。　This　happens　especially　when　an　accused　person　tries　to　explain　away　the　suspicions　against　him　by　daring　statements　concerning　his　great　achievements　（e。　g。：　in　going　back　to　a　certain　place；　or　his　feats　of　strength；　etc。）；　and　when　witnesses　are　asked　if　these　are　conceivable。　One　gets　the　impression　in　these　cases　that　the　witnesses　under　consideration　suppose　that　they　belittle　themselves　and　their　point　of　view　if　they　think　anything　to　be　impossible。　They　are　easily　recognized。　They　belong　to　the　worst　class　of　promoters　and　inventors　or　their　relations。　If　a　man　is　studying　how　to　pay　the　national　debt　or　to　solve　the　social　question　or　to　irrigate　Sahara；　or　is　inclined　to　discover　a　dirigible　airship；　a　perpetual…motion　machine；　or　a　panacea；　or　if　he　shows　sympathy　for　people　so　inclined；　he　is　likely　to　consider　everything　possibleand　men　of　this　sort　are　surprisingly　numerous。　They　do　not；　as　a　rule；　carry　their　plans　about　in　public；　and　hence　have　the　status　of　prudent　persons；　but　they　betray　themselves　by　their　propensity　for　the　impossible　in　all　conceivable　directions。　If　a　man　is　suspected　to　be　one　of　them；　and　the　matter　is　important　enough；　he　may　be　brought　during　the　conversation　to　talk　about　some　project　or　invention。　He　will　then　show　how　his　class　begins　to　deal　with　it；　with　what　I　might　call　a　suspicious　warmth。　By　that　token　you　know　the　class。　They　belong　to　that　large　group　of　people　who；　without　being　abnormal；　still　have　passed　the　line　which　divides　the　perfectly　trustworthy　from　those　unreliable　persons　who；　with　the　best　inclination　to　tell　the　truth；　can　render　it　only　as　it　is　distorted　by　their　clouded　minds。

These　people　are　not　to　be　confused　with　those　specific　men　of　power　who；　in　the　attempt　to　show　what　they　can　do；　go　further　than　in　truth　they　should。　There　are　indeed　persons　of　talent　who　are　efficient；　and　know　it；　whether　for　good　or　evil；　and　they　happen　to　belong　both　to　the　class　of　the　accused　and　of　the　witness。　The　former　show　this　quality　in　confessing　to　more　than　they　are　guilty　of；　or　tell　their　story　in　such　a　way　as　to　more　clearly　demonstrate　both　their　power　and　their　conceit。　So　that　it　may　happen　that　a　man　takes　upon　himself　a　crime　that　he　shares　with　three　accomplices　or　that　he　describes　a　simple　larceny　as　one　in　which　force　had　to　be　used　with　regard　to　its　object　and　even　with　regard　to　the　object's　owner；　or　perhaps　he　describes　his　flight　or　his　opponents'　as　much　more　troublesome　than　these　actually　were　or　need　have　been。　The　witness　behaves　in　a　similar　fashion　and　shows　his　defense　　against　an　attack　for　example；　or　his　skill　in　discovery　of　his　goods；　or　his　detection　of　the　criminal　in　a　much　brighter　light　than　really　belongs　to　it；　he　even　may　describe　situations　that　were　superfluous　in　order　to　show　what　he　can　do。　In　this　way　the　simplest　fact　is　often　distorted。　As　suspects　such　people　are　particularly　difficult　to　deal　with。　Aside　from　the　fact　that　they　do　more　and　actually　have　done　more　than　was　necessary；　they　become　unmanageable　and　hard…mouthed　through　unjust　accusations。　Concerning　these　people　the　statement　made　a　hundred　years　ago　by　Ben　David＇1＇　still　holds：　‘‘Persecution　turns　wise　people　raw　and　foolish；　and　kindly　and　well　disposed　ones　cruel　and　evil…intentioned。''　There　are　often　well　disposed　natures　who；　after　troubles；　express　themselves　in　the　manner　described。　It　very　frequently　happens　that　suspects；　especially　those　under　arrest；　alter　completely　in　the　course　of　time；　become　sullen；　coarse；　passionate；　ill…natured；　show　themselves　defiant　and　resentful　to　even　the　best…willed　approach；　and　exhibit　even　a　kind　of　courage　in　not　offering　any　defense　and　in　keeping　silent。　Such　phenomena　require　the　most　obvi