the crowd-第13章

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y　crowds　are　merely　judgments　forced　upon　them　and　never　judgments　adopted　after　discussion。　In　regard　to　this　matter　the　individuals　who　do　not　rise　above　the　level　of　a　crowd　are　numerous。　　The　ease　with　which　certain　opinions　obtain　general　acceptance　results　more　especially　from　the　impossibility　experienced　by　the　majority　of　men　of　forming　an　opinion　peculiar　to　themselves　and　based　on　reasoning　of　their　own。


3。　THE　IMAGINATION　OF　CROWDS


Just　as　is　the　case　with　respect　to　persons　in　whom　the　reasoning　power　is　absent；　the　figurative　imagination　of　crowds　is　very　powerful；　very　active　and　very　susceptible　of　being　keenly　impressed。　　The　images　evoked　in　their　mind　by　a　personage；　an　event；　an　accident；　are　almost　as　lifelike　as　the　reality。　Crowds　are　to　some　extent　in　the　position　of　the　sleeper　whose　reason；　suspended　for　the　time　being；　allows　the　arousing　in　his　mind　of　images　of　extreme　intensity　which　would　quickly　be　dissipated　could　they　be　submitted　to　the　action　of　reflection。　Crowds；　being　incapable　both　of　reflection　and　of　reasoning；　are　devoid　of　the　notion　of　improbability；　and　it　is　to　be　noted　that　in　a　general　way　it　is　the　most　improbable　things　that　are　the　most　striking。

This　is　why　it　happens　that　it　is　always　the　marvellous　and　legendary　side　of　events　that　more　specially　strike　crowds。　　When　a　civilisation　is　analysed　it　is　seen　that；　in　reality；　it　is　the　marvellous　and　the　legendary　that　are　its　true　supports。　Appearances　have　always　played　a　much　more　important　part　than　reality　in　history；　where　the　unreal　is　always　of　greater　moment　than　the　real。

Crowds　being　only　capable　of　thinking　in　images　are　only　to　be　impressed　by　images。　　It　is　only　images　that　terrify　or　attract　them　and　become　motives　of　action。

For　this　reason　theatrical　representations；　in　which　the　image　is　shown　in　its　most　clearly　visible　shape；　always　have　an　enormous　influence　on　crowds。　　Bread　and　spectacular　shows　constituted　for　the　plebeians　of　ancient　Rome　the　ideal　of　happiness；　and　they　asked　for　nothing　more。　　Throughout　the　successive　ages　this　ideal　has　scarcely　varied。　　Nothing　has　a　greater　effect　on　the　imagination　of　crowds　of　every　category　than　theatrical　representations。　　The　entire　audience　experiences　at　the　same　time　the　same　emotions；　and　if　these　emotions　are　not　at　once　transformed　into　acts；　it　is　because　the　most　unconscious　spectator　cannot　ignore　that　he　is　the　victim　of　illusions；　and　that　he　has　laughed　or　wept　over　imaginary　adventures。　Sometimes；　however；　the　sentiments　suggested　by　the　images　are　so　strong　that　they　tend；　like　habitual　suggestions；　to　transform　themselves　into　acts。　　The　story　has　often　been　told　of　the　manager　of　a　popular　theatre　who；　in　consequence　of　his　only　playing　sombre　dramas；　was　obliged　to　have　the　actor　who　took　the　part　of　the　traitor　protected　on　his　leaving　the　theatre；　to　defend　him　against　the　violence　of　the　spectators；　indignant　at　the　crimes；　imaginary　though　they　were；　which　the　traitor　had　committed。　　We　have　here；　in　my　opinion；　one　of　the　most　remarkable　indications　of　the　mental　state　of　crowds；　and　especially　of　the　facility　with　which　they　are　suggestioned。　　The　unreal　has　almost　as　much　influence　on　them　as　the　real。　　They　have　an　evident　tendency　not　to　distinguish　between　the　two。

The　power　of　conquerors　and　the　strength　of　States　is　based　on　the　popular　imagination。　　It　is　more　particularly　by　working　upon　this　imagination　that　crowds　are　led。　　All　great　historical　facts；　the　rise　of　Buddhism；　of　Christianity；　of　Islamism；　the　Reformation；　the　French　Revolution；　and；　in　our　own　time；　the　threatening　invasion　of　Socialism　are　the　direct　or　indirect　consequences　of　strong　impressions　produced　on　the　imagination　of　the　crowd。

Moreover；　all　the　great　statesmen　of　every　age　and　every　country；　including　the　most　absolute　despots；　have　regarded　the　popular　imagination　as　the　basis　of　their　power；　and　they　have　never　attempted　to　govern　in　opposition　to　it　〃It　was　by　becoming　a　Catholic；〃　said　Napoleon　to　the　Council　of　State；　〃that　I　terminated　the　Vendeen　war。　　By　becoming　a　Mussulman　that　I　obtained　a　footing　in　Egypt。　　By　becoming　an　Ultramontane　that　I　won　over　the　Italian　priests；　and　had　I　to　govern　a　nation　of　Jews　I　would　rebuild　Solomon's　temple。〃　　Never　perhaps　since　Alexander　and　Caesar　has　any　great　man　better　understood　how　the　imagination　of　the　crowd　should　be　impressed。　　His　constant　preoccupation　was　to　strike　it。　　He　bore　it　in　mind　in　his　victories；　in　his　harangues；　in　his　speeches；　in　all　his　acts。　On　his　deathbed　it　was　still　in　his　thoughts。

How　is　the　imagination　of　crowds　to　be　impressed？　　We　shall　soon　see。　　Let　us　confine　ourselves　for　the　moment　to　saying　that　the　feat　is　never　to　be　achieved　by　attempting　to　work　upon　the　intelligence　or　reasoning　faculty；　that　is　to　say；　by　way　of　demonstration。　　It　was　not　by　means　of　cunning　rhetoric　that　Antony　succeeded　in　making　the　populace　rise　against　the　murderers　of　Caesar；　it　was　by　reading　his　will　to　the　multitude　and　pointing　to　his　corpse。

Whatever　strikes　the　imagination　of　crowds　presents　itself　under　the　shape　of　a　startling　and　very　clear　image；　freed　from　all　accessory　explanation；　or　merely　having　as　accompaniment　a　few　marvellous　or　mysterious　facts：　examples　in　point　are　a　great　victory；　a　great　miracle；　a　great　crime；　or　a　great　hope。　　Things　must　be　laid　before　the　crowd　as　a　whole；　and　their　genesis　must　never　be　indicated。　　A　hundred　petty　crimes　or　petty　accidents　will　not　strike　the　imagination　of　crowds　in　the　least；　whereas　a　single　great　crime　or　a　single　great　accident　will　profoundly　impress　them；　even　though　the　results　be　infinitely　less　disastrous　than　those　of　the　hundred　small　accidents　put　together。　　The　epidemic　of　influenza；　which　caused　the　death　but　a　few　years　ago　of　five　thousand　persons　in　Paris　alone；　made　very　little　impression　on　the　popular　imagination。　　The　reason　was　that　this　veritable　hecatomb　was　not　embodied　in　any　visible　image；　but　was　only　learnt　from　statistical　information　furnished　weekly。　　An　accident　which　should　have　caused　the　death　of　only　five　hundred　instead　of　five　thousand　persons；　but　on　the　same　day　and　in　public；　as　the　outcome　of　an　accident　appealing　strongly　to　the　eye；　by　the　fall；　for　instance；　of　the　Eiffel　Tower；　would　have　produced；　on　the　contrary；　an　immense　impression　on　the　imagination　of　the　crowd。　　The　probable　loss　of　a　transatlantic　steamer　that　was　supposed；　in　the　absence　of　news；　to　have　gone　down　in　mid…ocean　profoundly　impressed　the　imagination　of　the　crowd　for　a　whole　week。　　Yet　official　statistics　show　that　850　sailing　vessels　and　203　steamers　were　lost　in　the　year　1894　alone。　　The　crowd；　however；　was　never　for　a　moment　concerned　by　these　successive　losses；　much　more　important　though　they　were　as　far　as　regards　the　destruction　of　life　and　property；　than　the　loss　of　the　Atlantic　liner　in　question　could　possibly　have　been。

It　is　not；　then；　the　facts　in　themselves　that　strike　the　popular　imagination；　but　the　way　in　which　they　take　place　and　are　brought　under　notice。　　It　is　necessary　that　by　their　condensation；　if　I　may　thus　express　myself；　they　should　produce　a　startling　image　which　fills　and　besets　the　mind。　　To　know　the　art　of　impressing　the　imagination　of　crowds　is　to　know　at　the　same　time　the　art　of　governing　them。


CHAPTER　IV

A　RELIGIOUS　SHAPE　ASSUMED　BY　ALL　THE　CONVICTIONS　OF　CROWDS

What　is　meant　by　the　religious　sentimentIt　is　independent　of　the　worship　of　a　divinityIts　characteristicsThe　strength　of　convictions　assuming　a　religious　shapeVarious　examplesPopular　gods　have　never　disappearedNew　forms　under　which　they　are　revivedReligious　forms　of　atheismImportance　of　these　notions　from　the　historical　point　of　view　The　Reformation；　Saint　Bartholomew；　the　Terror；　and　all　analogous　events　are　the　result　of　the　religious　sentiments　of　crowds　and　not　of　the　will　of　isolated　individuals。


We　have　shown　that　crowds　do　not　reason；　that　they　accept　or　reject　ideas　as　a　whole；　that　they　tolerate　neither　discussion　nor　contradiction；　and　that　the　suggestions　brought　to　bear　on　them　invade　the　entire　field　of　their　understanding　and　tend　at　once　to　transform　themsel