the crowd-第14章

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to　bear　on　them　invade　the　entire　field　of　their　understanding　and　tend　at　once　to　transform　themselves　into　acts。　　We　have　shown　that　crowds　suitably　influenced　are　ready　to　sacrifice　themselves　for　the　ideal　with　which　they　have　been　inspired。　　We　have　also　seen　that　they　only　entertain　violent　and　extreme　sentiments；　that　in　their　case　sympathy　quickly　becomes　adoration；　and　antipathy　almost　as　soon　as　it　is　aroused　is　transformed　into　hatred。　These　general　indications　furnish　us　already　with　a　presentiment　of　the　nature　of　the　convictions　of　crowds。

When　these　convictions　are　closely　examined；　whether　at　epochs　marked　by　fervent　religious　faith；　or　by　great　political　upheavals　such　as　those　of　the　last　century；　it　is　apparent　that　they　always　assume　a　peculiar　form　which　I　cannot　better　define　than　by　giving　it　the　name　of　a　religious　sentiment。

This　sentiment　has　very　simple　characteristics；　such　as　worship　of　a　being　supposed　superior；　fear　of　the　power　with　which　the　being　is　credited；　blind　submission　to　its　commands；　inability　to　discuss　its　dogmas；　the　desire　to　spread　them；　and　a　tendency　to　consider　as　enemies　all　by　whom　they　are　not　accepted。　　Whether　such　a　sentiment　apply　to　an　invisible　God；　to　a　wooden　or　stone　idol；　to　a　hero　or　to　a　political　conception；　provided　that　it　presents　the　preceding　characteristics；　its　essence　always　remains　religious。　　The　supernatural　and　the　miraculous　are　found　to　be　present　to　the　same　extent。　　Crowds　unconsciously　accord　a　mysterious　power　to　the　political　formula　or　the　victorious　leader　that　for　the　moment　arouses　their　enthusiasm。

A　person　is　not　religious　solely　when　he　worships　a　divinity；　but　when　he　puts　all　the　resources　of　his　mind；　the　complete　submission　of　his　will；　and　the　whole…souled　ardour　of　fanaticism　at　the　service　of　a　cause　or　an　individual　who　becomes　the　goal　and　guide　of　his　thoughts　and　actions。

Intolerance　and　fanaticism　are　the　necessary　accompaniments　of　the　religious　sentiment。　　They　are　inevitably　displayed　by　those　who　believe　themselves　in　the　possession　of　the　secret　of　earthly　or　eternal　happiness。　　These　two　characteristics　are　to　be　found　in　all　men　grouped　together　when　they　are　inspired　by　a　conviction　of　any　kind。　　The　Jacobins　of　the　Reign　of　Terror　were　at　bottom　as　religious　as　the　Catholics　of　the　Inquisition；　and　their　cruel　ardour　proceeded　from　the　same　source。

The　convictions　of　crowds　assume　those　characteristics　of　blind　submission；　fierce　intolerance；　and　the　need　of　violent　propaganda　which　are　inherent　in　the　religious　sentiment；　and　it　is　for　this　reason　that　it　may　be　said　that　all　their　beliefs　have　a　religious　form。　　The　hero　acclaimed　by　a　crowd　is　a　veritable　god　for　that　crowd。　　Napoleon　was　such　a　god　for　fifteen　years；　and　a　divinity　never　had　more　fervent　worshippers　or　sent　men　to　their　death　with　greater　ease。　　The　Christian　and　Pagan　Gods　never　exercised　a　more　absolute　empire　over　the　minds　that　had　fallen　under　their　sway。

All　founders　of　religious　or　political　creeds　have　established　them　solely　because　they　were　successful　in　inspiring　crowds　with　those　fanatical　sentiments　which　have　as　result　that　men　find　their　happiness　in　worship　and　obedience　and　are　ready　to　lay　down　their　lives　for　their　idol。　　This　has　been　the　case　at　all　epochs。　　Fustel　de　Coulanges；　in　his　excellent　work　on　Roman　Gaul；　justly　remarks　that　the　Roman　Empire　was　in　no　wise　maintained　by　force；　but　by　the　religious　admiration　it　inspired。　〃It　would　be　without　a　parallel　in　the　history　of　the　world；〃　he　observes　rightly；　〃that　a　form　of　government　held　in　popular　detestation　should　have　lasted　for　five　centuries。　。　。　。　　It　would　be　inexplicable　that　the　thirty　legions　of　the　Empire　should　have　constrained　a　hundred　million　men　to　obedience。〃　　The　reason　of　their　obedience　was　that　the　Emperor；　who　personified　the　greatness　of　Rome；　was　worshipped　like　a　divinity　by　unanimous　consent。　　There　were　altars　in　honour　of　the　Emperor　in　the　smallest　townships　of　his　realm。　　〃From　one　end　of　the　Empire　to　the　other　a　new　religion　was　seen　to　arise　in　those　days　which　had　for　its　divinities　the　emperors　themselves。　　Some　years　before　the　Christian　era　the　whole　of　Gaul；　represented　by　sixty　cities；　built　in　common　a　temple　near　the　town　of　Lyons　in　honour　of　Augustus。　。　。　。　　Its　priests；　elected　by　the　united　Gallic　cities；　were　the　principal　personages　in　their　country。　。　。　。　　It　is　impossible　to　attribute　all　this　to　fear　and　servility。　　Whole　nations　are　not　servile；　and　especially　for　three　centuries。　　It　was　not　the　courtiers　who　worshipped　the　prince；　it　was　Rome；　and　it　was　not　Rome　merely；　but　it　was　Gaul；　it　was　Spain；　it　was　Greece　and　Asia。〃

To…day　the　majority　of　the　great　men　who　have　swayed　men's　minds　no　longer　have　altars；　but　they　have　statues；　or　their　portraits　are　in　the　hands　of　their　admirers；　and　the　cult　of　which　they　are　the　object　is　not　notably　different　from　that　accorded　to　their　predecessors。　　An　understanding　of　the　philosophy　of　history　is　only　to　be　got　by　a　thorough　appreciation　of　this　fundamental　point　of　the　psychology　of　crowds。　　The　crowd　demands　a　god　before　everything　else。

It　must　not　be　supposed　that　these　are　the　superstitions　of　a　bygone　age　which　reason　has　definitely　banished。　　Sentiment　has　never　been　vanquished　in　its　eternal　conflict　with　reason。　Crowds　will　hear　no　more　of　the　words　divinity　and　religion；　in　whose　name　they　were　so　long　enslaved；　but　they　have　never　possessed　so　many　fetishes　as　in　the　last　hundred　years；　and　the　old　divinities　have　never　had　so　many　statues　and　altars　raised　in　their　honour。　　Those　who　in　recent　years　have　studied　the　popular　movement　known　under　the　name　of　Boulangism　have　been　able　to　see　with　what　ease　the　religious　instincts　of　crowds　are　ready　to　revive。　　There　was　not　a　country　inn　that　did　not　possess　the　hero's　portrait。　　He　was　credited　with　the　power　of　remedying　all　injustices　and　all　evils；　and　thousands　of　men　would　have　given　their　lives　for　him。　　Great　might　have　been　his　place　in　history　had　his　character　been　at　all　on　a　level　with　his　legendary　reputation。

It　is　thus　a　very　useless　commonplace　to　assert　that　a　religion　is　necessary　for　the　masses；　because　all　political；　divine；　and　social　creeds　only　take　root　among　them　on　the　condition　of　always　assuming　the　religious　shapea　shape　which　obviates　the　danger　of　discussion。　　Were　it　possible　to　induce　the　masses　to　adopt　atheism；　this　belief　would　exhibit　all　the　intolerant　ardour　of　a　religious　sentiment；　and　in　its　exterior　forms　would　soon　become　a　cult。　　The　evolution　of　the　small　Positivist　sect　furnishes　us　a　curious　proof　in　point。　　What　happened　to　the　Nihilist　whose　story　is　related　by　that　profound　thinker　Dostoiewsky　has　quickly　happened　to　the　Positivists。　　Illumined　one　day　by　the　light　of　reason　he　broke　the　images　of　divinities　and　saints　that　adorned　the　altar　of　a　chapel；　extinguished　the　candles；　and；　without　losing　a　moment；　replaced　the　destroyed　objects　by　the　works　of　atheistic　philosophers　such　as　Buchner　and　Moleschott；　after　which　he　piously　relighted　the　candles。　The　object　of　his　religious　beliefs　had　been　transformed；　but　can　it　be　truthfully　said　that　his　religious　sentiments　had　changed？

Certain　historical　eventsand　they　are　precisely　the　most　importantI　again　repeat；　are　not　to　be　understood　unless　one　has　attained　to　an　appreciation　of　the　religious　form　which　the　convictions　of　crowds　always　assume　in　the　long　run。　　There　are　social　phenomena　that　need　to　be　studied　far　more　from　the　point　of　view　of　the　psychologist　than　from　that　of　the　naturalist。　The　great　historian　Taine　has　only　studied　the　Revolution　as　a　naturalist；　and　on　this　account　the　real　genesis　of　events　has　often　escaped　him。　　He　has　perfectly　observed　the　facts；　but　from　want　of　having　studied　the　psychology　of　crowds　he　has　not　always　been　able　to　trace　their　causes。　　The　facts　having　appalled　him　by　their　bloodthirsty；　anarchic；　and　ferocious　side；　he　has　scarcely　seen　in　the　heroes　of　the　great　drama　anything　more　than　a　horde　of　epileptic　savages　abandoning　themselves　without　restraint　to　their　instincts。　　The　violence　of　the　Revolution；　its　massacres；　its　need　of