the crowd-第25章

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l　mechanism　of　contagion　intervenes。　　Ideas；　sentiments；　emotions；　and　beliefs　possess　in　crowds　a　contagious　power　as　intense　as　that　of　microbes。　　This　phenomenon　is　very　natural；　since　it　is　observed　even　in　animals　when　they　are　together　in　number。　　Should　a　horse　in　a　stable　take　to　biting　his　manger　the　other　horses　in　the　stable　will　imitate　him。　　A　panic　that　has　seized　on　a　few　sheep　will　soon　extend　to　the　whole　flock。　　In　the　case　of　men　collected　in　a　crowd　all　emotions　are　very　rapidly　contagious；　which　explains　the　suddenness　of　panics。　　Brain　disorders；　like　madness；　are　themselves　contagious。　　The　frequency　of　madness　among　doctors　who　are　specialists　for　the　mad　is　notorious。　　Indeed；　forms　of　madness　have　recently　been　citedagoraphobia；　for　instancewhich　are　communicable　from　men　to　animals。

For　individuals　to　succumb　to　contagion　their　simultaneous　presence　on　the　same　spot　is　not　indispensable。　　The　action　of　contagion　may　be　felt　from　a　distance　under　the　influence　of　events　which　give　all　minds　an　individual　trend　and　the　characteristics　peculiar　to　crowds。　　This　is　especially　the　case　when　men's　minds　have　been　prepared　to　undergo　the　influence　in　question　by　those　remote　factors　of　which　I　have　made　a　study　above。　　An　example　in　point　is　the　revolutionary　movement　of　1848；　which；　after　breaking　out　in　Paris；　spread　rapidly　over　a　great　part　of　Europe　and　shook　a　number　of　thrones。

Imitation；　to　which　so　much　influence　is　attributed　in　social　phenomena；　is　in　reality　a　mere　effect　of　contagion。　　Having　shown　its　influence　elsewhere；　I　shall　confine　myself　to　reproducing　what　I　said　on　the　subject　fifteen　years　ago。　　My　remarks　have　since　been　developed　by　other　writers　in　recent　publications。

〃Man；　like　animals；　has　a　natural　tendency　to　imitation。　Imitation　is　a　necessity　for　him；　provided　always　that　the　imitation　is　quite　easy。　　It　is　this　necessity　that　makes　the　influence　of　what　is　called　fashion　so　powerful。　　Whether　in　the　matter　of　opinions；　ideas；　literary　manifestations；　or　merely　of　dress；　how　many　persons　are　bold　enough　to　run　counter　to　the　fashion？　　It　is　by　examples　not　by　arguments　that　crowds　are　guided。　　At　every　period　there　exists　a　small　number　of　individualities　which　react　upon　the　remainder　and　are　imitated　by　the　unconscious　mass。　　It　is　needful　however；　that　these　individualities　should　not　be　in　too　pronounced　disagreement　with　received　ideas。　　Were　they　so；　to　imitate　them　would　be　too　difficult　and　their　influence　would　be　nil。　　For　this　very　reason　men　who　are　too　superior　to　their　epoch　are　generally　without　influence　upon　it。　　The　line　of　separation　is　too　strongly　marked。　　For　the　same　reason　too　Europeans；　in　spite　of　all　the　advantages　of　their　civilisation；　have　so　insignificant　an　influence　on　Eastern　people；　they　differ　from　them　to　too　great　an　extent。

〃The　dual　action　of　the　past　and　of　reciprocal　imitation　renders；　in　the　long　run；　all　the　men　of　the　same　country　and　the　same　period　so　alike　that　even　in　the　case　of　individuals　who　would　seem　destined　to　escape　this　double　influence；　such　as　philosophers；　learned　men；　and　men　of　letters；　thought　and　style　have　a　family　air　which　enables　the　age　to　which　they　belong　to　be　immediately　recognised。　　It　is　not　necessary　to　talk　for　long　with　an　individual　to　attain　to　a　thorough　knowledge　of　what　he　reads；　of　his　habitual　occupations；　and　of　the　surroundings　amid　which　he　lives。〃＇17＇


＇17＇　Gustave　le　Bon；　〃L'Homme　et　les　Societes；〃　vol。　　ii。　p。　116。　1881。



Contagion　is　so　powerful　that　it　forces　upon　individuals　not　only　certain　opinions；　but　certain　modes　of　feeling　as　well。　Contagion　is　the　cause　of　the　contempt　in　which；　at　a　given　period；　certain　works　are　heldthe　example　of　〃Tannhauser〃　may　be　citedwhich；　a　few　years　later；　for　the　same　reason　are　admired　by　those　who　were　foremost　in　criticising　them。

The　opinions　and　beliefs　of　crowds　are　specially　propagated　by　contagion；　but　never　by　reasoning。　　The　conceptions　at　present　rife　among　the　working　classes　have　been　acquired　at　the　public…house　as　the　result　of　affirmation；　repetition；　and　contagion；　and　indeed　the　mode　of　creation　of　the　beliefs　of　crowds　of　every　age　has　scarcely　been　different。　　Renan　justly　institutes　a　comparison　between　the　first　founders　of　Christianity　and　〃the　socialist　working　men　spreading　their　ideas　from　public…house　to　public…house〃；　while　Voltaire　had　already　observed　in　connection　with　the　Christian　religion　that　〃for　more　than　a　hundred　years　it　was　only　embraced　by　the　vilest　riff…raff。〃

It　will　be　noted　that　in　cases　analogous　to　those　I　have　just　cited；　contagion；　after　having　been　at　work　among　the　popular　classes；　has　spread　to　the　higher　classes　of　society。　　This　is　what　we　see　happening　at　the　present　day　with　regard　to　the　socialist　doctrines　which　are　beginning　to　be　held　by　those　who　will　yet　be　their　first　victims。　　Contagion　is　so　powerful　a　force　that　even　the　sentiment　of　personal　interest　disappears　under　its　action。

This　is　the　explanation　of　the　fact　that　every　opinion　adopted　by　the　populace　always　ends　in　implanting　itself　with　great　vigour　in　the　highest　social　strata；　however　obvious　be　the　absurdity　of　the　triumphant　opinion。　　This　reaction　of　the　lower　upon　the　higher　social　classes　is　the　more　curious；　owing　to　the　circumstance　that　the　beliefs　of　the　crowd　always　have　their　origin　to　a　greater　or　less　extent　in　some　higher　idea；　which　has　often　remained　without　influence　in　the　sphere　in　which　it　was　evolved。　　Leaders　and　agitators；　subjugated　by　this　higher　idea；　take　hold　of　it；　distort　it　and　create　a　sect　which　distorts　it　afresh；　and　then　propagates　it　amongst　the　masses；　who　carry　the　process　of　deformation　still　further。　　Become　a　popular　truth　the　idea　returns；　as　it　were；　to　its　source　and　exerts　an　influence　on　the　upper　classes　of　a　nation。　　In　the　long　run　it　is　intelligence　that　shapes　the　destiny　of　the　world；　but　very　indirectly。　　The　philosophers　who　evolve　ideas　have　long　since　returned　to　dust；　when；　as　the　result　of　the　process　I　have　just　described；　the　fruit　of　their　reflection　ends　by　triumphing。


3。　PRESTIGE


Great　power　is　given　to　ideas　propagated　by　affirmation；　repetition；　and　contagion　by　the　circumstance　that　they　acquire　in　time　that　mysterious　force　known　as　prestige。

Whatever　has　been　a　ruling　power　in　the　world；　whether　it　be　ideas　or　men；　has　in　the　main　enforced　its　authority　by　means　of　that　irresistible　force　expressed　by　the　word　〃prestige。〃　　The　term　is　one　whose　meaning　is　grasped　by　everybody；　but　the　word　is　employed　in　ways　too　different　for　it　to　be　easy　to　define　it。　Prestige　may　involve　such　sentiments　as　admiration　or　fear。　Occasionally　even　these　sentiments　are　its　basis；　but　it　can　perfectly　well　exist　without　them。　　The　greatest　measure　of　prestige　is　possessed　by　the　dead；　by　beings；　that　is；　of　whom　we　do　not　stand　in　fearby　Alexander；　Caesar；　Mahomet；　and　Buddha；　for　example。　　On　the　other　hand；　there　are　fictive　beings　whom　we　do　not　admirethe　monstrous　divinities　of　the　subterranean　temples　of　India；　for　instancebut　who　strike　us　nevertheless　as　endowed　with　a　great　prestige。

Prestige　in　reality　is　a　sort　of　domination　exercised　on　our　mind　by　an　individual；　a　work；　or　an　idea。　　This　domination　entirely　paralyses　our　critical　faculty；　and　fills　our　soul　with　astonishment　and　respect。　　The　sentiment　provoked　is　inexplicable；　like　all　sentiments；　but　it　would　appear　to　be　of　the　same　kind　as　the　fascination　to　which　a　magnetised　person　is　subjected。　　Prestige　is　the　mainspring　of　all　authority。　　Neither　gods；　kings；　nor　women　have　ever　reigned　without　it。

The　various　kinds　of　prestige　may　be　grouped　under　two　principal　heads：　acquired　prestige　and　personal　prestige。　　Acquired　prestige　is　that　resulting　from　name；　fortune；　and　reputation。　It　may　be　independent　of　personal　prestige。　　Personal　prestige；　on　the　contrary；　is　something　essentially　peculiar　to　the　individual；　it　may　coexist　with　reputation；　glory；　and　fortune；　or　be　strengthened　by　them；　but　it　is　perfectly　capable　of　existing　in　their　absence。

Acquired　or　artificial　prestige　is　much　the　most　common。　　The　mere　fact　that　an　individual　occupies　a　certa