the crowd-第30章

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The　second　reason　is　that　the　power　of　crowds　being　on　the　increase；　and　this　power　being　less　and　less　counterbalanced；　the　extreme　mobility　of　ideas；　which　we　have　seen　to　be　a　peculiarity　of　crowds；　can　manifest　itself　without　let　or　hindrance。

Finally；　the　third　reason　is　the　recent　development　of　the　newspaper　press；　by　whose　agency　the　most　contrary　opinions　are　being　continually　brought　before　the　attention　of　crowds。　　The　suggestions　that　might　result　from　each　individual　opinion　are　soon　destroyed　by　suggestions　of　an　opposite　character。　　The　consequence　is　that　no　opinion　succeeds　in　becoming　widespread；　and　that　the　existence　of　all　of　them　is　ephemeral。　　An　opinion　nowadays　dies　out　before　it　has　found　a　sufficiently　wide　acceptance　to　become　general。

A　phenomenon　quite　new　in　the　world's　history；　and　most　characteristic　of　the　present　age；　has　resulted　from　these　different　causes；　I　allude　to　the　powerlessness　of　governments　to　direct　opinion。

In　the　past；　and　in　no　very　distant　past；　the　action　of　governments　and　the　influence　of　a　few　writers　and　a　very　small　number　of　newspapers　constituted　the　real　reflectors　of　public　opinion。　　To…day　the　writers　have　lost　all　influence；　and　the　newspapers　only　reflect　opinion。　　As　for　statesmen；　far　from　directing　opinion；　their　only　endeavour　is　to　follow　it。　　They　have　a　dread　of　opinion；　which　amounts　at　times　to　terror；　and　causes　them　to　adopt　an　utterly　unstable　line　of　conduct。

The　opinion　of　crowds　tends；　then；　more　and　more　to　become　the　supreme　guiding　principle　in　politics。　　It　goes　so　far　to…day　as　to　force　on　alliances；　as　has　been　seen　recently　in　the　case　of　the　Franco…Russian　alliance；　which　is　solely　the　outcome　of　a　popular　movement。　　A　curious　symptom　of　the　present　time　is　to　observe　popes；　kings；　and　emperors　consent　to　be　interviewed　as　a　means　of　submitting　their　views　on　a　given　subject　to　the　judgment　of　crowds。　　Formerly　it　might　have　been　correct　to　say　that　politics　were　not　a　matter　of　sentiment。　　Can　the　same　be　said　to…day；　when　politics　are　more　and　more　swayed　by　the　impulse　of　changeable　crowds；　who　are　uninfluenced　by　reason　and　can　only　be　guided　by　sentiment？

As　to　the　press；　which　formerly　directed　opinion；　it　has　had；　like　governments；　to　humble　itself　before　the　power　of　crowds。　It　wields；　no　doubt；　a　considerable　influence；　but　only　because　it　is　exclusively　the　reflection　of　the　opinions　of　crowds　and　of　their　incessant　variations。　　Become　a　mere　agency　for　the　supply　of　information；　the　press　has　renounced　all　endeavour　to　enforce　an　idea　or　a　doctrine。　　It　follows　all　the　changes　of　public　thought；　obliged　to　do　so　by　the　necessities　of　competition　under　pain　of　losing　its　readers。　　The　old　staid　and　influential　organs　of　the　past；　such　as　the　Constitutionnel；　the　Debats；　or　the　Siecle；　which　were　accepted　as　oracles　by　the　preceding　generation；　have　disappeared　or　have　become　typical　modern　papers；　in　which　a　maximum　of　news　is　sandwiched　in　between　light　articles；　society　gossip；　and　financial　puffs。　　There　can　be　no　question　to…day　of　a　paper　rich　enough　to　allow　its　contributors　to　air　their　personal　opinions；　and　such　opinions　would　be　of　slight　weight　with　readers　who　only　ask　to　be　kept　informed　or　to　be　amused；　and　who　suspect　every　affirmation　of　being　prompted　by　motives　of　speculation。　　Even　the　critics　have　ceased　to　be　able　to　assure　the　success　of　a　book　or　a　play。　　They　are　capable　of　doing　harm；　but　not　of　doing　a　service。　　The　papers　are　so　conscious　of　the　uselessness　of　everything　in　the　shape　of　criticism　or　personal　opinion；　that　they　have　reached　the　point　of　suppressing　literary　criticism；　confining　themselves　to　citing　the　title　of　a　book；　and　appending　a　〃puff〃　of　two　or　three　lines。＇22＇　　In　twenty　years'　time　the　same　fate　will　probably　have　overtaken　theatrical　criticism。


＇22＇　These　remarks　refer　to　the　French　newspaper　press。Note　of　the　Translator。



The　close　watching　of　the　course　of　opinion　has　become　to…day　the　principal　preoccupation　of　the　press　and　of　governments。　　The　effect　produced　by　an　event；　a　legislative　proposal；　a　speech；　is　without　intermission　what　they　require　to　know；　and　the　task　is　not　easy；　for　nothing　is　more　mobile　and　changeable　than　the　thought　of　crowds；　and　nothing　more　frequent　than　to　see　them　execrate　to…day　what　they　applauded　yesterday。

This　total　absence　of　any　sort　of　direction　of　opinion；　and　at　the　same　time　the　destruction　of　general　beliefs；　have　had　for　final　result　an　extreme　divergency　of　convictions　of　every　order；　and　a　growing　indifference　on　the　part　of　crowds　to　everything　that　does　not　plainly　touch　their　immediate　interests。　　Questions　of　doctrine；　such　as　socialism；　only　recruit　champions　boasting　genuine　convictions　among　the　quite　illiterate　classes；　among　the　workers　in　mines　and　factories；　for　instance。　　Members　of　the　lower　middle　class；　and　working　men　possessing　some　degree　of　instruction；　have　either　become　utterly　sceptical　or　extremely　unstable　in　their　opinions。

The　evolution　which　has　been　effected　in　this　direction　in　the　last　twenty…five　years　is　striking。　　During　the　preceding　period；　comparatively　near　us　though　it　is；　opinions　still　had　a　certain　general　trend；　they　had　their　origin　in　the　acceptance　of　some　fundamental　belief。　　By　the　mere　fact　that　an　individual　was　a　monarchist　he　possessed　inevitably　certain　clearly　defined　ideas　in　history　as　well　as　in　science；　while　by　the　mere　fact　that　he　was　a　republican；　his　ideas　were　quite　contrary。　　A　monarchist　was　well　aware　that　men　are　not　descended　from　monkeys；　and　a　republican　was　not　less　well　aware　that　such　is　in　truth　their　descent。　　It　was　the　duty　of　the　monarchist　to　speak　with　horror；　and　of　the　republican　to　speak　with　veneration；　of　the　great　Revolution。　　There　were　certain　names；　such　as　those　of　Robespierre　and　Marat；　that　had　to　be　uttered　with　an　air　of　religious　devotion；　and　other　names；　such　as　those　of　Caesar；　Augustus；　or　Napoleon；　that　ought　never　to　be　mentioned　unaccompanied　by　a　torrent　of　invective。　　Even　in　the　French　Sorbonne　this　ingenuous　fashion　of　conceiving　history　was　general。＇23＇


＇23＇　There　are　pages　in　the　books　of　the　French　official　professors　of　history　that　are　very　curious　from　this　point　of　view。　　They　prove　too　how　little　the　critical　spirit　is　developed　by　the　system　of　university　education　in　vogue　in　France。　　I　cite　as　an　example　the　following　extracts　from　the　〃French　Revolution〃　of　M。　Rambaud；　professor　of　history　at　the　Sorbonne：

〃The　taking　of　the　Bastille　was　a　culminating　event　in　the　history　not　only　of　France；　but　of　all　Europe；　and　inaugurated　a　new　epoch　in　the　history　of　the　world！〃

With　respect　to　Robespierre；　we　learn　with　stupefaction　that　〃his　dictatorship　was　based　more　especially　on　opinion；　persuasion；　and　moral　authority；　it　was　a　sort　of　pontificate　in　the　hands　of　a　virtuous　man！〃　（pp。　91　and　220。）



At　the　present　day；　as　the　result　of　discussion　and　analysis；　all　opinions　are　losing　their　prestige；　their　distinctive　features　are　rapidly　worn　away；　and　few　survive　capable　of　arousing　our　enthusiasm。　　The　man　of　modern　times　is　more　and　more　a　prey　to　indifference。

The　general　wearing　away　of　opinions　should　not　be　too　greatly　deplored。　　That　it　is　a　symptom　of　decadence　in　the　life　of　a　people　cannot　be　contested。　　It　is　certain　that　men　of　immense；　of　almost　supernatural　insight；　that　apostles；　leaders　of　crowdsmen；　in　a　word；　of　genuine　and　strong　convictionsexert　a　far　greater　force　than　men　who　deny；　who　criticise；　or　who　are　indifferent；　but　it　must　not　be　forgotten　that；　given　the　power　possessed　at　present　by　crowds；　were　a　single　opinion　to　acquire　sufficient　prestige　to　enforce　its　general　acceptance；　it　would　soon　be　endowed　with　so　tyrannical　a　strength　that　everything　would　have　to　bend　before　it；　and　the　era　of　free　discussion　would　be　closed　for　a　long　time。　　Crowds　are　occasionally　easy…going　masters；　as　were　Heliogabalus　and　Tiberius；　but　they　are　also　violently　capricious。　　A　civilisation；　when　the　moment　has　come　for　crowds　to　acquire　a　high　hand　over　it；　is　at　the　mercy　of　too　many　chances　to　endure　for　long。　　Could　anything　postpone　for　a　while　the　hour　of