the crowd-第12章

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The　ideal　for　a　people　is　in　consequence　to　preserve　the　institutions　of　the　past；　merely　changing　them　insensibly　and　little　by　little。　　This　ideal　is　difficult　to　realise。　　The　Romans　in　ancient　and　the　English　in　modern　times　are　almost　alone　in　having　realised　it。

It　is　precisely　crowds　that　cling　the　most　tenaciously　to　traditional　ideas　and　oppose　their　being　changed　with　the　most　obstinacy。　　This　is　notably　the　case　with　the　category　of　crowds　constituting　castes。　　I　have　already　insisted　upon　the　conservative　spirit　of　crowds；　and　shown　that　the　most　violent　rebellions　merely　end　in　a　changing　of　words　and　terms。　　At　the　end　of　the　last　century；　in　the　presence　of　destroyed　churches；　of　priests　expelled　the　country　or　guillotined；　it　might　have　been　thought　that　the　old　religious　ideas　had　lost　all　their　strength；　and　yet　a　few　years　had　barely　lapsed　before　the　abolished　system　of　public　worship　had　to　be　re…established　in　deference　to　universal　demands。＇8＇


＇8＇　The　report　of　the　ex…Conventionist；　Fourcroy；　quoted　by　Taine；　is　very　clear　on　this　point。

〃What　is　everywhere　seen　with　respect　to　the　keeping　of　Sunday　and　attendance　at　the　churches　proves　that　the　majority　of　Frenchmen　desire　to　return　to　their　old　usages　and　that　it　is　no　longer　opportune　to　resist　this　natural　tendency。　。　。　。　　The　great　majority　of　men　stand　in　need　of　religion；　public　worship；　and　priests。　　IT　IS　AN　ERROR　OF　SOME　MODERN　PHILOSOPHERS；　BY　WHICH　I　MYSELF　HAVE　BEEN　LED　AWAY；　to　believe　in　the　possibility　of　instruction　being　so　general　as　to　destroy　religious　prejudices；　which　for　a　great　number　of　unfortunate　persons　are　a　source　of　consolation。　。　。　。　　The　mass　of　the　people；　then；　must　be　allowed　its　priests；　its　altars；　and　its　public　worship。〃



Blotted　out　for　a　moment；　the　old　traditions　had　resumed　their　sway。

No　example　could　better　display　the　power　of　tradition　on　the　mind　of　crowds。　　The　most　redoubtable　idols　do　not　dwell　in　temples；　nor　the　most　despotic　tyrants　in　palaces；　both　the　one　and　the　other　can　be　broken　in　an　instant。　　But　the　invisible　masters　that　reign　in　our　innermost　selves　are　safe　from　every　effort　at　revolt；　and　only　yield　to　the　slow　wearing　away　of　centuries。


3。　TIME


In　social　as　in　biological　problems　time　is　one　of　the　most　energetic　factors。　　It　is　the　sole　real　creator　and　the　sole　great　destroyer。　　It　is　time　that　has　made　mountains　with　grains　of　sand　and　raised　the　obscure　cell　of　geological　eras　to　human　dignity。　　The　action　of　centuries　is　sufficient　to　transform　any　given　phenomenon。　　It　has　been　justly　observed　that　an　ant　with　enough　time　at　its　disposal　could　level　Mount　Blanc。　　A　being　possessed　of　the　magical　force　of　varying　time　at　his　will　would　have　the　power　attributed　by　believers　to　God。

In　this　place；　however；　we　have　only　to　concern　ourselves　with　the　influence　of　time　on　the　genesis　of　the　opinions　of　crowds。　Its　action　from　this　point　of　view　is　still　immense。　　Dependent　upon　it　are　the　great　forces　such　as　race；　which　cannot　form　themselves　without　it。　　It　causes　the　birth；　the　growth；　and　the　death　of　all　beliefs。　　It　is　by　the　aid　of　time　that　they　acquire　their　strength　and　also　by　its　aid　that　they　lose　it。

It　is　time　in　particular　that　prepares　the　opinions　and　beliefs　of　crowds；　or　at　least　the　soil　on　which　they　will　germinate。　This　is　why　certain　ideas　are　realisable　at　one　epoch　and　not　at　another。　　It　is　time　that　accumulates　that　immense　detritus　of　beliefs　and　thoughts　on　which　the　ideas　of　a　given　period　spring　up。　　They　do　not　grow　at　hazard　and　by　chance；　the　roots　of　each　of　them　strike　down　into　a　long　past。　　When　they　blossom　it　is　time　that　has　prepared　their　blooming；　and　to　arrive　at　a　notion　of　their　genesis　it　is　always　back　in　the　past　that　it　is　necessary　to　search。　　They　are　the　daughters　of　the　past　and　the　mothers　of　the　future；　but　throughout　the　slaves　of　time。

Time；　in　consequence；　is　our　veritable　master；　and　it　suffices　to　leave　it　free　to　act　to　see　all　things　transformed。　　At　the　present　day　we　are　very　uneasy　with　regard　to　the　threatening　aspirations　of　the　masses　and　the　destructions　and　upheavals　foreboded　thereby。　　Time；　without　other　aid；　will　see　to　the　restoration　of　equilibrium。　　〃No　form　of　government；〃　M。　Lavisse　very　properly　writes；　〃was　founded　in　a　day。　　Political　and　social　organisations　are　works　that　demand　centuries。　　The　feudal　system　existed　for　centuries　in　a　shapeless；　chaotic　state　before　it　found　its　laws；　absolute　monarchy　also　existed　for　centuries　before　arriving　at　regular　methods　of　government；　and　these　periods　of　expectancy　were　extremely　troubled。〃


4。　POLITICAL　AND　SOCIAL　INSTITUTIONS


The　idea　that　institutions　can　remedy　the　defects　of　societies；　that　national　progress　is　the　consequence　of　the　improvement　of　institutions　and　governments；　and　that　social　changes　can　be　effected　by　decrees　this　idea；　I　say；　is　still　generally　accepted。　　It　was　the　starting…point　of　the　French　Revolution；　and　the　social　theories　of　the　present　day　are　based　upon　it。

The　most　continuous　experience　has　been　unsuccessful　in　shaking　this　grave　delusion。　　Philosophers　and　historians　have　endeavoured　in　vain　to　prove　its　absurdity；　but　yet　they　have　had　no　difficulty　in　demonstrating　that　institutions　are　the　outcome　of　ideas；　sentiments；　and　customs；　and　that　ideas；　sentiments；　and　customs　are　not　to　be　recast　by　recasting　legislative　codes。　A　nation　does　not　choose　its　institutions　at　will　any　more　than　it　chooses　the　colour　of　its　hair　or　its　eyes。　　Institutions　and　governments　are　the　product　of　the　race。　　They　are　not　the　creators　of　an　epoch；　but　are　created　by　it。　　Peoples　are　not　governed　in　accordance　with　their　caprices　of　the　moment；　but　as　their　character　determines　that　they　shall　be　governed。　Centuries　are　required　to　form　a　political　system　and　centuries　needed　to　change　it。　　Institutions　have　no　intrinsic　virtue：　in　themselves　they　are　neither　good　nor　bad。　　Those　which　are　good　at　a　given　moment　for　a　given　people　may　be　harmful　in　the　extreme　for　another　nation。

Moreover；　it　is　in　no　way　in　the　power　of　a　people　to　really　change　its　institutions。　　Undoubtedly；　at　the　cost　of　violent　revolutions；　it　can　change　their　name；　but　in　their　essence　they　remain　unmodified。　　The　names　are　mere　futile　labels　with　which　an　historian　who　goes　to　the　bottom　of　things　need　scarcely　concern　himself。　　It　is　in　this　way；　for　instance；　that　England；＇9＇　the　most　democratic　country　in　the　world；　lives；　nevertheless；　under　a　monarchical　regime；　whereas　the　countries　in　which　the　most　oppressive　despotism　is　rampant　are　the　Spanish…American　Republics；　in　spite　of　their　republican　constitutions。　　The　destinies　of　peoples　are　determined　by　their　character　and　not　by　their　government。　　I　have　endeavoured　to　establish　this　view　in　my　previous　volume　by　setting　forth　categorical　examples。


＇9＇　The　most　advanced　republicans；　even　of　the　United　States；　recognise　this　fact。　　The　American　magazine；　The　Forum；　recently　gave　categorical　expression　to　the　opinion　in　terms　which　I　reproduce　here　from　the　Review　of　Reviews　for　December；　1894：

〃It　should　never　be　forgotten；　even　by　the　most　ardent　enemies　of　an　aristocracy；　that　England　is　to…day　the　most　democratic　country　of　the　universe；　the　country　in　which　the　rights　of　the　individual　are　most　respected；　and　in　which　the　individual　possesses　the　most　liberty。〃



To　lose　time　in　the　manufacture　of　cut…and…dried　constitutions　is；　in　consequence；　a　puerile　task；　the　useless　labour　of　an　ignorant　rhetorician。　　Necessity　and　time　undertake　the　charge　of　elaborating　constitutions　when　we　are　wise　enough　to　allow　these　two　factors　to　act。　　This　is　the　plan　the　Anglo…Saxons　have　adopted；　as　their　great　historian；　Macaulay；　teaches　us　in　a　passage　that　the　politicians　of　all　Latin　countries　ought　to　learn　by　heart。　　After　having　shown　all　the　good　that　can　be　accomplished　by　laws　which　appear　from　the　point　of　view　of　pure　reason　a　chaos　of　absurdities　and　contradictions；　he　compares　the　scores　of　constitutions　that　have　been　engulfed　in　the　convulsions　of　the　Latin　peoples　with　that　of　England；　and　points　out　that　the　latter　has　only　been　very　slowly　changed　part　by　part；　under　the　influence　of　immediate　necessities　and　never　of　speculative　reasoning。

〃To　think　nothing　of　symmetry　and　much　of　convenience；　never　to　remove　an　anomaly　merely　because　it　is　an　anomaly；　never　to　innovate　except　when　some　grievance　is　felt；　never　to　innovate　except　so　far　as　to　get　rid　of　the　grievance；　never　to　lay　down　any　proposition　of　wider　extent　than　the　particular　case　for　which　it　is　necessary　to　provide；　these　are　the　rules　which　have；　from　the　age　of　John　to　the　age　of　Victoria；　generally　guided　the　deliberations　of　our　two　hundred　and　fifty　Parliaments。〃

It　would　be　necessary　to　take　one　by　one　the　laws　and　institutions　of　each　people　to　show　to　what　extent　they　are　the　expression　of　the　needs　of　each　race　and　are　incapable；　for　that　reason；　of　being　violently　transformed。　　It　is　possible；　for；　instance；　to　indulge　in　philosophical　dissertations　on　the　advantages　and　disadvantages　of　centralisation；　but　when　we　see　a　people　composed　of　very　different　races　devote　a　thousand　years　of　efforts　to　attaining　to　this　centralisation；　when　we　observe　that　a　great　revolution；　having　for　object　the　destruction　of　all　the　institutions　of　the　past；　has　been　forced　to　respect　this　centralisation；　and　has　even　strengthened　it；　under　these　circumstances　we　should　admit　that　it　is　the　outcome　of　imperious　needs；　that　it　is　a　condition　of　the　existence　of　the　nation　in　question；　and　we　should　pity　the　poor　mental　range　of　politicians　who　talk　of　destroying　it。　　Could　they　by　chance　succeed　in　this　attempt；　their　success　would　at　once　be　the　signal　for　a　frightful　civil　war；＇10＇　which；　moreover；　would　immediately　bring　back　a　new　system　of　centralisation　much　more　oppressive　than　the　old。


＇10＇　If　a　comparison　be　made　between　the　profound　religious　and　political　dissensions　which　separate　the　various　parties　in　France；　and　are　more　especially　the　result　of　social　questions；　and　the　separatist　tendencies　which　were　manifested　at　the　time　of　the　Revolution；　and　began　to　again　display　themselves　towards　the　close　of　the　Franco…German　war；　it　will　be　seen　that　the　different　races　represented　in　France　are　still　far　from　being　completely　blended。　　The　vigorous　centralisation　of　the　Revolution　and　the　creation　of　artificial　departments　destined　to　bring　about　the　fusion　of　the　ancient　provinces　was　certainly　its　most　useful　work。　　Were　it　possible　to　bring　about　the　decentralisation　which　is　to…day　preoccupying　minds　lacking　in　foresight；　the　achievement　would　promptly　have　for　consequence　the　most　sanguinary　disorders。　　To　overlook　this　fact　is　to　leave　out　of　account　the　entire　history　of　France。



The　conclusion　to　be　drawn　from　what　precedes　is；　that　it　is　not　in　institutions　that　the　means　is　to　be　sought　of　profoundly　influencing　the　genius　of　the　masses。　　When　we　see　certain　countries；　such　as　the　United　States；　reach　a　high　degree　of　prosperity　under　democratic　institutions；　while　others；　such　as　the　Spanish…American　Republics；　are　found　existing　in　a　pitiable　state　of　anarc