the crowd-第4章

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　not　avow；　but　behind　these　secret　causes　there　are　many　others　more　secret　still　which　we　ourselves　ignore。　　The　greater　part　of　our　daily　actions　are　the　result　of　hidden　motives　which　escape　our　observation。

It　is　more　especially　with　respect　to　those　unconscious　elements　which　constitute　the　genius　of　a　race　that　all　the　individuals　belonging　to　it　resemble　each　other；　while　it　is　principally　in　respect　to　the　conscious　elements　of　their　characterthe　fruit　of　education；　and　yet　more　of　exceptional　hereditary　conditionsthat　they　differ　from　each　other。　　Men　the　most　unlike　in　the　matter　of　their　intelligence　possess　instincts；　passions；　and　feelings　that　are　very　similar。　　In　the　case　of　every　thing　that　belongs　to　the　realm　of　sentimentreligion；　politics；　morality；　the　affections　and　antipathies；　&c。the　most　eminent　men　seldom　surpass　the　standard　of　the　most　ordinary　individuals。　　From　the　intellectual　point　of　view　an　abyss　may　exist　between　a　great　mathematician　and　his　boot　maker；　but　from　the　point　of　view　of　character　the　difference　is　most　often　slight　or　non…existent。

It　is　precisely　these　general　qualities　of　character；　governed　by　forces　of　which　we　are　unconscious；　and　possessed　by　the　majority　of　the　normal　individuals　of　a　race　in　much　the　same　degreeit　is　precisely　these　qualities；　I　say；　that　in　crowds　become　common　property。　　In　the　collective　mind　the　intellectual　aptitudes　of　the　individuals；　and　in　consequence　their　individuality；　are　weakened。　　The　heterogeneous　is　swamped　by　the　homogeneous；　and　the　unconscious　qualities　obtain　the　upper　hand。

This　very　fact　that　crowds　possess　in　common　ordinary　qualities　explains　why　they　can　never　accomplish　acts　demanding　a　high　degree　of　intelligence。　　The　decisions　affecting　matters　of　general　interest　come　to　by　an　assembly　of　men　of　distinction；　but　specialists　in　different　walks　of　life；　are　not　sensibly　superior　to　the　decisions　that　would　be　adopted　by　a　gathering　of　imbeciles。　　The　truth　is；　they　can　only　bring　to　bear　in　common　on　the　work　in　hand　those　mediocre　qualities　which　are　the　birthright　of　every　average　individual。　　In　crowds　it　is　stupidity　and　not　mother…wit　that　is　accumulated。　　It　is　not　all　the　world；　as　is　so　often　repeated；　that　has　more　wit　than　Voltaire；　but　assuredly　Voltaire　that　has　more　wit　than　all　the　world；　if　by　〃all　the　world〃　crowds　are　to　be　understood。

If　the　individuals　of　a　crowd　confined　themselves　to　putting　in　common　the　ordinary　qualities　of　which　each　of　them　has　his　share；　there　would　merely　result　the　striking　of　an　average；　and　not；　as　we　have　said　is　actually　the　case；　the　creation　of　new　characteristics。　　How　is　it　that　these　new　characteristics　are　created？　　This　is　what　we　are　now　to　investigate。

Different　causes　determine　the　appearance　of　these　characteristics　peculiar　to　crowds；　and　not　possessed　by　isolated　individuals。　　The　first　is　that　the　individual　forming　part　of　a　crowd　acquires；　solely　from　numerical　considerations；　a　sentiment　of　invincible　power　which　allows　him　to　yield　to　instincts　which；　had　he　been　alone；　he　would　perforce　have　kept　under　restraint。　He　will　be　the　less　disposed　to　check　himself　from　the　consideration　that；　a　crowd　being　anonymous；　and　in　consequence　irresponsible；　the　sentiment　of　responsibility　which　always　controls　individuals　disappears　entirely。

The　second　cause；　which　is　contagion；　also　intervenes　to　determine　the　manifestation　in　crowds　of　their　special　characteristics；　and　at　the　same　time　the　trend　they　are　to　take。　Contagion　is　a　phenomenon　of　which　it　is　easy　to　establish　the　presence；　but　that　it　is　not　easy　to　explain。　　It　must　be　classed　among　those　phenomena　of　a　hypnotic　order；　which　we　shall　shortly　study。　　In　a　crowd　every　sentiment　and　act　is　contagious；　and　contagious　to　such　a　degree　that　an　individual　readily　sacrifices　his　personal　interest　to　the　collective　interest。　　This　is　an　aptitude　very　contrary　to　his　nature；　and　of　which　a　man　is　scarcely　capable；　except　when　he　makes　part　of　a　crowd。

A　third　cause；　and　by　far　the　most　important；　determines　in　the　individuals　of　a　crowd　special　characteristics　which　are　quite　contrary　at　times　to　those　presented　by　the　isolated　individual。　I　allude　to　that　suggestibility　of　which；　moreover；　the　contagion　mentioned　above　is　neither　more　nor　less　than　an　effect。

To　understand　this　phenomenon　it　is　necessary　to　bear　in　mind　certain　recent　physiological　discoveries。　　We　know　to…day　that　by　various　processes　an　individual　may　be　brought　into　such　a　condition　that；　having　entirely　lost　his　conscious　personality；　he　obeys　all　the　suggestions　of　the　operator　who　has　deprived　him　of　it；　and　commits　acts　in　utter　contradiction　with　his　character　and　habits。　　The　most　careful　observations　seem　to　prove　that　an　individual　immerged　for　some　length　of　time　in　a　crowd　in　action　soon　finds　himselfeither　in　consequence　of　the　magnetic　influence　given　out　by　the　crowd；　or　from　some　other　cause　of　which　we　are　ignorantin　a　special　state；　which　much　resembles　the　state　of　fascination　in　which　the　hypnotised　individual　finds　himself　in　the　hands　of　the　hypnotiser。　　The　activity　of　the　brain　being　paralysed　in　the　case　of　the　hypnotised　subject；　the　latter　becomes　the　slave　of　all　the　unconscious　activities　of　his　spinal　cord；　which　the　hypnotiser　directs　at　will。　　The　conscious　personality　has　entirely　vanished；　will　and　discernment　are　lost。　All　feelings　and　thoughts　are　bent　in　the　direction　determined　by　the　hypnotiser。

Such　also　is　approximately　the　state　of　the　individual　forming　part　of　a　psychological　crowd。　　He　is　no　longer　conscious　of　his　acts。　　In　his　case；　as　in　the　case　of　the　hypnotised　subject；　at　the　same　time　that　certain　faculties　are　destroyed；　others　may　be　brought　to　a　high　degree　of　exaltation。　　Under　the　influence　of　a　suggestion；　he　will　undertake　the　accomplishment　of　certain　acts　with　irresistible　impetuosity。　　This　impetuosity　is　the　more　irresistible　in　the　case　of　crowds　than　in　that　of　the　hypnotised　subject；　from　the　fact　that；　the　suggestion　being　the　same　for　all　the　individuals　of　the　crowd；　it　gains　in　strength　by　reciprocity。　　The　individualities　in　the　crowd　who　might　possess　a　personality　sufficiently　strong　to　resist　the　suggestion　are　too　few　in　number　to　struggle　against　the　current。　　At　the　utmost；　they　may　be　able　to　attempt　a　diversion　by　means　of　different　suggestions。　　It　is　in　this　way；　for　instance；　that　a　happy　expression；　an　image　opportunely　evoked；　have　occasionally　deterred　crowds　from　the　most　bloodthirsty　acts。

We　see；　then；　that　the　disappearance　of　the　conscious　personality；　the　predominance　of　the　unconscious　personality；　the　turning　by　means　of　suggestion　and　contagion　of　feelings　and　ideas　in　an　identical　direction；　the　tendency　to　immediately　transform　the　suggested　ideas　into　acts；　these；　we　see；　are　the　principal　characteristics　of　the　individual　forming　part　of　a　crowd。　　He　is　no　longer　himself；　but　has　become　an　automaton　who　has　ceased　to　be　guided　by　his　will。

Moreover；　by　the　mere　fact　that　he　forms　part　of　an　organised　crowd；　a　man　descends　several　rungs　in　the　ladder　of　civilisation。　　Isolated；　he　may　be　a　cultivated　individual；　in　a　crowd；　he　is　a　barbarianthat　is；　a　creature　acting　by　instinct。　He　possesses　the　spontaneity；　the　violence；　the　ferocity；　and　also　the　enthusiasm　and　heroism　of　primitive　beings；　whom　he　further　tends　to　resemble　by　the　facility　with　which　he　allows　himself　to　be　impressed　by　words　and　imageswhich　would　be　entirely　without　action　on　each　of　the　isolated　individuals　composing　the　crowdand　to　be　induced　to　commit　acts　contrary　to　his　most　obvious　interests　and　his　best…known　habits。　　An　individual　in　a　crowd　is　a　grain　of　sand　amid　other　grains　of　sand；　which　the　wind　stirs　up　at　will。

It　is　for　these　reasons　that　juries　are　seen　to　deliver　verdicts　of　which　each　individual　juror　would　disapprove；　that　parliamentary　assemblies　adopt　laws　and　measures　of　which　each　of　their　members　would　disapprove　in　his　own　person。　　Taken　separately；　the　men　of　the　Convention　were　enlightened　citizens　of　peaceful　habits。　　United　in　a　crowd；　they　did　not　hesitate　to　give　their　adhesion　to　the　most　savage　proposals；　to　guillotine　individuals　most　clearly　innocent；　and；　contrary　to　their　interests；　to　renounce　their　inviolability　and　to　decimate　themselves。

It　is　not　only　by　his　acts　that　the　individual　in　a　crowd　differs　essentially　from　himself。　　Even　before　he　has　entirely　lost　his　independence；　his　ideas　and　feelings　have　undergone　a　transformation；　and　the　transformation　is　so　profound　as　to　change　the　miser　into　a　spendthrift；　the　sceptic　into　a　believer；　the　honest　man　into　a　criminal；　and　the　coward　into　a　hero。　　The　renunciation　of　all　its　privileges　which　the　nobility　voted　in　a　moment　of　enthusiasm　during　the　celebrated　night　of　August　4；　1789；　would　certainly　never　have　been　consented　to　by　any　of　its　members　taken　singly。

The　conclusion　to　be　drawn　from　what　precedes　is；　that　the　crowd　is　always　intellectually　inferior　to　the　isolated　individual；　but　that；　from　the　point　of　view　of　feelings　and　of　the　acts　these　feelings　provoke；　the　crowd　may；　according　to　circumstances；　he　better　or　worse　than　the　individual。　　All　depends　on　the　nature　of　the　suggestion　to　which　the　crowd　is　exposed。　　This　is　the　point　that　has　been　completely　misunderstood　by　writers　who　have　only　studied　crowds　from　the　criminal　point　of　view。　　Doubtless　a　crowd　is　often　criminal；　but　also　it　is　often　heroic。　　It　is　crowds　rather　than　isolated　individuals　that　may　be　induced　to　run　the　risk　of　death　to　secure　the　triumph　of　a　creed　or　an　idea；　that　may　be　fired　with　enthusiasm　for　glory　and　honour；　that　are　led　onalmost　without　bread　and　without　arms；　as　in　the　age　of　the　Crusadesto　deliver　the　tomb　of　Christ　from　the　infidel；　or；　as　in　'93；　to　defend　the　fatherland。　　Such　heroism　is　without　doubt　somewhat　unconscious；　but　it　is　of　such　heroism　that　history　is　made。　　Were　peoples　only　to　be　credited　with　the　great　actions　performed　in　cold　blood；　the　annals　of　the　world　would　register　but　few　of　them。


CHAPTER　II

THE　SENTIMENTS　AND　MORALITY　OF　CROWDS

1。　　IMPULSIVENESS；　MOBILITY；　AND　IRRITABILITY　OF　CROWDS。　The　crowd　is　at　the　mercy　of　all　exterior　exciting　causes；　and　reflects　their　incessant　variationsThe　impulses　which　the　crowd　obeys　are　so　imperious　as　to　annihilate　the　feeling　of　personal　interest　Premeditation　is　absent　from　crowdsRacial　influence。　2。　　CROWDS　ARE　CREDULOUS　AND　READILY　INFLUENCED　BY　SUGGESTION。　　The　obedience　of　crowds　to　suggestionsThe　images　evoked　in　the　mind　of　crowds　are　accepted　by　them　as　realitiesWhy　these　images　are　identical　for　all　the　individuals　composing　a　crowdThe　equality　of　the　educated　and　the　ignorant　man　in　a　crowdVarious　examples　of　the　illusions　to　which　the　individuals　in　a　crowd　are　subjectThe　impossibility　of　according　belief　to　the　testimony　of　crowdsThe　unanimity　of　numerous　witnesses　is　one　of　the　worst　proofs　that　can　be　invoked　to　establish　a　factThe　slight　value　of　works　of　history。　3。　THE　EXAGGERATION　AND　INGENUOUSNESS　OF　THE　SENTIMENTS　OF　CROWDS。　　Crowds　do　not　admit　doubt　or　uncertainty；　and　always　go　to　extremesTheir　sentiments　always　excessive。　　　4。　　THE　INTOLERANCE；　DICTATORIALNESS；　A