the crowd-第12部分

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on；　one　of　the　most　remarkable　indications　of　the　mental　state　of　crowds；　and　especially　of　the　facility　with　which　they　are　suggestioned。　　The　unreal　has　almost　as　much　influence　on　them　as　the　real。　　They　have　an　evident　tendency　not　to　distinguish　between　the　two。

The　power　of　conquerors　and　the　strength　of　States　is　based　on　the　popular　imagination。　　It　is　more　particularly　by　working　upon　this　imagination　that　crowds　are　led。　　All　great　historical　facts；　the　rise　of　Buddhism；　of　Christianity；　of　Islamism；　the　Reformation；　the　French　Revolution；　and；　in　our　own　time；　the　threatening　invasion　of　Socialism　are　the　direct　or　indirect　consequences　of　strong　impressions　produced　on　the　imagination　of　the　crowd。

Moreover；　all　the　great　statesmen　of　every　age　and　every　country；　including　the　most　absolute　despots；　have　regarded　the　popular　imagination　as　the　basis　of　their　power；　and　they　have　never　attempted　to　govern　in　opposition　to　it　〃It　was　by　becoming　a　Catholic；〃　said　Napoleon　to　the　Council　of　State；　〃that　I　terminated　the　Vendeen　war。　　By　becoming　a　Mussulman　that　I　obtained　a　footing　in　Egypt。　　By　becoming　an　Ultramontane　that　I　won　over　the　Italian　priests；　and　had　I　to　govern　a　nation　of　Jews　I　would　rebuild　Solomon's　temple。〃　　Never　perhaps　since　Alexander　and　Caesar　has　any　great　man　better　understood　how　the　imagination　of　the　crowd　should　be　impressed。　　His　constant　preoccupation　was　to　strike　it。　　He　bore　it　in　mind　in　his　victories；　in　his　harangues；　in　his　speeches；　in　all　his　acts。　On　his　deathbed　it　was　still　in　his　thoughts。

How　is　the　imagination　of　crowds　to　be　impressed？　　We　shall　soon　see。　　Let　us　confine　ourselves　for　the　moment　to　saying　that　the　feat　is　never　to　be　achieved　by　attempting　to　work　upon　the　intelligence　or　reasoning　faculty；　that　is　to　say；　by　way　of　demonstration。　　It　was　not　by　means　of　cunning　rhetoric　that　Antony　succeeded　in　making　the　populace　rise　against　the　murderers　of　Caesar；　it　was　by　reading　his　will　to　the　multitude　and　pointing　to　his　corpse。

Whatever　strikes　the　imagination　of　crowds　presents　itself　under　the　shape　of　a　startling　and　very　clear　image；　freed　from　all　accessory　explanation；　or　merely　having　as　accompaniment　a　few　marvellous　or　mysterious　facts：　examples　in　point　are　a　great　victory；　a　great　miracle；　a　great　crime；　or　a　great　hope。　　Things　must　be　laid　before　the　crowd　as　a　whole；　and　their　genesis　must　never　be　indicated。　　A　hundred　petty　crimes　or　petty　accidents　will　not　strike　the　imagination　of　crowds　in　the　least；　whereas　a　single　great　crime　or　a　single　great　accident　will　profoundly　impress　them；　even　though　the　results　be　infinitely　less　disastrous　than　those　of　the　hundred　small　accidents　put　together。　　The　epidemic　of　influenza；　which　caused　the　death　but　a　few　years　ago　of　five　thousand　persons　in　Paris　alone；　made　very　little　impression　on　the　popular　imagination。　　The　reason　was　that　this　veritable　hecatomb　was　not　embodied　in　any　visible　image；　but　was　only　learnt　from　statistical　information　furnished　weekly。　　An　accident　which　should　have　caused　the　death　of　only　five　hundred　instead　of　five　thousand　persons；　but　on　the　same　day　and　in　public；　as　the　outcome　of　an　accident　appealing　strongly　to　the　eye；　by　the　fall；　for　instance；　of　the　Eiffel　Tower；　would　have　produced；　on　the　contrary；　an　immense　impression　on　the　imagination　of　the　crowd。　　The　probable　loss　of　a　transatlantic　steamer　that　was　supposed；　in　the　absence　of　news；　to　have　gone　down　in　mid…ocean　profoundly　impressed　the　imagination　of　the　crowd　for　a　whole　week。　　Yet　official　statistics　show　that　850　sailing　vessels　and　203　steamers　were　lost　in　the　year　1894　alone。　　The　crowd；　however；　was　never　for　a　moment　concerned　by　these　successive　losses；　much　more　important　though　they　were　as　far　as　regards　the　destruction　of　life　and　property；　than　the　loss　of　the　Atlantic　liner　in　question　could　possibly　have　been。

It　is　not；　then；　the　facts　in　themselves　that　strike　the　popular　imagination；　but　the　way　in　which　they　take　place　and　are　brought　under　notice。　　It　is　necessary　that　by　their　condensation；　if　I　may　thus　express　myself；　they　should　produce　a　startling　image　which　fills　and　besets　the　mind。　　To　know　the　art　of　impressing　the　imagination　of　crowds　is　to　know　at　the　same　time　the　art　of　governing　them。


CHAPTER　IV

A　RELIGIOUS　SHAPE　ASSUMED　BY　ALL　THE　CONVICTIONS　OF　CROWDS

What　is　meant　by　the　religious　sentimentIt　is　independent　of　the　worship　of　a　divinityIts　characteristicsThe　strength　of　convictions　assuming　a　religious　shapeVarious　examplesPopular　gods　have　never　disappearedNew　forms　under　which　they　are　revivedReligious　forms　of　atheismImportance　of　these　notions　from　the　historical　point　of　view　The　Reformation；　Saint　Bartholomew；　the　Terror；　and　all　analogous　events　are　the　result　of　the　religious　sentiments　of　crowds　and　not　of　the　will　of　isolated　individuals。


We　have　shown　that　crowds　do　not　reason；　that　they　accept　or　reject　ideas　as　a　whole；　that　they　tolerate　neither　discussion　nor　contradiction；　and　that　the　suggestions　brought　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。