the crowd-第6章

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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；　AND　CONSERVATISM　OF　CROWDS。　　The　reasons　of　these　sentimentsThe　servility　of　crowds　in　the　face　of　a　strong　authorityThe　momentary　revolutionary　instincts　of　crowds　do　not　prevent　them　from　being　extremely　conservativeCrowds　instinctively　hostile　to　changes　and　progress。　　　5。　THE　MORALITY　OF　CROWDS。　　The　morality　of　crowds；　according　to　the　suggestions　under　which　they　act；　may　be　much　lower　or　much　higher　than　that　of　the　individuals　composing　themExplanation　and　examples　Crowds　rarely　guided　by　those　considerations　of　interest　which　are　most　often　the　exclusive　motives　of　the　isolated　individualThe　moralising　role　of　crowds。


Having　indicated　in　a　general　way　the　principal　characteristics　of　crowds；　it　remains　to　study　these　characteristics　in　detail。

It　will　be　remarked　that　among　the　special　characteristics　of　crowds　there　are　severalsuch　as　impulsiveness；　irritability；　incapacity　to　reason；　the　absence　of　judgment　and　of　the　critical　spirit；　the　exaggeration　of　the　sentiments；　and　others　besideswhich　are　almost　always　observed　in　beings　belonging　to　inferior　forms　of　evolutionin　women；　savages；　and　children；　for　instance。　　However；　I　merely　indicate　this　analogy　in　passing；　its　demonstration　is　outside　the　scope　of　this　work。　　It　would；　moreover；　be　useless　for　persons　acquainted　with　the　psychology　of　primitive　beings；　and　would　scarcely　carry　conviction　to　those　in　ignorance　of　this　matter。

I　now　proceed　to　the　successive　consideration　of　the　different　characteristics　that　may　be　observed　in　the　majority　of　crowds。


1。　IMPULSIVENESS；　MOBILITY；　AND　IRRITABILITY　OF　CROWDS。


When　studying　the　fundamental　characteristics　of　a　crowd　we　stated　that　it　is　guided　almost　exclusively　by　unconscious　motives。　　Its　acts　are　far　more　under　the　influence　of　the　spinal　cord　than　of　the　brain。　　In　this　respect　a　crowd　is　closely　akin　to　quite　primitive　beings。　　The　acts　performed　may　be　perfect　so　far　as　their　execution　is　concerned；　but　as　they　are　not　directed　by　the　brain；　the　individual　conducts　himself　according　as　the　exciting　causes　to　which　he　is　submitted　may　happen　to　decide。　　A　crowd　is　at　the　mercy　of　all　external　exciting　causes；　and　reflects　their　incessant　variations。　　It　is　the　slave　of　the　impulses　which　it　receives。　　The　isolated　individual　may　be　submitted　to　the　same　exciting　causes　as　the　man　in　a　crowd；　but　as　his　brain　shows　him　the　inadvisability　of　yielding　to　them；　he　refrains　from　yielding。　　This　truth　may　be　physiologically　expressed　by　saying　that　the　isolated　individual　possesses　the　capacity　of　dominating　his　reflex　actions；　while　a　crowd　is　devoid　of　this　capacity。

The　varying　impulses　to　which　crowds　obey　may　be；　according　to　their　exciting　causes；　generous　or　cruel；　heroic　or　cowardly；　but　they　will　always　be　so　imperious　that　the　interest　of　the　individual；　even　the　interest　of　self…preservation；　will　not　dominate　them。　　The　exciting　causes　that　may　act　on　crowds　being　so　varied；　and　crowds　always　obeying　them；　crowds　are　in　consequence　extremely　mobile。　　This　explains　how　it　is　that　we　see　them　pass　in　a　moment　from　the　most　bloodthirsty　ferocity　to　the　most　extreme　generosity　and　heroism。　　A　crowd　may　easily　enact　the　part　of　an　executioner；　but　not　less　easily　that　of　a　martyr。　　It　is　crowds　that　have　furnished　the　torrents　of　blood　requisite　for　the　triumph　of　every　belief。　　It　is　not　necessary　to　go　back　to　the　heroic　ages　to　see　what　crowds　are　capable　of　in　this　latter　direction。　　They　are　never　sparing　of　their　life　in　an　insurrection；　and　not　long　since　a　general；＇2＇　becoming　suddenly　popular；　might　easily　have　found　a　hundred　thousand　men　ready　to　sacrifice　their　lives　for　his　cause　had　he　demanded　it。


＇2＇　General　Boulanger。




Any　display　of　premeditation　by　crowds　is　in　consequence　out　of　the　question。　　They　may　be　animated　in　succession　by　the　most　contrary　sentiments；　but　they　will　always　be　under　the　influence　of　the　exciting　causes　of　the　moment。　　They　are　like　the　l