the crowd-第16章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


is　in　their　name　that　were　built　the　temples　of　Chaldea　and　Egypt　and　the　religious　edifices　of　the　Middle　Ages；　and　that　a　vast　upheaval　shook　the　whole　of　Europe　a　century　ago；　and　there　is　not　one　of　our　political；　artistic；　or　social　conceptions　that　is　free　from　their　powerful　impress。　　Occasionally；　at　the　cost　of　terrible　disturbances；　man　overthrows　them；　but　he　seems　condemned　to　always　set　them　up　again。　　Without　them　he　would　never　have　emerged　from　his　primitive　barbarian　state；　and　without　them　again　he　would　soon　return　to　it。　　Doubtless　they　are　futile　shadows；　but　these　children　of　our　dreams　have　forced　the　nations　to　create　whatever　the　arts　may　boast　of　splendour　or　civilisation　of　greatness。

〃If　one　destroyed　in　museums　and　libraries；　if　one　hurled　down　on　the　flagstones　before　the　churches　all　the　works　and　all　the　monuments　of　art　that　religions　have　inspired；　what　would　remain　of　the　great　dreams　of　humanity？　　To　give　to　men　that　portion　of　hope　and　illusion　without　which　they　cannot　live；　such　is　the　reason　for　the　existence　of　gods；　heroes；　and　poets。　　During　fifty　years　science　appeared　to　undertake　this　task。　　But　science　has　been　compromised　in　hearts　hungering　after　the　ideal；　because　it　does　not　dare　to　be　lavish　enough　of　promises；　because　it　cannot　lie。〃＇14＇


＇14＇　Daniel　Lesueur。



The　philosophers　of　the　last　century　devoted　themselves　with　fervour　to　the　destruction　of　the　religious；　political；　and　social　illusions　on　which　our　forefathers　had　lived　for　a　long　tale　of　centuries。　　By　destroying　them　they　have　dried　up　the　springs　of　hope　and　resignation。　　Behind　the　immolated　chimeras　they　came　face　to　face　with　the　blind　and　silent　forces　of　nature；　which　are　inexorable　to　weakness　and　ignore　pity。

Notwithstanding　all　its　progress；　philosophy　has　been　unable　as　yet　to　offer　the　masses　any　ideal　that　can　charm　them；　but；　as　they　must　have　their　illusions　at　all　cost；　they　turn　instinctively；　as　the　insect　seeks　the　light；　to　the　rhetoricians　who　accord　them　what　they　want。　　Not　truth；　but　error　has　always　been　the　chief　factor　in　the　evolution　of　nations；　and　the　reason　why　socialism　is　so　powerful　to…day　is　that　it　constitutes　the　last　illusion　that　is　still　vital。　　In　spite　of　all　scientific　demonstrations　it　continues　on　the　increase。　　Its　principal　strength　lies　in　the　fact　that　it　is　championed　by　minds　sufficiently　ignorant　of　things　as　they　are　in　reality　to　venture　boldly　to　promise　mankind　happiness。　　The　social　illusion　reigns　to…day　upon　all　the　heaped…up　ruins　of　the　past；　and　to　it　belongs　the　future。　　The　masses　have　never　thirsted　after　truth。　They　turn　aside　from　evidence　that　is　not　to　their　taste；　preferring　to　deify　error；　if　error　seduce　them。　　Whoever　can　supply　them　with　illusions　is　easily　their　master；　whoever　attempts　to　destroy　their　illusions　is　always　their　victim。


3。　EXPERIENCE


Experience　constitutes　almost　the　only　effective　process　by　which　a　truth　may　be　solidly　established　in　the　mind　of　the　masses；　and　illusions　grown　too　dangerous　be　destroyed。　　To　this　end；　however；　it　is　necessary　that　the　experience　should　take　place　on　a　very　large　scale；　and　be　very　frequently　repeated。　　The　experiences　undergone　by　one　generation　are　useless；　as　a　rule；　for　the　generation　that　follows；　which　is　the　reason　why　historical　facts；　cited　with　a　view　to　demonstration；　serve　no　purpose。　　Their　only　utility　is　to　prove　to　what　an　extent　experiences　need　to　be　repeated　from　age　to　age　to　exert　any　influence；　or　to　be　successful　in　merely　shaking　an　erroneous　opinion　when　it　is　solidly　implanted　in　the　mind　of　the　masses。

Our　century　and　that　which　preceded　it　will　doubtless　be　alluded　to　by　historians　as　an　era　of　curious　experiments；　which　in　no　other　age　have　been　tried　in　such　number。

The　most　gigantic　of　these　experiments　was　the　French　Revolution。　To　find　out　that　a　society　is　not　to　be　refashioned　from　top　to　bottom　in　accordance　with　the　dictates　of　pure　reason；　it　was　necessary　that　several　millions　of　men　should　be　massacred　and　that　Europe　should　be　profoundly　disturbed　for　a　period　of　twenty　years。　　To　prove　to　us　experimentally　that　dictators　cost　the　nations　who　acclaim　them　dear；　two　ruinous　experiences　have　been　required　in　fifty　years；　and　in　spite　of　their　clearness　they　do　not　seem　to　have　been　sufficiently　convincing。　　The　first；　nevertheless；　cost　three　millions　of　men　and　an　invasion；　the　second　involved　a　loss　of　territory；　and　carried　in　its　wake　the　necessity　for　permanent　armies。　　A　third　was　almost　attempted　not　long　since；　and　will　assuredly　be　attempted　one　day。　　To　bring　an　entire　nation　to　admit　that　the　huge　German　army　was　not；　as　was　currently　alleged　thirty　years　ago；　a　sort　of　harmless　national　guard；＇15＇　the　terrible　war　which　cost　us　so　dear　had　to　take　place。　　To　bring　about　the　recognition　that　Protection　ruins　the　nations　who　adopt　it；　at　least　twenty　years　of　disastrous　experience　will　be　needful。　　These　examples　might　be　indefinitely　multiplied。


＇15＇　The　opinion　of　the　crowd　was　formed　in　this　case　by　those　rough…and…ready　associations　of　dissimilar　things；　the　mechanism　of　which　I　have　previously　explained。　　The　French　national　guard　of　that　period；　being　composed　of　peaceable　shopkeepers；　utterly　lacking　in　discipline　and　quite　incapable　of　being　taken　seriously；　whatever　bore　a　similar　name；　evoked　the　same　conception　and　was　considered　in　consequence　as　harmless。　　The　error　of　the　crowd　was　shared　at　the　time　by　its　leaders；　as　happens　so　often　in　connection　with　opinions　dealing　with　generalisations。　　In　a　speech　made　in　the　Chamber　on　the　31st　of　December；　1867；　and　quoted　in　a　book　by　M。　E。　Ollivier　that　has　appeared　recently；　a　statesman　who　often　followed　the　opinion　of　the　crowd　but　was　never　in　advance　of　itI　allude　to　M。　Thiersdeclared　that　Prussia　only　possessed　a　national　guard　analogous　to　that　of　France；　and　in　consequence　without　importance；　in　addition　to　a　regular　army　about　equal　to　the　French　regular　army；　assertions　about　as　accurate　as　the　predictions　of　the　same　statesman　as　to　the　insignificant　future　reserved　for　railways。



4。　REASON


In　enumerating　the　factors　capable　of　making　an　impression　on　the　minds　of　crowds　all　mention　of　reason　might　be　dispensed　with；　were　it　not　necessary　to　point　out　the　negative　value　of　its　influence。

We　have　already　shown　that　crowds　are　not　to　be　influenced　by　reasoning；　and　can　only　comprehend　rough…and…ready　associations　of　ideas。　　The　orators　who　know　how　to　make　an　impression　upon　them　always　appeal　in　consequence　to　their　sentiments　and　never　to　their　reason。　　The　laws　of　logic　have　no　action　on　crowds。＇16＇　To　bring　home　conviction　to　crowds　it　is　necessary　first　of　all　to　thoroughly　comprehend　the　sentiments　by　which　they　are　animated；　to　pretend　to　share　these　sentiments；　then　to　endeavour　to　modify　them　by　calling　up；　by　means　of　rudimentary　associations；　certain　eminently　suggestive　notions；　to　be　capable；　if　need　be；　of　going　back　to　the　point　of　view　from　which　a　start　was　made；　and；　above　all；　to　divine　from　instant　to　instant　the　sentiments　to　which　one's　discourse　is　giving　birth。　This　necessity　of　ceaselessly　varying　one's　language　in　accordance　with　the　effect　produced　at　the　moment　of　speaking　deprives　from　the　outset　a　prepared　and　studied　harangue　of　all　efficaciousness。　　In　such　a　speech　the　orator　follows　his　own　line　of　thought；　not　that　of　his　hearers；　and　from　this　fact　alone　his　influence　is　annihilated。


＇16＇　My　first　observations　with　regard　to　the　art　of　impressing　crowds　and　touching　the　slight　assistance　to　be　derived　in　this　connection　from　the　rules　of　logic　date　back　to　the　seige　of　Paris；　to　the　day　when　I　saw　conducted　to　the　Louvre；　where　the　Government　was　then　sitting；　Marshal　V；　whom　a　furious　crowd　asserted　they　had　surprised　in　the　act　of　taking　the　plans　of　the　fortifications　to　sell　them　to　the　Prussians。　　A　member　of　the　Government　（G。　P）；　a　very　celebrated　orator；　came　out　to　harangue　the　crowd；　which　was　demanding　the　immediate　execution　of　the　prisoner。　　I　had　expected　that　the　speaker　would　point　out　the　absurdity　of　the　accusation　by　remarking　that　the　accused　Marshal　was　positively　one　of　those　who　had　constructed　the　fortifications；　the　plan　of　which；　moreover；　was　on　sale　at　every　booksellers。　　To　my　immense　stupefactionI　was　very　young　thenthe　speech　was　on　quite　different　lines。　　〃Justice　shall　be　done；〃　exclaimed　the　orator；　advancing　towards　the　prisoner；　〃and　pitiless　justice。　　Let　the　Government　of　the　National　Defence　conclude　your　inquiry。　　In　the　meantime　we　will　keep　the　prisoner　in　custody。〃　　At　once　calmed　by　this　apparent　concession；　the　crowd　broke　up；　and　a　quarter　of　an　hour　later　the　Marshal　was　able　to　return　home。　　He　would　infallibly　have　been　torn　in　pieces　had　the　speaker　treated　the　infuriated　crowd　to　the　logical　arguments　that　my　extreme　youth　induced　me　to　consider　as　very　convincing。



Logical　minds；　accustomed　to　be　convinced　by　a　chain　of　somewhat　close　reasoning；　cannot　avoid　having　recourse　to　this　mode　of　persuasion　when　addressing　crowds；　and　the　inability　of　their　arguments　always　surprises　them。　　〃The　usual　mathematical　consequences　based　on　the　syllogismthat　is；　on　associations　of　identitiesare　imperative　。　。　。〃　writes　a　logician。　　〃This　imperativeness　would　enforce　the　assent　even　of　an　inorganic　mass　were　it　capable　of　following　associations　of　identities。〃　　This　is　doubtless　true；　but　a　crowd　is　no　more　capable　than　an　inorganic　mass　of　following　such　associations；　nor　even　of　understanding　them。　　If　the　attempt　be　made　to　convince　by　reasoning　primitive　mindssavages　or　children；　for　instancethe　slight　value　possessed　by　this　method　of　arguing　will　be　understood。

It　is　not　even　necessary　to　descend　so　low　as　primitive　beings　to　obtain　an　insight　into　the　utter　powerlessness　of　reasoning　when　it　has　to　fight　against　sentiment。　　Let　us　merely　call　to　mind　how　tenacious；　for　centuries　long；　have　been　religious　superstitions　in　contradiction　with　the　simplest　logic。　　For　nearly　two　thousand　years　the　most　luminous　geniuses　have　bowed　before　their　laws；　and　modern　times　have　to　be　reached　for　their　veracity　to　be　merely　contested。　　The　Middle　Ages　and　the　Renaissance　possessed　many　enlightened　men；　but　not　a　single　man　who　attained　by　reasoning　to　an　appreciation　of　the　childish　side　of　his　superstitions；　or　who　promulgated　even　a　slight　doubt　as　to　the　misdeeds　of　the　devil　or　the　necessity　of　burning　sorcerers。

Should　it　be　regretted　that　crowds　are　never　guided　by　reason？　We　would　not　venture　to　affirm　it。　　Without　a　doubt　human　reason　would　not　have　availed　to　spur　humanity　along　the　path　of　civilisation　with　the　ardour　and　hardihood　its　illusions　have　done。　　These　illusions；　the　offspring　of　those　unconscious　forces　by　which　we　are　led；　were　doubtless　necessary。　　Every　race　carries　in　its　mental　constitution　the　laws　of　its　destiny；　and　it　is；　perhaps；　these　laws　that　it　obeys　with　a　resistless　impulse；　even　in　the　case　of　those　of　its　impulses　which　apparently　are　the　most　unreasoned。　　It　seems　at　times　as　if　nations　were　submitted　to　secret　forces　analogous　to　those　which　compel　the　acorn　to　transform　itself　into　an　oak　or　a　comet　to　follow　its　o