the crowd-第6章

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re　phenomena　observed　by　thousands　of　persons。

To　combat　what　precedes；　the　mental　quality　of　the　individuals　composing　a　crowd　must　not　be　brought　into　consideration。　　This　quality　is　without　importance。　　From　the　moment　that　they　form　part　of　a　crowd　the　learned　man　and　the　ignoramus　are　equally　incapable　of　observation。

This　thesis　may　seem　paradoxical。　　To　demonstrate　it　beyond　doubt　it　would　be　necessary　to　investigate　a　great　number　of　historical　facts；　and　several　volumes　would　be　insufficient　for　the　purpose。

Still；　as　I　do　not　wish　to　leave　the　reader　under　the　impression　of　unproved　assertions；　I　shall　give　him　some　examples　taken　at　hazard　from　the　immense　number　of　those　that　might　be　quoted。

The　following　fact　is　one　of　the　most　typical；　because　chosen　from　among　collective　hallucinations　of　which　a　crowd　is　the　victim；　in　which　are　to　be　found　individuals　of　every　kind；　from　the　most　ignorant　to　the　most　highly　educated。　　It　is　related　incidentally　by　Julian　Felix；　a　naval　lieutenant；　in　his　book　on　〃Sea　Currents；〃　and　has　been　previously　cited　by　the　Revue　Scientifique。

The　frigate；　the　Belle　Poule；　was　cruising　in　the　open　sea　for　the　purpose　of　finding　the　cruiser　Le　Berceau；　from　which　she　had　been　separated　by　a　violent　storm。　　It　was　broad　daylight　and　in　full　sunshine。　　Suddenly　the　watch　signalled　a　disabled　vessel；　the　crew　looked　in　the　direction　signalled；　and　every　one；　officers　and　sailors；　clearly　perceived　a　raft　covered　with　men　towed　by　boats　which　were　displaying　signals　of　distress。　　Yet　this　was　nothing　more　than　a　collective　hallucination。　　Admiral　Desfosses　lowered　a　boat　to　go　to　the　rescue　of　the　wrecked　sailors。　　On　nearing　the　object　sighted；　the　sailors　and　officers　on　board　the　boat　saw　〃masses　of　men　in　motion；　stretching　out　their　hands；　and　heard　the　dull　and　confused　noise　of　a　great　number　of　voices。〃　　When　the　object　was　reached　those　in　the　boat　found　themselves　simply　and　solely　in　the　presence　of　a　few　branches　of　trees　covered　with　leaves　that　had　been　swept　out　from　the　neighbouring　coast。　　Before　evidence　so　palpable　the　hallucination　vanished。

The　mechanism　of　a　collective　hallucination　of　the　kind　we　have　explained　is　clearly　seen　at　work　in　this　example。　　On　the　one　hand　we　have　a　crowd　in　a　state　of　expectant　attention；　on　the　other　a　suggestion　made　by　the　watch　signalling　a　disabled　vessel　at　sea；　a　suggestion　which；　by　a　process　of　contagion；　was　accepted　by　all　those　present；　both　officers　and　sailors。

It　is　not　necessary　that　a　crowd　should　be　numerous　for　the　faculty　of　seeing　what　is　taking　place　before　its　eyes　to　be　destroyed　and　for　the　real　facts　to　be　replaced　by　hallucinations　unrelated　to　them。　　As　soon　as　a　few　individuals　are　gathered　together　they　constitute　a　crowd；　and；　though　they　should　be　distinguished　men　of　learning；　they　assume　all　the　characteristics　of　crowds　with　regard　to　matters　outside　their　speciality。　　The　faculty　of　observation　and　the　critical　spirit　possessed　by　each　of　them　individually　at　once　disappears。　　An　ingenious　psychologist；　Mr。　Davey；　supplies　us　with　a　very　curious　example　in　point；　recently　cited　in　the　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques；　and　deserving　of　relation　here。　　Mr。　Davey；　having　convoked　a　gathering　of　distinguished　observers；　among　them　one　of　the　most　prominent　of　English　scientific　men；　Mr。　Wallace；　executed　in　their　presence；　and　after　having　allowed　them　to　examine　the　objects　and　to　place　seals　where　they　wished；　all　the　regulation　spiritualistic　phenomena；　the　materialisation　of　spirits；　writing　on　slates；　&c。　　Having　subsequently　obtained　from　these　distinguished　observers　written　reports　admitting　that　the　phenomena　observed　could　only　have　been　obtained　by　supernatural　means；　he　revealed　to　them　that　they　were　the　result　of　very　simple　tricks。　　〃The　most　astonishing　feature　of　Monsieur　Davey's　investigation；〃　writes　the　author　of　this　account；　〃is　not　the　marvellousness　of　the　tricks　themselves；　but　the　extreme　weakness　of　the　reports　made　with　respect　to　them　by　the　noninitiated　witnesses。　　It　is　clear；　then；〃　he　says；　〃that　witnesses　even　in　number　may　give　circumstantial　relations　which　are　completely　erroneous；　but　whose　result　is　THAT；　IF　THEIR　DESCRIPTIONS　ARE　ACCEPTED　AS　EXACT；　the　phenomena　they　describe　are　inexplicable　by　trickery。　　The　methods　invented　by　Mr。　Davey　were　so　simple　that　one　is　astonished　that　he　should　have　had　the　boldness　to　employ　them；　but　he　had　such　a　power　over　the　mind　of　the　crowd　that　he　could　persuade　it　that　it　saw　what　it　did　not　see。〃　　Here；　as　always；　we　have　the　power　of　the　hypnotiser　over　the　hypnotised。　　Moreover；　when　this　power　is　seen　in　action　on　minds　of　a　superior　order　and　previously　invited　to　be　suspicious；　it　is　understandable　how　easy　it　is　to　deceive　ordinary　crowds。

Analogous　examples　are　innumerable。　　As　I　write　these　lines　the　papers　are　full　of　the　story　of　two　little　girls　found　drowned　in　the　Seine。　　These　children；　to　begin　with；　were　recognised　in　the　most　unmistakable　manner　by　half　a　dozen　witnesses。　　All　the　affirmations　were　in　such　entire　concordance　that　no　doubt　remained　in　the　mind　of　the　juge　d'instruction。　　He　had　the　certificate　of　death　drawn　up；　but　just　as　the　burial　of　the　children　was　to　have　been　proceeded　with；　a　mere　chance　brought　about　the　discovery　that　the　supposed　victims　were　alive；　and　had；　moreover；　but　a　remote　resemblance　to　the　drowned　girls。　　As　in　several　of　the　examples　previously　cited；　the　affirmation　of　the　first　witness；　himself　a　victim　of　illusion；　had　sufficed　to　influence　the　other　witnesses。

In　parallel　cases　the　starting…point　of　the　suggestion　is　always　the　illusion　produced　in　an　individual　by　more　or　less　vague　reminiscences；　contagion　following　as　the　result　of　the　affirmation　of　this　initial　illusion。　　If　the　first　observer　be　very　impressionable；　it　will　often　be　sufficient　that　the　corpse　he　believes　he　recognises　should　present　apart　from　all　real　resemblancesome　peculiarity；　a　scar；　or　some　detail　of　toilet　which　may　evoke　the　idea　of　another　person。　　The　idea　evoked　may　then　become　the　nucleus　of　a　sort　of　crystallisation　which　invades　the　understanding　and　paralyses　all　critical　faculty。　What　the　observer　then　sees　is　no　longer　the　object　itself；　but　the　image　evoked　in　his　mind。　　In　this　way　are　to　be　explained　erroneous　recognitions　of　the　dead　bodies　of　children　by　their　own　mother；　as　occurred　in　the　following　case；　already　old；　but　which　has　been　recently　recalled　by　the　newspapers。　　In　it　are　to　be　traced　precisely　the　two　kinds　of　suggestion　of　which　I　have　just　pointed　out　the　mechanism。


〃The　child　was　recognised　by　another　child；　who　was　mistaken。　The　series　of　unwarranted　recognitions　then　began。

〃An　extraordinary　thing　occurred。　　The　day　after　a　schoolboy　had　recognised　the　corpse　a　woman　exclaimed；　‘Good　Heavens；　it　is　my　child！'

〃She　was　taken　up　to　the　corpse；　she　examined　the　clothing；　and　noted　a　scar　on　the　forehead。　　‘It　is　certainly；'　she　said；　‘my　son　who　disappeared　last　July。　　He　has　been　stolen　from　me　and　murdered。'

〃The　woman　was　concierge　in　the　Rue　du　Four；　her　name　was　Chavandret。　　Her　brother…in…law　was　summoned；　and　when　questioned　he　said；　‘That　is　the　little　Filibert。'　Several　persons　living　in　the　street　recognised　the　child　found　at　La　Villette　as　Filibert　Chavandret；　among　them　being　the　boy's　schoolmaster；　who　based　his　opinion　on　a　medal　worn　by　the　lad。

〃Nevertheless；　the　neighbours；　the　brother…in…law；　the　schoolmaster；　and　the　mother　were　mistaken。　　Six　weeks　later　the　identity　of　the　child　was　established。　　The　boy；　belonging　to　Bordeaux；　had　been　murdered　there　and　brought　by　a　carrying　company　to　Paris。〃＇4＇


＇4＇　L'Eclair；　April　21；　1895。



It　will　be　remarked　that　these　recognitions　are　most　often　made　by　women　and　childrenthat　is　to　say；　by　precisely　the　most　impressionable　persons。　　They　show　us　at　the　same　time　what　is　the　worth　in　law　courts　of　such　witnesses。　　As　far　as　children；　more　especially；　are　concerned；　their　statements　ought　never　to　be　invoked。　　Magistrates　are　in　the　habit　of　repeating　that　children　do　not　lie。　　Did　they　possess　a　psychological　culture　a　little　less　rudimentary　than　is　the　case　they　would　know　that；　on　the　contrary；　children　invariably　lie；　the　lie　is　doubtless　innocent；　but　it　is　none　the　less　a　lie。　　It　would　be　better　to　decide　the　fate　of　an　accused　person　by　the　toss　of　a　coin　than；　as　has　been　so　often　done；　by　the　evidence　of　a　child。

To　return　to　the　faculty　of　observation　possessed　by　crowds；　our　conclusion　is　that　their　collective　observations　are　as　erroneous　as　possible；　and　that　most　often　they　merely　represent　the　illusion　of　an　individual　who；　by　a　process　of　contagion；　has　suggestioned　his　fellows。　　Facts　proving　that　the　most　utter　mistrust　of　the　evidence　of　crowds　is　advisable　might　be　multiplied　to　any　extent。　　Thousands　of　men　were　present　twenty…five　years　ago　at　the　celebrated　cavalry　charge　during　the　battle　of　Sedan；　and　yet　it　is　impossible；　in　the　face　of　the　most　contradictory　ocular　testimony；　to　decide　by　whom　it　was　commanded。　　The　English　general；　Lord　Wolseley；　has　proved　in　a　recent　book　that　up　to　now　the　gravest　errors　of　fact　have　been　committed　with　regard　to　the　most　important　incidents　of　the　battle　of　Waterloofacts　that　hundreds　of　witnesses　had　nevertheless　attested。＇5＇


＇5＇　Do　we　know　in　the　case　of　one　single　battle　exactly　how　it　took　place？　　I　am　very　doubtful　on　the　point。　　We　know　who　were　the　conquerors　and　the　conquered；　but　this　is　probably　all。　　What　M。　D'Harcourt　has　said　with　respect　to　the　battle　of　Solferino；　which　he　witnessed　and　in　which　he　was　personally　engaged；　may　be　applied　to　all　battles〃The　generals　（informed；　of　course；　by　the　evidence　of　hundreds　of　witnesses）　forward　their　official　reports；　the　orderly　officers　modify　these　documents　and　draw　up　a　definite　narrative；　the　chief　of　the　staff　raises　objections　and　re…writes　the　whole　on　a　fresh　basis。　　It　is　carried　to　the　Marshal；　who　exclaims；　‘You　are　entirely　in　error；'　and　he　substitutes　a　fresh　edition。　　Scarcely　anything　remains　of　the　original　report。〃　　M。　D'Harcourt　relates　this　fact　as　proof　of　the　impossibility　of　establishing　the　truth　in　connection　with　the　most　striking；　the　best　observed　events。



Such　facts　show　us　what　is　the　value　of　the　testimony　of　crowds。　Treatises　on　logic　include　the　unanimity　of　numerous　witnesses　in　the　category　of　the　strongest　proofs　that　can　be　invoked　in　support　of　the　exactness　of　a　fact。　　Yet　what　we　know　of　the　psychology　of　crowds　shows　that　treatises　on　logic　need　on　this　point　to　be　rewritten。　　The　events　with　regard　to　which　there　exists　the　most　doubt　are　certainly　those　which　have　been　observed　by　the　greatest　number　of　persons。　　To　say　that　a　fact　has　been　simultaneously　verified　by　thousands　of　witnesses　is　to　say；　as　a　rule；　that　the　real　fact　is　very　different　from　the　accepted　account　of　it。

It　clearly　results　from　what　precedes　that　works　of　history　must　be　considered　as　works　of　pure　imagination。　　They　are　fanciful　accounts　of　ill…observed　facts；　accompanied　by　explanations　the　result　of　reflection。　　To　write　such　books　is　the　most　absolute　waste　of　time。　　Had　not　the　past　left　us　its　litera