the crowd-第26节

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！



From　the　fundamental　belief　transient　accessory　ideas　may　arise；　but　they　always　bear　the　impress　of　the　belief　from　which　they　have　sprung。　　The　Egyptian　civilisation；　the　European　civilisation　of　the　Middle　Ages；　the　Mussulman　civilisation　of　the　Arabs　are　all　the　outcome　of　a　small　number　of　religious　beliefs　which　have　left　their　mark　on　the　least　important　elements　of　these　civilisations　and　allow　of　their　immediate　recognition。

Thus　it　is　that；　thanks　to　general　beliefs；　the　men　of　every　age　are　enveloped　in　a　network　of　traditions；　opinions；　and　customs　which　render　them　all　alike；　and　from　whose　yoke　they　cannot　extricate　themselves。　　Men　are　guided　in　their　conduct　above　all　by　their　beliefs　and　by　the　customs　that　are　the　consequence　of　those　beliefs。　　These　beliefs　and　customs　regulate　the　smallest　acts　of　our　existence；　and　the　most　independent　spirit　cannot　escape　their　influence。　　The　tyranny　exercised　unconsciously　on　men's　minds　is　the　only　real　tyranny；　because　it　cannot　be　fought　against。　　Tiberius；　Ghengis　Khan；　and　Napoleon　were　assuredly　redoubtable　tyrants；　but　from　the　depth　of　their　graves　Moses；　Buddha；　Jesus；　and　Mahomet　have　exerted　on　the　human　soul　a　far　profounder　despotism。　　A　conspiracy　may　overthrow　a　tyrant；　but　what　can　it　avail　against　a　firmly　established　belief？　　In　its　violent　struggle　with　Roman　Catholicism　it　is　the　French　Revolution　that　has　been　vanquished；　and　this　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　sympathy　of　the　crowd　was　apparently　on　its　side；　and　in　spite　of　recourse　to　destructive　measures　as　pitiless　as　those　of　the　Inquisition。　　The　only　real　tyrants　that　humanity　has　known　have　always　been　the　memories　of　its　dead　or　the　illusions　it　has　forged　itself。

The　philosophic　absurdity　that　often　marks　general　beliefs　has　never　been　an　obstacle　to　their　triumph。　　Indeed　the　triumph　of　such　beliefs　would　seem　impossible　unless　on　the　condition　that　they　offer　some　mysterious　absurdity。　　In　consequence；　the　evident　weakness　of　the　socialist　beliefs　of　to…day　will　not　prevent　them　triumphing　among　the　masses。　　Their　real　inferiority　to　all　religious　beliefs　is　solely　the　result　of　this　consideration；　that　the　ideal　of　happiness　offered　by　the　latter　being　realisable　only　in　a　future　life；　it　was　beyond　the　power　of　anybody　to　contest　it。　　The　socialist　ideal　of　happiness　being　intended　to　be　realised　on　earth；　the　vanity　of　its　promises　will　at　once　appear　as　soon　as　the　first　efforts　towards　their　realisation　are　made；　and　simultaneously　the　new　belief　will　entirely　lose　its　prestige。　　Its　strength；　in　consequence；　will　only　increase　until　the　day　when；　having　triumphed；　its　practical　realisation　shall　commence。　　For　this　reason；　while　the　new　religion　exerts　to　begin　with；　like　all　those　that　have　preceded　it；　a　destructive　influence；　it　will　be　unable；　in　the　future；　to　play　a　creative　part。


2。　THE　CHANGEABLE　OPINIONS　OF　CROWDS


Above　the　substratum　of　fixed　beliefs；　whose　power　we　have　just　demonstrated；　is　found　an　overlying　growth　of　opinions；　ideas；　and　thoughts　which　are　incessantly　springing　up　and　dying　out。　Some　of　them　exist　but　for　a　day；　and　the　more　important　scarcely　outlive　a　generation。　　We　have　already　noted　that　the　changes　which　supervene　in　opinions　of　this　order　are　at　times　far　more　superficial　than　real；　and　that　they　are　always　affected　by　racial　considerations。　　When　examining；　for　instance；　the　political　institutions　of　France　we　showed　that　parties　to　all　appearance　utterly　distinctroyalists；　radicals；　imperialists；　socialists；　&c。have　an　ideal　absolutely　identical；　and　that　this　ideal　is　solely　dependent　on　the　mental　structure　of　the　French　race；　since　a　quite　contrary　ideal　is　found　under　analogous　names　among　other　races。　　Neither　the　name　given　to　opinions　nor　deceptive　adaptations　alter　the　essence　of　things。　The　men　of　the　Great　Revolution；　saturated　with　Latin　literature；　who　（their　eyes　fixed　on　the　Roman　Republic）；　adopted　its　laws；　its　fasces；　and　its　togas；　did　not　become　Romans　because　they　were　under　the　empire　of　a　powerful　historical　suggestion。　　The　task　of　the　philosopher　is　to　investigate　what　it　is　which　subsists　of　ancient　beliefs　beneath　their　apparent　changes；　and　to　identify　amid　the　moving　flux　of　opinions　the　part　determined　by　general　beliefs　and　the　genius　of　the　race。

In　the　absence　of　this　philosophic　test　it　might　be　supposed　that　crowds　change　their　political　or　religious　beliefs　frequently　and　at　will。　　All　history；　whether　political；　religious；　artistic；　or　literary；　seems　to　prove　that　such　is　the　case。

As　an　example；　let　us　take　a　very　short　period　of　French　history；　merely　that　from　1790　to　1820；　a　period　of　thirty　years'　duration；　that　of　a　generation。　　In　the　course　of　it　we　see　the　crowd　at　first　monarchical　become　very　revolutionary；　then　very　imperialist；　and　again　very　monarchical。　　In　the　matter　of　religion　it　gravitates　in　the　same　lapse　of　time　from　Catholicism　to　atheism；　then　towards　deism；　and　then　returns　to　the　most　pronounced　forms　of　Catholicism。　　These　changes　take　place　not　only　amongst　the　masses；　but　also　amongst　those　who　direct　them。　We　observe　with　astonishment　the　prominent　men　of　the　Convention；　the　sworn　enemies　of　kings；　men　who　would　have　neither　gods　nor　masters；　become　the　humble　servants　of　Napoleon；　and　afterwards；　under　Louis　XVIII。；　piously　carry　candles　in　religious　processions。

Numerous；　too；　are　the　changes　in　the　opinions　of　the　crowd　in　the　course　of　the　following　seventy　years。　　The　〃Perfidious　Albion〃　of　the　opening　of　the　century　is　the　ally　of　France　under　Napoleon's　heir；　Russia；　twice　invaded　by　France；　which　looked　on　with　satisfaction　at　French　reverses；　becomes　its　friend。

In　literature；　art；　and　philosophy　the　successive　evolutions　of　opinion　are　more　rapid　still。　　Romanticism；　naturalism；　mysticism；　&c。；　spring　up　and　die　out　in　turn。　　The　artist　and　the　writer　applauded　yesterday　are　treated　on　the　morrow　with　profound　contempt。

When；　however；　we　analyse　all　these　changes　in　appearance　so　far　reaching；　what　do　we　find？　　All　those　that　are　in　opposition　with　the　general　beliefs　and　sentiments　of　the　race　are　of　transient　duration；　and　the　diverted　stream　soon　resumes　its　course。　　The　opinions　which　are　not　linked　to　any　general　belief　or　sentiment　of　the　race；　and　which　in　consequence　cannot　possess　stability；　are　at　the　mercy　of　every　chance；　or；　if　the　expression　be　preferred；　of　every　change　in　the　surrounding　circumstances。　Formed　by　suggestion　and　contagion；　they　are　always　momentary；　they　crop　up　and　disappear　as　rapidly　on　occasion　as　the　sandhills　formed　by　the　wind　on　the　sea…coast。

At　the　present　day　the　changeable　opinions　of　crowds　are　greater　in　number　than　they　ever　were；　and　for　three　different　reasons。

The　first　is　that　as　the　old　beliefs　are　losing　their　influence　to　a　greater　and　greater　extent；　they　are　ceasing　to　shape　the　ephemeral　opinions　of　the　moment　as　they　did　in　the　past。　　The　weakening　of　general　beliefs　clears　the　ground　for　a　crop　of　haphazard　opinions　without　a　past　or　a　future。

The　second　reason　is　that　the　power　of　crowds　being　on　the　increase；　and　this　power　being　less　and　less　counterbalanced；　the　extreme　mobility　of　ideas；　which　we　have　seen　to　be　a　peculiarity　of　crowds；　can　manifest　itself　without　let　or　hindrance。

Finally；　the　third　reason　is　the　recent　development　of　the　newspaper　press；　by　whose　agency　the　most　contrary　opinions　are　being　continually　brought　before　the　attention　of　crowds。　　The　suggestions　that　might　result　from　each　individual　opinion　are　soon　destroyed　by　suggestions　of　an　opposite　character。　　The　consequence　is　that　no　opinion　succeeds　in　becoming　widespread；　and　that　the　existence　of　all　of　them　is　ephemeral。　　An　opinion　nowadays　dies　out　before　it　has　found　a　sufficiently　wide　acceptance　to　become　general。

A　phenomenon　quite　new　in　the　world's　history；　and　most　characteristic　of　the　present　age；　has　resulted　from　these　different　causes；　I　allude　to　the　powerlessness　of　governments　to　direct　opinion。

In　the　past；　and　in　no　very　distant　past；　the　action　of　governments　and　the　influence　of　a　few　writers　and　a　very　small　number　of　newspapers　constituted　the　real　reflectors　of　public　opinion。　　To…day　the　writers　have　lost　all　influence；　and　the　newspapers　only　reflect　opinion。　　As　for　statesmen；　far　from　directing　opinion；　their　only　endeavour　is　to　follow　it。　　They　have　a　dread　of　opinion；　which　amounts　at　times　to　terror；　and　causes　them　to　adopt　an　utterly　unstable　line　of　conduct。

The　opinion　of　crowds　tends；　then；　more　and　more　to　become　the　supreme　guiding　principle　in　politics。　　It　goes　so　far　to…day　as　to　force　on　alliances；　as　has　been　seen　recently　in　the　case　of　the　Franco…Russian　alliance；　which　is　solely　the　outcome　of　a　popular　movement。　　A　curious　symptom　of　the　present　time　is　to　observe　popes；　kings；　and　emperors　consent　to　be　interviewed　as　a　means　of　submitting　their　views　on　a　given　subject　to　the　judgment　of　crowds。　　Formerly　it　might　have　been　correct　to　say　that　politics　were　not　a　matter　of　sentiment。　　Can　the　same　be　said　to…day；　when　politics　are　more　and　more　swayed　by　the　impulse　of　changeable　crowds；　who　are　uninfluenced　by　reason　and　can　only　be　gu