the crowd-第30节

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n。　　They　are　rarely　severe　on　infanticide　by　girl…mothers；　or　hard　on　the　young　woman　who　throws　vitriol　at　the　man　who　has　seduced　and　deserted　her；　for　the　reason　that　they　feel　instinctively　that　society　runs　but　slight　danger　from　such　crimes；＇24＇　and　that　in　a　country　in　which　the　law　does　not　protect　deserted　girls　the　crime　of　the　girl　who　avenges　herself　is　rather　useful　than　harmful；　inasmuch　as　it　frightens　future　seducers　in　advance。


＇24＇　It　is　to　be　remarked；　in　passing；　that　this　division　of　crimes　into　those　dangerous　and　those　not　dangerous　for　society；　which　is　well　and　instinctively　made　by　juries　is　far　from　being　unjust。　　The　object　of　criminal　laws　is　evidently　to　protect　society　against　dangerous　criminals　and　not　to　avenge　it。　　On　the　other　hand；　the　French　code；　and　above　all　the　minds　of　the　French　magistrates；　are　still　deeply　imbued　with　the　spirit　of　vengeance　characteristic　of　the　old　primitive　law；　and　the　term　〃vindicte〃　（prosecution；　from　the　Latin　vindicta；　vengeance）　is　still　in　daily　use。　　A　proof　of　this　tendency　on　the　part　of　the　magistrates　is　found　in　the　refusal　by　many　of　them　to　apply　Berenger's　law；　which　allows　of　a　condemned　person　not　undergoing　his　sentence　unless　he　repeats　his　crime。　　Yet　no　magistrate　can　be　ignorant；　for　the　fact　is　proved　by　statistics；　that　the　application　of　a　punishment　inflicted　for　the　first　time　infallibly　leads　to　further　crime　on　the　part　of　the　person　punished。　　When　judges　set　free　a　sentenced　person　it　always　seems　to　them　that　society　has　not　been　avenged。　　Rather　than　not　avenge　it　they　prefer　to　create　a　dangerous；　confirmed　criminal。



Juries；　like　all　crowds；　are　profoundly　impressed　by　prestige；　and　President　des　Glajeux　very　properly　remarks　that；　very　democratic　as　juries　are　in　their　composition；　they　are　very　aristocratic　in　their　likes　and　dislikes：　　〃Name；　birth；　great　wealth；　celebrity；　the　assistance　of　an　illustrious　counsel；　everything　in　the　nature　of　distinction　or　that　lends　brilliancy　to　the　accused；　stands　him　in　extremely　good　stead。〃

The　chief　concern　of　a　good　counsel　should　be　to　work　upon　the　feelings　of　the　jury；　and；　as　with　all　crowds；　to　argue　but　little；　or　only　to　employ　rudimentary　modes　of　reasoning。　　An　English　barrister；　famous　for　his　successes　in　the　assize　courts；　has　well　set　forth　the　line　of　action　to　be　followed：


〃While　pleading　he　would　attentively　observe　the　jury。　　The　most　favourable　opportunity　has　been　reached。　　By　dint　of　insight　and　experience　the　counsel　reads　the　effect　of　each　phrase　on　the　faces　of　the　jurymen；　and　draws　his　conclusions　in　consequence。　His　first　step　is　to　be　sure　which　members　of　the　jury　are　already　favourable　to　his　cause。　　It　is　short　work　to　definitely　gain　their　adhesion；　and　having　done　so　he　turns　his　attention　to　the　members　who　seem；　on　the　contrary；　ill…disposed；　and　endeavours　to　discover　why　they　are　hostile　to　the　accused。　　This　is　the　delicate　part　of　his　task；　for　there　may　be　an　infinity　of　reasons　for　condemning　a　man；　apart　from　the　sentiment　of　justice。〃


These　few　lines　resume　the　entire　mechanism　of　the　art　of　oratory；　and　we　see　why　the　speech　prepared　in　advance　has　so　slight　an　effect；　it　being　necessary　to　be　able　to　modify　the　terms　employed　from　moment　to　moment　in　accordance　with　the　impression　produced。

The　orator　does　not　require　to　convert　to　his　views　all　the　members　of　a　jury；　but　only　the　leading　spirits　among　it　who　will　determine　the　general　opinion。　　As　in　all　crowds；　so　in　juries　there　are　a　small　number　of　individuals　who　serve　as　guides　to　the　rest。　　〃I　have　found　by　experience；〃　says　the　counsel　cited　above；　〃that　one　or　two　energetic　men　suffice　to　carry　the　rest　of　the　jury　with　them。〃　　It　is　those　two　or　three　whom　it　is　necessary　to　convince　by　skilful　suggestions。　　First　of　all；　and　above　all；　it　is　necessary　to　please　them。　　The　man　forming　part　of　a　crowd　whom　one　has　succeeded　in　pleasing　is　on　the　point　of　being　convinced；　and　is　quite　disposed　to　accept　as　excellent　any　arguments　that　may　be　offered　him。　　I　detach　the　following　anecdote　from　an　interesting　account　of　M。　Lachaud；　alluded　to　above：


〃It　is　well　known　that　during　all　the　speeches　he　would　deliver　in　the　course　of　an　assize　sessions；　Lachaud　never　lost　sight　of　the　two　or　three　jurymen　whom　he　knew　or　felt　to　be　influential　but　obstinate。　　As　a　rule　he　was　successful　in　winning　over　these　refractory　jurors。　　On　one　occasion；　however；　in　the　provinces；　he　had　to　deal　with　a　juryman　whom　he　plied　in　vain　for　three…quarters　of　an　hour　with　his　most　cunning　arguments；　the　man　was　the　seventh　juryman；　the　first　on　the　second　bench。　　The　case　was　desperate。　　Suddenly；　in　the　middle　of　a　passionate　demonstration；　Lachaud　stopped　short；　and　addressing　the　President　of　the　court　said：　　‘Would　you　give　instructions　for　the　curtain　there　in　front　to　be　drawn？　　The　seventh　juryman　is　blinded　by　the　sun。'　　The　juryman　in　question　reddened；　smiled；　and　expressed　his　thanks。　　He　was　won　over　for　the　defence。〃


Many　writers；　some　of　them　most　distinguished；　have　started　of　late　a　strong　campaign　against　the　institution　of　the　jury；　although　it　is　the　only　protection　we　have　against　the　errors；　really　very　frequent；　of　a　caste　that　is　under　no　control。＇25＇　　A　portion　of　these　writers　advocate　a　jury　recruited　solely　from　the　ranks　of　the　enlightened　classes；　but　we　have　already　proved　that　even　in　this　case　the　verdicts　would　be　identical　with　those　returned　under　the　present　system。　　Other　writers；　taking　their　stand　on　the　errors　committed　by　juries；　would　abolish　the　jury　and　replace　it　by　judges。　　It　is　difficult　to　see　how　these　would…be　reformers　can　forget　that　the　errors　for　which　the　jury　is　blamed　were　committed　in　the　first　instance　by　judges；　and　that　when　the　accused　person　comes　before　a　jury　he　has　already　been　held　to　be　guilty　by　several　magistrates；　by　the　juge　d'instruction；　the　public　prosecutor；　and　the　Court　of　Arraignment。　　It　should　thus　be　clear　that　were　the　accused　to　be　definitely　judged　by　magistrates　instead　of　by　jurymen；　he　would　lose　his　only　chance　of　being　admitted　innocent。　　The　errors　of　juries　have　always　been　first　of　all　the　errors　of　magistrates。　It　is　solely　the　magistrates；　then；　who　should　be　blamed　when　particularly　monstrous　judicial　errors　crop　up；　such；　for　instance；　as　the　quite　recent　condemnation　of　Dr。　L　who；　prosecuted　by　a　juge　d'instruction；　of　excessive　stupidity；　on　the　strength　of　the　denunciation　of　a　half…idiot　girl；　who　accused　the　doctor　of　having　performed　an　illegal　operation　upon　her　for　thirty　francs；　would　have　been　sent　to　penal　servitude　but　for　an　explosion　of　public　indignation；　which　had　for　result　that　he　was　immediately　set　at　liberty　by　the　Chief　of　the　State。　The　honourable　character　given　the　condemned　man　by　all　his　fellow…citizens　made　the　grossness　of　the　blunder　self…evident。　The　magistrates　themselves　admitted　it；　and　yet　out　of　caste　considerations　they　did　all　they　could　to　prevent　the　pardon　being　signed。　　In　all　similar　affairs　the　jury；　confronted　with　technical　details　it　is　unable　to　understand；　naturally　hearkens　to　the　public　prosecutor；　arguing　that；　after　all；　the　affair　has　been　investigated　by　magistrates　trained　to　unravel　the　most　intricate　situations。　　Who；　then；　are　the　real　authors　of　the　errorthe　jurymen　or　the　magistrates？　　We　should　cling　vigorously　to　the　jury。　　It　constitutes；　perhaps；　the　only　category　of　crowd　that　cannot　be　replaced　by　any　individuality。　It　alone　can　temper　the　severity　of　the　law；　which；　equal　for　all；　ought　in　principle　to　be　blind　and　to　take　no　cognisance　of　particular　cases。　　Inaccessible　to　pity；　and　heeding　nothing　but　the　text　of　the　law；　the　judge　in　his　professional　severity　would　visit　with　the　same　penalty　the　burglar　guilty　of　murder　and　the　wretched　girl　whom　poverty　and　her　abandonment　by　her　seducer　have　driven　to　infanticide。　　The　jury；　on　the　other　hand；　instinctively　feels　that　the　seduced　girl　is　much　less　guilty　than　the　seducer；　who；　however；　is　not　touched　by　the　law；　and　that　she　deserves　every　indulgence。


＇25＇　The　magistracy　is；　in　point　of　fact；　the　only　administration　whose　acts　are　under　no　control。　　In　spite　of　all　its　revolutions；　democratic　France　does　not　possess　that　right　of　habeas　corpus　of　which　England　is　so　proud。　　We　have　banished　all　the　tyrants；　but　have　set　up　a　magistrate　in　each　city　who　disposes　at　will　of　the　honour　and　liberty　of　the　citizens。　　An　insignificant　juge　d'instruction　（an　examining　magistrate　who　has　no　exact　counterpart　in　England。Trans。）；　fresh　from　the　university；　possesses　the　revolting　power　of　sending　to　prison　at　will　persons　of　the　most　considerable　standing；　on　a　simple　supposition　on　his　part　of　their　guilt；　and　without　being　obliged　to　justify　his　act　to　any　one。　　Under　the　pretext　of　pursuing　his　investigation　he　can　keep　these　persons　in　prison　for　six　months　or　even　a　year；　and　free　them　at　last　without　owing　them　either　an　indemnity　or　excuses。　　The　warrant　in　France　is　the　exact　equivalent　of　the　lettre　de　cachet；　with　this　difference；　that　the　latter；　with　the　use　of　which　the　monarchy　was　so　justly　reproached；　could　only　be　resorted　to　by　persons　occupying