A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF FEAR. 781 



fear is easily explained as the result of the knowledge. A man who 

 is bound to the mouth of a cannon experiences a very strong fear ; but, 

 though legitimate, it is not a natural fear in the zoological sense of 

 the word. He is in fear because he knows that his life is in danger ; 

 but this is a thought-out fear, reasoned and intelligent. Man's rational 

 fears are the fear of death, the fear of pain, and the dread of disesteem. 

 To the fear of death are ultimately referable all emotions of fear, 

 whether conscious or not. Pain is a motive for dread even when it is 

 not mortal, as, for example, in the case of a patient who is awaiting 

 a surgical operation. A more curious kind of rational fear is the fear 

 of disesteem, which is felt by the orator about to make his address, or 

 the actor of any kind to perform his part before the public. It can 

 be assimilated, I think, to the dread that is felt by the patient about 

 to undergo an operation, but is aggravated by the circumstance that, 

 while the patient has only to be passive, the actor knows that the 

 judgment of his audience will depend on himself. In a milder form, 

 it is timidity, such as is shown by young people still unused to so- 

 ciety. We shall not enter into the psychological history of these 

 moral fears, interesting as it might be. Nor shall we dwell upon the 

 terror which is determined by the thought of danger and threatened 

 death, for those feelings do not explain the origin of fear. Only the 

 unthought fears can aid in that research. 



There is a peculiar feeling, which does not seem identical with 

 fear, though it is of the same character, which may be described as 

 the vertigo of height. It is brought on by the view of a great depth. 

 There is nothing rational in it, for there is no more danger of falling 

 from a great height than from a slight elevation ; and a slight bar- 

 rier, even too slight to afford any real protection, is often sufficient 

 to remove it. But it serves a protective purpose, in guarding us 

 against the perils of elevated places. It is an excellent example of 

 the psychical reflex affection, embodying all of its conditions of being 

 involuntary, conscious, dependent on the sense of sight, and variable 

 with different persons ; and it is easily modifiable by education and 

 habit. 



The emotion excited by a sudden, violent noise is analogous to 

 fear. It might be described simply as a rudiment of fear ; a physic- 

 al disturbance, or a visceral emotion, producing a momentary re- 

 sponse in the mind. Many persons, for instance, are afraid of the 

 sound of thunder. The noise of the storm tends to heighten the 

 effect ; and it is likewise observable in animals which, in tropical 

 countries, show great distress during earthquakes and storms, and 

 are also peculiarly sensitive to strident noises. 



A loud noise, even when it is not unexpected, always causes a kind 

 of surprise, which is manifested by winking and a general thrill, with 

 palpitation of the heart. During the exposition of 1878 I watched the 

 movements of parties of visitors who stopped to observe the operation 



