8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



I could not believe so-and-so, because I should be wretched if I did." 

 When an ostrich buries its head in the sand as danger approaches, it 

 very likely takes the happiest course. It hides the danger, and then 

 calmly says there is no danger ; and, if it feels perfectly sure there is 

 none, why should it raise its head to see ? A man may go through 

 life, systematically keeping out of view all that might cause a change 

 in his opinions, and if he only succeeds basing his method, as he 

 does, on two fundamental psychological laws I do not see what can 

 be said against his doing so. It would be an egotistical impertinence 

 to object that his procedure is irrational, for that only amounts to 

 saying that his method of settling belief is not ours. He does not 

 propose to himself to be rational, and, indeed, will often talk with 

 scorn of man's weak and illusive reason. So let him think as he 

 pleases. 



But this method of fixing belief, which may be called the method 

 of tenacity, will be unable to hold its ground in practice. The social 

 impulse is against it. The man who adopts it will find that other men 

 think differently from him, and it will be apt to occur to him, in some 

 saner moment, that their opinions are quite as good as his own, and 

 this will shake his confidence in his belief. This conception, that an- 

 other man's thought or sentiment may be equivalent to one's own, is 

 a distinctly new step, and a highly important one. It arises from an 

 impulse too strong in man to be suppressed, without danger of destroy- 

 ing the human species. Unless we make ourselves hermits, we shall 

 necessarily influence each other's opinions ; so that the problem be- 

 comes how to fix belief, not in the individual merely, but in the com- 

 munity. 



Let the will of the state act, then, instead of that of the individual. 

 Let an institution be created which shall have for its object to keep 

 correct doctrines before the attention of the people, to reiterate them 

 perpetually, and to teach them to the young ; having at the same time 

 power to prevent contrary doctrines from being taught, advocated, 

 or expressed. Let all possible causes of a change of mind be removed 

 from men's apprehensions. Let them be kept ignorant, lest they 

 should learn of some reason to think otherwise than they do. Let 

 their passions be enlisted, so that they may regard private and unusual 

 opinions with hatred and horror. Then, let all men who reject the 

 established belief be terrified into silence. Let the people turn out 

 and tar-and-feather such men, or let inquisitions be made into the 

 manner of thinking of suspected persons, and, when they are found 

 guilty of forbidden beliefs, let them be subjected to some signal 

 punishment. When complete agreement could not otherwise be 

 reached, a general massacre of all who have not thought in a certain 

 way has proved a very effective means of settling opinion in a coun- 

 try. If the power to do this be wanting, let a list of opinions be 

 drawn up, to which no man of the least independence of thought can 



