260 SCIENCE AND THE HUMAN MIND 



simple message of, " Tax the land and vote for Jones," 

 or "Tax the foreigner and support Smith/' we shall 

 find ourselves much more enthusiastic in his support 

 than if he lives among us and confuses his election- 

 eering virtues with his qualities, perhaps his faults, 

 as a neighbour. 



Then the psychology of a crowd has points of differ- 

 ence from those of a number of isolated individuals the 

 management of a public meeting is not the same art 

 as that of the skilful canvasser. The speeches of 

 Brutus the doctrinaire man of reason and Mark 

 Antony the astute and emotional opportunist in 

 Shakespeare's Julius Ccesar are marvellous examples 

 of an inborn knowledge of crowd psychology. Every 

 would-be platform speaker should know them by 

 heart. 



Now the nineteenth-century theory of democracy 

 was founded on the special varieties of intellectualism 

 then prevalent, reinforced by Lamarck's view of the 

 inheritance of acquired characters. Unfortunately, 

 we know now that, owing to the essential psychological 

 structure of the human mind, public opinion can be 

 manufactured, and is manufactured daily, without 

 any regard for reason. The long purse, the unscru- 

 pulous or misguided conscience, the oratorical appeal 

 to passion, prejudice and self-interest, have greater 

 power of creating public opinion than careful reason- 

 ing based on verified facts. Wherefore we cease to 

 wonder that in those countries which most pride 

 themselves on their democratic character the millen- 

 nium is no nearer than in others. The power of mere 

 benevolent stupidity in making history is a new 

 discovery. Stupidity is not necessarily due to evil 



