Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-01-10
ABOUT PUBLIC OPINION.
II Usually Follows Lenders who Triumph
In the Battle OF Reason.

~ usually FOLLOWS Lthucft VINO triumph
In the Battle OF Reason.
II 10 sometimes necessary to have
regard to public opinion, and TO rule
ones conduct by the whims, prejudices
or superstition of the majority, but IL is
neither necessary nor right to always
accept what passes for public opinion
as being an infallible guide. 1t should
be questioned at times both as to its au-
thority and its reason, and resisted or
changed on occasion. Public opinion
does not, as some people suppose, rcpre-
sent q consensus of the opinions of all
the people learned and unlearned, Writ
uous and vicious. II 1t did 1t would be
q compromise between extremes, some-
thing inferior to the best opinion.
Whereas it is in fact in nearly all cases
the opinion OF the wisest leaders The
reason for this is that public opinion is
generally guided or controlled by the
strongest OF men, though they may not
always be the best. For one who thinks
or reasons out things for himself
thero are tens OF thousands
who accept rcady-made judgments
and adopt thom as their own.
thus forming public opinion upon tho
Judgment OF their leaders. 1t Is for
this reason that public opinion may
generally, in tho absence Of doubt, be
accepted as correct or better than tho
individual Judgment OF inferior men.
1t Is for this samo reason that 1t should
be questioned and resisted by thinking
and conscientious people when they be-
lieve 1t To be wrong, for in that way 1t
may be changed and made right. Con-
sidering public opinion in this light as
the opinion of leaders Of thought
adopted and followed by the masses, it
is oobvious that on some subjects
notably literature, the drama, and the
fine arts--it must be TO some extent
tickle and changeable, following first
ono set of leaders and thon another, but
in u general way directed Alright. This
quality Of public opinion, being misin-
terpreted, has led some writer's to treat
II with Jless respect than IT deserves,
William Hazlitt rails at the public in
one OF his essays, as he says himself,
sin good set terms" He says the pub
lie is 20 in awe of itsow opinion thatit
never dnres to form any, but catches up
the first idle rumor, lest 1t should be be-
hindu nd in its Judgment, and echoes
1t till 1t Ia deafened with
the sound Of Its own voice, The
idea Of what tho public will think
prevents the public from ever thinking
at all, aud acts as q spell on the exer-
cise OF private Judgment, so that In
short the public ear is at the mercy OF
the first impudent pretender who
chooses to fill 1t with noisy assertions
OF false surmises of secret whispers"
II is true that the public does not think,
but 1t Is mistake to assume that the
leaders OF public opinion are necessarily
"impudent pretenders." The contrary
Is in fact the case. There are enough
Of independent thinkers to assist the pre-
tenders who occasionally get the public
ear, and It is these who really guide the
public. Haslitt continues: $50 far,
then, is public opinion from resting on
broad and solid basis as the aggregate
of thought and feeling in a community,
that II is slight and shallow and varia-
BILE TO the last degree-tho bubble Of the
moment, so that we may safely say the
public is the dupe Of public opinion, not
It's parent The public is pusillanimous
and cowardly, because It is weak. 1t
knows itself to be q great Ounce, and
that II has no opinions but upon sugges,
tlon. Yet 1t Is unwilling to appear In
leading strings, aud would have II
thought that its decisions are ns wise as
they are weighty." The mistake OF this
whole thought lies In Its failure to
appreciate the fact that as the public
has mo opinion but upon suggestion"
It must got suggestion and opinions
from thinkers VII, are constantly con-
tending with each other for supremacy
In the control OF public thought No
guide can lead the public very far wrong,
for there arc other guides present 10
correct his errors, Public opinion fol-
lows the leaders who triumph In bat
Ito OF reason. II Is foltlc aud crrati,
only as to indeterminatc or undermined
questions OF taste and Judgment, and
while tho debate Is going on. IT Is not
and can not be fixed and unalterable
decree as to questions that have been in
dispute since man entered the world. IL
is obvious from this view OF public opin-
ion that thinking people should not re.
jept II in spirit Of llazlitt, nor should
they accept II without question. but
should take part In correcting II when
ever they conceive II to bo wrong
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