The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-08-25

added to the racial characteritics and
differ from them at times to a very con
siderable degree"
The substitution of the unconscious
action OF crowds for the conscious ac-
tion of Individuals is one OF the prin-
cipal characteristics Of the present
age"
The teachings of pure reason are
very often contrary to those Of prac-
teal reason.
Crowds display a singular inferior
mortality" yet they seem at other
times 20 be guided by mysterious forces
of great strength.
Crowds doubtless are always uncon-
scious but this very Inconsistencies is ]
perhaps one of the secrets Of their
strength"
There is nothing so stable in a race
as the inherited ground work of its
thoughts"
Popular classes are entering into
political life. They are becoming the
islatures representatives lacking in
initiative and independence, and who
are only spokesman.
We must submit to the crowd. Want
of foresight has permitted the over
throw of all barriers that might have
kept the crowd back
Some men have an instructive knOwl-
edge of the character of crowds, and
have been able to master them. NapO-
leon was one of them. He understood
Frenchmen, but did not understand
other races.
A knowledge of the psychology of
crowd is today the most important
knowledge needed by a statesman. He
must know what produces an impress
sion, and what seduces them. An eX-
horbitant indirect tax will be accepted
by the crowd, because they are in the
habit Of paying taxes in fractional
sums on different articles. But lump
sum, as an income tax; strikes the
imagination as burdensOme, and intol-
cradle.
Men never shape their conduct upon
the teachings of pure reason.
Taine and nearly all of the writer's
on the French revolution, failed to I'M
derstand it's movements, because they
did not perceive or comprehend the
genius of crowds.
Whoever the individuals are that
compose a crowd. however like or I'M
like be their mode of life, their Occu-
patiOns, their character or their intelli
gence, the fact that they have been
transformed into a crowd, puts them in
possession of a sort of collective mind
which makes them feel, think and act
in manner quite different from that
in which each individual of them would
feel, think and act, were he in state
of isolation"
From the moment they form part
of crowd, the learned man and the
ignoramus are equally incapable of
! observation.
MIR. Davey, an ingenious psychologist
gathered a number of distinguished OBJ
servers, among them the scientist Wal
/ lace. and produced SpirituaHstlc phe-
nomena. Each of the observers made
a written report stating that only sup
! ernaturaI forces could produce the phe-
! nOmena Then Mr.. DaVey showed that
/ he had only done a trick 1t shows
| that the testimony of a crowd even of
| intelligent men is UNRELIABLE.
/ Illusions are created in the minds of
/ the crowd, and then the crowd sees, not
/ the object itself, but the image evoked
in their minds.
General WOlseley has lately proved
! that up to now the gravest errors of
/ fact have been committed with regard
to the most important incidents of the
| battle of WaterlOo-facts that hun
dreds of witnesses had nevertheless at
/ tested"
1T clearly results from what pre-
/ cedes that works of history must be
considered as works of pure magma
/ ton. They are fanciful accounts of its
/ observed facts, accompanied by explain
atiOns the result of reflection. Are we
! in possession of a single word Of truth
/ concerning the lives Of great men who
! have played prepOnderating parts in
/ the history of humanity-men such as
/ Hercules, Buddha or MahOmet?"
And yet perhaps, their real lives are
/ of no consequence to us.
! 1t is legendary heroes, and not foI
/ a moment. real heroes, who have i'm
/ pressed their minds on the crowd
Napoleon was at first considered q
/ sort of idyIlic and liberal philanthrO-
pist. Thirty years afterwards he was
/ transformed into a sanguinary despOt
Tame opened the eyes of the French
people.