Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-27
DON'T WAIT FOR A SLOW PRINTER.
THE MOB SPIRIT.
Curious Facts About It's Manifestation
in City and Country.

From the Forum.
Extensive observations of mob action in
many countries, in many periods has
shown that irrespective of race, the aggre-
cation of men in crowds is, in and of itself,
highly favorable to impulsive, unreasoning
and often violent action. Men in crowds
are easily Influenced by suggestion, and in
the mass a sense of individual responsible
ity is lost So far, then, the increasing
density of modern populations is seemingly
favorable to popular tumult, which might
easily become insurrection or revolution.
In the literature of political science there
is perhaps no more familiar assumption
than the one which associates all the dan
gers of the mob spirit with a democratic
organization of great cities.
And yet a strict application of the COM
parative method to the study of this ques-
ton does not justify the apprehension On
the contrary, a systematic grouping of OBJ
servations from many parts of the world
would demonstrate that the phenomena or
lawless popular action, as in instructions,
lyrchings and riotous outbreaks in connec-
ton with labor strikes, are, on the whole,
phenomena of rural rather than of urban
populations. There have been scenes of
wild violence in Paris and in London: there
have beer draft and other riots in New
York city, but the collective violence in all
the great cities of Europe and America
for 200 years would not make a great
showing by comparison with the epidemics
of emotion-accompanied by dancing and
other manias-that Surged through rural
communities in connection with the great
revival movements under the Wesleyans,
the later REVEALS of 1887 and 1857, the in
surrections like Shay's rebellion and the
whisky rebellion, the ku Klux Khan out
RACES. the vigilance committee activities,
the conflicts between Gentiles and Nor
mons, the whitecap outrages and the lynch
ipgS in western and hprn states
The reason for this curious fact Is I'M
doubleday to be found in the restraining
effect of ethnic and mental difference. The
rural community is relatively homogene-
GUS The .'neighbors' for miles in every
direction are nearly all of one blood. They
are practically of one economic condition.
For the most part they are of one re-
1igious confession or of two or three con-
LESSONS not very unlike In creeds and
practices. All are acquainted with one an
other. An exciting event or suggestion that
moves one will, almost certainly, move the
others. Emotion among them is highly
contagious. They respond to like stimuli
because they are alike. The city populate
is composite and differentiated. In a mixed
crowd of hundreds that gathers on the
street no one man of them all recognizes
dozen others. They are of all sorts and
conditions, the well-to-do and the poor. and
often of many nationalities. Danger arises
only when discomfort and infiammatory
suggestion find homogeneous material to
work upon in quarter whose deniZens are
of one nationality and of the same eco
nomic condition, and among whom may be
found here and there small gangs of toughs
who are already disciplined in associating
for lawless purposes. Only an extraordi-
nary influence can combine the fmpulsive
tendencies Of unlike classes, differing ma
tionalities unacquainted neighborhoods, in
one great outbreak. Such things have hap
pened, and doubtless will happen again;
but the normal influence of heterogeneity
and differentiation in population is UNI
favorable to collective action.