Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-17
Convention Psychology
BY Fredesic ]. Haskin


Washington, ID. c., June IA GER
tain hostile critic has said that we select
onr Presidential nominees in the same
way that We execute some OF our cr,mi"
nA1s-by mob action.
That Is unfair, OF course, but it is GER
tainly true that the crowd psychology
plays large part in our national CON
vefItione, and in some instances the DOM
mating part.
There are three main factors in con-
vention--frst, the crowd Of delegates,
altcrnatcs and spectators; second, the
little group Of astute, wire-pulling leaders;
and third, the mass Of the people in the
background.
That the actual convention in session IL
q mob, nctuated by mob principles and
motives. there can bo no doubt. Gustaye
lie Bon, the French psychologist, first
pointed out TINT q crowd has psychosis
of its own in which the minds and person
alities Of the persons who make it up are
completely eubmeracd; and since the pub
lieation Of his book, the theory has been
mitch elaborated and discussed, 30 that
nearly everyone has now heard something
of crowd psychology. Crowd emotion
would be a better term for il. When a
certain emotion, whether of fear, en-
thusiasrn, pity or hatred, seizes stimuli
taneously upon large number OF persons
gathered together, 10 becomes like fluid
for which every mind is a receptacle filled
TO the brim. Men who IN ordinary elrcum-
stances would not feel this emotion of all
are, when in crowd, completely carried
away by II. A man con no more retain hls
individual mentality in mob than drop
OF water can retain its identity when u
falls into river That is why kindly and
respectable citizens, caught in O lynching
mob, become bloodthirsty fends, brandish-
ing weapons; why brave men in burning
theaters often become merely frightened
animals; why dignihcd and restrained
gentlemen Jump out of their seats and
throw away their ha when Babe Ruth
knocks home run i'm the ninth
CONVENTIONS As SHOWS.
II is the chief defect Of our national
conventions as means of choosing nomi-
nees, and their chief virtue as spectacles
that thew are good illustrations Of this
mob psveh ,sis With delegates and specta-
tors, who form a homogeneous mass oi
humanity, they include many thousands
and are far too large for any intelligent
deliberation. This is recognized by the
leaders, who never resort to reason
voices and their "eloduence, and even SC
they are not much relied upon, for thelI
words are usually intelligible 10 only q
small part Of the gathering Brass bands
organized yelling. waving Of flags, march
I ing, sudden display of banners and PIC
t,ires, singing-in word, noise, rhythm
| and spectacle, varied by sudden anc
startling 9estures-are the means used by
/ the leaders in irving to make this huge
animal, tho mob, 20 which way they want
| it 10 90. The means are in essence tht
| same as those used TO make a flock oi
| sheep cross bridge, or TO get swarm of
| bees into hive, or by cowboys to bold 3
bunch OF cattle together in the face OF 8
thunderstorm. They do not appeal tC
| intelligence or reason in the least, they
appeal 10 the primitive emotions which
actuate all living things in masses.
Nevertheless intelligence and reasor
are present at the conventions. TEel
are present in the shape Of one or mor'
little groups Of leaders who keep them
sleeves disdainfully clear Of this sweating
Yelling mob, and who hope to master i
and drive H. They have already choser
their candidate, and they do everything
possible to scare or lead the herd IN m
| direction. They are like small bu
determined man trying to ride some hug
| baif-famed beast, uncertain every momen
whether they are riding or being run away
| with. Sometimes there are two groups
each irving TO make the unrulv crltter q
/ its own wav but usually the brains arr
pretty we'll centralized and the struggle 4
j between these organized brains ant IT,
| fugitive impulses OF the mob.