《乌合之众·第三编·不同群体的分类与描述·议会集会》第6节
[28] M. Clemenceau.--Note of the Translator. We must not harbour too bitter a grudge against the leader in question. It is plain that he has cost us very dear; but a great part of his influence was due to the fact that he followed public opinion, which, in colonial matters, was far from being at the time what it has since become. A leader is seldom in advance of public opinion; almost always all he does is to follow it and to espouse all its errors. The means of persuasion of the leaders we are dealing with, apart from their prestige, consist in the factors we have already enumerated several times. To make a skilful use of these resources a leader must have arrived at a comprehension, at least in an unconscious manner, of the psychology of crowds, and must know how to address them. He should be aware, in particular, of the fascinating influence of words, phrases, and images. He should possess a special description of eloquence, composed of energetic affirmations--unburdened with proofs-- and impressive images, accompanied by very summary arguments. This is a kind of eloquence that is met with in all assemblies, the English Parliament included, the most serious though it is of all.
注释摘要
这段翻译者添加的注释以克列孟梭为例，揭示勒庞在议会领袖问题上的核心论证。勒庞想要证明的是，即便像克列孟梭这样影响巨大的政治人物，其力量来源也不是什么先见之明或独立判断，而恰恰在于他顺应了当时的舆论，尤其在殖民问题上与公众的偏见站在了一起。领袖很少走在舆论前面，他们走的路线几乎总是追随舆论、并拥抱舆论的一切错误。这恰好与勒庞一贯的悲观判断相呼应：群体不需要真…