24O PSYCHOLOGY AND PREACHING
stimulation. Such an assemblage is the audience at a lec ture, the crowd at a theatre, the congregation at a church. In the latter, however ritualistic or informal may be the serv ice and however much or little the people may participate in it, their fundamental purpose is to receive religious in spiration, which they expect to come chiefly from the leader. This receptive attitude is a very significant factor in the psychological situation, an important condition of the psychical effects which may be developed. It manifestly renders it easier to bring about mental unity or fusion than under ordinary conditions. In gatherings of this type we may distinguish three stages of mental unity.
( i ) In the primary stage the fusion is low and there is a high degree of self-conscious individuality in the members. There is, as already indicated, a certain degree of mental unity due to the local separateness of the assembly, to the similarity of purpose in being present, and to the common attitude of receptivity. But this is all. Each person is self-centred, and there is little common feeling. The critical faculties of each are in the ascendant, and the words and acts of the speaker or leader, in so far as they succeed in securing attention, are coolly weighed in each auditor s mental balances; while the thoughts of those whose atten tion has not been secured are busily engaged with their personal interests, or idly drifting according to the laws of association, or sinking toward the level of drowsy extinction. Perhaps the interest is keen but predominantly intellectual, and is thus of a character to accentuate the individuality of each and keep the psychic fusion at a minimum. But whether there be an exclusively intellectual activity, or an anarchic wandering of the attention, or a somnolent relax ation of consciousness, there is little common emotion, very little blending of the separate units into a psychical mass in which each realizes that his mental reactions coincide with those of others. The speaker addressing such a group will feel that his words are falling upon critical or indif ferent or sleepy ears.
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