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 ASSEMBLIES 237

whom is bent upon his own separate purpose and going his own way, find themselves in juxtaposition on the street, can it be claimed with reason that there results a modification of the mental life of each? Certainly in such a case the interaction is at a minimum ; and yet a little careful intro spection and observation seem to me to show that even under such circumstances the thinking of the individual, although he be absorbed in his own affairs at the time and oblivious of the presence of the others, is not quite the same as it would be if he were isolated. It would seem that there must be some distraction of the attention, even in the case of those most habituated to street life. But this does not constitute mental unification. It is probable that there is also some more positive subconscious influence resulting from the presence of others. This is, however, a matter of only theoretical interest and may be passed by. From the psychological point of view the matter of chief im portance about such chance assemblies is that they may be so easily converted into crowds with a decided mental unity. A slight incident may arrest the passing throng on the sidewalk and focus the attention of all; and instantly the interaction of many minds, even if it were wholly absent before, becomes obvious and more or less powerful accord ing to circumstances. A mob may originate in this way, when the incident which focuses the attention of the throng is of a highly exciting character, especially if it arouses to a high intensity some of the more powerful emotions and some strong leader is ready with the appropriate sugges tion.

To the preacher the psychology of the street throng is of interest because of the revival of street preaching a method of reaching the masses which has been so effectually used by the Salvation Army and is now copied by an in creasing number of Christian workers. Its effectiveness consists, first, in the contrast which a religious service and appeal offer to the environment of street life, where men are usually engaged in the diligent pursuit of material values.

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