Grid Zoom Effect

The instruments by which public

opinion is organized and focused

may be misused. But such

organization and focusing are

necessary to orderly life.

As civilization has become more

complex, and as the need for

invisible government has been

increas ingly demonstrated, the

technical means have been invented

and developed by which opinion may

be regimented.

The invisible government tends to be

concentrated in the hands of the few

because of the expense of

manipulating the social machinery

which controls the opinions and

habits of the masses.

No matter how sophisticated, how

cynical the public may become about

publicity methods, it must respond to

the basic appeals, because it will

always need food, crave amusement,

long for beauty, respond to

leadership.

This practice of creating

circumstances and of creating

pictures in the minds of millions of

persons is very common.

The important thing is that it is

universal and continuous; and in its

sum total it is regimenting the public

mind every bit as much as an army

regiments the bodies of its soldiers.

When regimented, a group at times

offers an irresistible pressure before

which legislators, editors, and

teachers are helpless.

A desire for a specific reform,

however widespread, cannot be

translated into action until it is made

articulate, and until it has exerted

sufficient pressure upon the proper

law-making bodies.

In the active proselytizing minorities

in whom selfish interests and public

interests coincide lie the progress

and development of America.

Small groups of persons can, and do,

make the rest of us think what they

please about a given subject.