The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-04-10
The g3erala anil goew5~
PUBLISHED
EVERY THURSDAY All
NEWBERRY, s. G.
g "pUT YOURSELF IN HIS PLACE.
Five Minutes Sermon by the Rev. Dr.
Charles +. Deems, Of New York.

A Five Minutes Sermon by the Rev. DR..
Charles +. Deems, OF New York.
This advice is frequently given by
preachers, moralists and others. Per-
haps it is good advice. 1t is difficult
to take, however. How can know
exactly what his place is. 1t is very
easy for me to see my neighbor's shoe,
but how can | know just where it
pinches him? Even if he should 60
out of his shoe and let me put my foot
in, could not tell where it pinched
him. And, perhaps, it would not pinch
me anywhere, being altogether suffi-
GENTLY ample and spacious for me.
Moreover, he must get out of his place
before I put myself in, and how can
that be done? Is not this advice rather
impracticable?
Oh, but it doesn't mean that; it
means that must imagine myself in
his place. Well, how can that be done?
John Doe is a sensible, active, thriving
man. He was raised economically.
He never spent useless cent. His
whole college course Of five years did
not cost his father quite thousand
dollars. From his eighteenth birthday
he has had no help, and has helped
til r.,tl, friA =
own way in the werld. 1t has been
said of him that if he were put upon a
rock he would scratch down soil and
raise enough to live on. Richard Roe
was always dreamy and never made q
living for himself any year Of his life.
He is honest, religious, most enter
tanning and instructive conversation
alistS, but he does not know hoy TO
make his education serve the practical
purpose OF life. Put him in situation
with work commensurate with his
talents and he will do that work faith
fully; but he is absolutely destitute of
the ability to make the first indepen-
dent movement towards money-mak-
ing
Now, it is absolutely impossible for
John Doe to imagine himself such a
man as Richard hoe. He knows what
the latter is without any help of the
imagination, but even with the help of
the Imagination he cannot think of
himself as in Richard Roe's ''place,"
nor can Richard imagine himself in
John Does place. the former could
just as we'll imagine himself cog and
the latter think himself Il steam en-
gine.
How would it do to turn this thing
about for a while? State it thus: PUT
him in your place" Would that not
be easier? II 1 cannot know my neigh
bor's place, know my own.
Moreover, is not this the thought
process Of the Great Teacher? He did
not teach Us to put ourselves in an
others place, but Whatsoever We would
that men should do to you, do ye even
50 to them" If follow that rule,
shall | not be putting my neighbor in
my place? Let me see.
am a just and merciful judge about
to determine the length of the i'm
prisonment Of man convicted Of
crime. If l am to apply the teachers
rule, l must first put the convict in my
place. He will no longer be guilty
convict, but just judge. Now, what
I, as just judge, would wish him as
just judge to do to guilty convict,
even if l were that guilty convict, that
must do to him.
Perhaps, also, it would he promotive
of charity if John Doe, who is very
impatient of Richard Roe, would put
the latter in his own place, even in i'm
agination. He might see how utterly
incapable Richard would be of doing
anything in position which John had
won partly by reason of his tempera-
uent and partly by reason of his train
ing, both which are lacking in Richard.
When 1 see tramp or a beggar
cannot put myself in his place. If
there be any one thing l know, it is
that I could not become tramp or
beggar. I could withdraw from human
observation and die, but I could not
beg; and would neither beg nor die,
being no more fond Of one than of the
other, but would make living. But
the moment 1 begin to put the thrift
less tramp or pitiful beggar in my
place, begin to relent. Try it, in your
imagination, and see if it is not so.
1 am rich Christian merchant,
managing my business and my money
as steward Of Jesus Christ. A man
comes to me and wants me to make a
certain subscription towards the stock
of a company formed to publish a
paper in the interests of some greatly
needed reformation. He will probably
fail if do Tot make the subscription.
On the other chair in my office sits
Richard Roe, who needs another fifty
dollars to keep him and his family
going. They will probably suffer for
food if l do not give it. If I put my
self il the place of these two men and
do as they want NE, shall give away
5000. And they will tell others, who
will come in tlocks. AND soon shall
have no time to attend to my business,
and soon thereafter shall not have a
lnli.r AvhernNNith TO do good 10 ANY,