Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-04-17
"Put Yourself In Ills Place."
4 FIVE MINUTES SERMON BY rHE
REV. DIR. CHARLES +. DEEMS,
or NEW YORK.


This advice is frequently gwen 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 ncighbor's
shoe, but how can | tell whore it
pinchcs him? Even if he should 90
out of his shoe and let me put my
foot in, | could not tell where it
pinchcd him. And, perhaps, it would
not pinch me anywhere, being alto
gcther sufficiently ample and spacious
for me. Moreover, he must get ont
of his place before put myself in,
and how can that be dcnc? Is not
this advice rather impracticablc?
Oh, but it doesn't mean that; it
means that nns. Imagine myself in
his place. Well, how can that be
done? John Doe is Il sensible, act
i've, thriving man. lie was raised
economically. He never spent Il
useless cent. lis whole college
course of five years did not cost his
father quite Il thousand dollars.
From his eighteenth birthday he had
no help, and has helped his father
and fricnds and made his own way
in the world. 1t has been said Of
him that if he were put upon Il rock
he would scratch down soil and raise
enough to live on. Richard Roe was
always dreamy and never made a
living for himself any year Of his
life. He is honest, religious, most
entertaining and instructive convcr-
sationaliSt, but he does not know
how to make his cduca,im serve the
practical purpose OF life. Put him
in Il situation with work commrnsu-
rate with his talents and he will do
that work faithfully; but he is abso-
lutcly destitute Of the ability to make
the first independent movement
towards moncy-makiny.
Now, it is absolutely impossible
for John Doe to imagine himself
such man lis Richard Rec. Tie
kH@@E"'s' kis.@" 5 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 Rich
ard Roc's ''placc," nor can Richard
imagine himself in John Does place.
The former could just us well
imagine himself cog and the latter
think himself Z steam engine.
How would it do to turn this thing
about for Il while? State it thus
"Put him in your place" Would
that not br easier? II | cannot
know my neighbours place, know
my own.
Moreover, is not this the thought
process of the Great Teacher? lie
did not teach us to put ourselves in
another'S place, but 'wh.,,a ,rycr We
would that men should do TO YOU, do
yc even SO to them" II | follow
that rule, shall not be putting my
ncighbor in my place: Let us see.
| am Just and mcrciIul Judge
about to determine the length OF the
Imprisonment Of 4 man convicted Of
crime. If | am to apply the teach
cr'S rule, | must first put the convict
in my place. He will no longer be
a guilty convict, but just Judge.
Now, what |, rs Il just Judge, would
wish him as a just Judge to 10 to Il
guilty convict, even if were that
guilty convict, that must do to him
Perhaps, also, it would be promot-
i've of Charity if John Doe, who is
very l;npaticnt of Richard Roe,
would put the latter in his own
place, even in imagination. lie
might sec how utterly incapable
Richard would be OF doing anything
iii II position which John had won
partly by reason OF his temperament
and partly by reason OF his training,
both which arc lacking in Richard
When | sec Il tramp or Il brIgar |
cannot put myself in his place. II
there is any one thing know, it is
that could not become tramp or
a bcggar. could withdraw from
human observation and die, but
could not beg; and would neither
beg nor die, being no more fond Of
one .h#m Tie other, but would
make Il living. But the moment |
begin to put the thriItlcSs tramp or
pitiful bcggar in my place, begin
to rclcnt. TRY it, in your imagina-
ton, and see if it is not so.