Year: 1869




elimination with regard to blaming in this
world. For the most part, men blame
according to their own temperament, their
own selfish interests, their strongest
faculties. They almost never blame with
wise consideration Of the nature Of the
person blamed, or his circumstances,
or the influences that are brought to bear
upon him. The God-like way ofjudging,
by which one takes another's case and
Judges it by that others own standpoint,
is seldom practiced.


There is great deal of oppression in
schools. arising from the Same cause.
Bright boys that deserve the least, get the
most praise, and dull boys, that ought to
have the most, because they put forth the
most exertion, get the least. The con-
sequence is that the dull boys become
discouraged before they succeed.


| There is great deal Of unconscious sell
fishness in the world on account of heed
lcssncss, carelessness, and forgetfulness.
There are thousands OF things done that
people would not do if they stopped to
think. The not stopping 10 think may be
selfshncss. There are thousand OF things
done that cause injury and pain. for which,
when they are complained Of, the excuse
| is carclessncss. There are still more
things done. the ready excuse for which
is forgctfulness OfcourSe. an Intentional
wrong is worse than one done through
heeilcssness, or carclcssncss. or forgetful-
ness but where m unnecessary pain is
inflicted, it is no excuse 10 say, Il was
careless" or Il did not think" II is your
business to think.


There is not little unconscious, sell
ishness in the matter of politencss. Al
though there is on the froth OF what Is
called politeness a great deal that is
foolish yctpoliteness. in its true signihca-
ton, is only another name for Christianity
socially applied; and good sense and
etiquette are, in point OF fact, Christian
equity and kindness. In the code OF
politcness there are many things forbid
den, and many things enioincd, which
men who do not consider themselves TO be
disciples of the school Of politcness need
to have told them We that stand in
favored positions of society. often judge
those that have no position, rs if they
could act Is we act. We do not consider
that their circumstances make it hard, ii
not impossible, for them 10 do things that
we can do easily. The position man is
in makes difference in little things. y
robust man that is healthy in every bone
and muscle, must take care Is 10 what he
requires OF those that are sick and weak.
! II a mans nerves are like whipcords, what
contempt he has for n nervous and
! hvsterical person. And yet, take II that
person. who are hysterical and nervous
are not so because they like il, but be
cause they cannot help ii. blind man
i not so well off as if he could see but
il he is blind, what are You going 70 do
about il? Ii is \ fact that man who has
no skin over his nerves, has no skin over
/ his nerves. and that he suffers; and you
that wear rhnoccros hides are not to
despisc him because he can not bear as
much rs you can.


There is unconscious scliishness, like
wise. in the Use of language. The pain
inflicted by the tongue is far greater,
think. than the pleasure impaired by II.
Rudeness of every kind in language Is
liable to produce great and unnecessary
pain. All the good there is in decisive
ness, directness, or brevity. is perfectly
compatible with being essentially kind
But persons who do wrong from ignor-
ancc and incxperience are often rudeiy
censurcd. Many word drops seed
from US anI grows up thorn-bush in the
soul on which il falls


Imay mention the unconscious selfish
ness which there is in teasing in repartee,
in sarcasm. in the whole brilliant but
DANGEROUS realm of what is called Dtt.
All things are perfectly allowable within
certain limitations. Badgering, rocket
firing, everything that has the effect OF
exciting people and waking them up, il
il is essentially Kind, is right and proper.
1t is always fair to fight death in every
shape, and somnolency, its brother, also.
lie is benefactor who employs wit and
fancy so rs to keep men alive about him.
But he is a wise man who knows how to
use these little provocations so rs to pro-
duce pleasure, and not pain. There is
only slight difference between tickling
and scratching; but there IS difference
You may take peach and draw the
plush across the back of a sensitive hand,
and the feeling is exquisite but you may
do the same thing with nettle, and the
feeling is not so exquisite. There are
thousand little provocations, some Of
which are poisonous, and some of which
arc not. There is one way, and only one,
of making them beneficial, if you have
behind them common sense, and that Is
to see to it that there goes along with
them sincere intent of kindness. Not
only should you not want TO hurt, buty you
should have disposition to please.


have been speaking of unconscious
selfishness toward sensitive persons, but
now / shall speak of the unconscious
selfishness of sensitive persons toward
others. There are many persons who,


L =.