The main thing is to find similar view-points."

There was some discussion along this line, in which the doctor made
it clear that view-point was simply another name for perspective,
and that it had nothing whatever to do with actual mental
accomplishments. The view-point was really the soul.

"As yet," he went on, "we should make no attempt to 'put ourselves
in the other fellow's place.' Such efforts require a violent
exertion of the imagination, and we need practice before tackling
the more advanced problems.

"Time enough, after a while, to get in touch with the Venusians.
There's none of them that has a view-point like ours. And once we've
done that--"

"What?" from Billie, breathlessly.

"Anything! The whole universe will be open to us! Why, I understand
from reading these books"--indicating the Venusian manuscripts--"that
there is such a thing as an intelligent creature, so utterly unlike
ourselves that--" He stopped short.

"For the time being," said Smith quickly, "we'd better be content
with something familiar. Is there some other planet in our solar
system that would do, doc?"

"No. According to the Venusians, the only others that are habitable
besides Venus and the earth, are Mars and Jupiter. And it seems that
the people on these two are so totally different--"