Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-10-13
Men of Tact.

lawyer In large practice once as
serted that lawyers in the higher walks
Oh their profession were distinguished
as peace-makers. To substantfate his
assertion, he said that he had settled
more cases in his Office, during the year.
than had been tried in the Supreme
Court OF the State, within the same pc
Rod.
That lawyer was noted for his tact.
His habit was, to- bring the .disputants
into q private conference over which he
Z presided as . mutual friend. The re-
: suit usually. was that both parties came
to settlement, without going to law.
The late Thurlow Weed was also
noted for his. tact in managing men.
He never debated with person whom
he wished to win.& He would let him
talk, argue and assert. Occasionally
Mr.. Weed would make a suggestion or
4. start an objection, but in such modest
way as not to alarm the persons pride
nor to put him in o hostile attitude.
The conference usually ended in the
person adopting Mr.. Weeds view of the
matter, while thinking that he himself
had been the influential, instead of the
! influenced, party. 1 liiJfllJIii'
Strategy is, tact applied to war. A
General who wins a victory by a battle
when he could have conquered byIstrat-
egg is looked upOnia as a butcher by his
profession, though the unthinking rab-
BILE may shout for him as hero.
While John Lawrence was Commits
u sioner of the Trans-Sutlej States in In
dia, news was brought him that three
hundred Sikhs, the best warriors of the
country, had manned the hill fortress of
.Kote-Kangra and raised the standard
of rebellion. Their leader had sent
out the defiant words that he would not
surrender the keys of the fort unless the
Lion of the Punjab, /" the Sikh's hero,
Runject Sing himself, returned from the
dead and demanded them of him. The
fort was a small Gibraltar 1t stood on
precipitOus and isolated rock four
hundred feet high, which was connected
with the main range of hills by mar
row ridge, twenty yards wide. This
neck was defended by strong walls. A
winding passage through seven gate
ways gave the only access to the fort.
The English, by extraordinary exertions
and skill, had brought heavy guns to
their camps at the foot of the hills on
which the fort was situated. y The eve
ming after their arrival, deputation of
three greybeards came out of the fort
to the English camp. They had been
b persuaded by an influential and friendly
Sikh to come and at least hear what
terms the English would make for the
surrender of the fort. For several hours
they remained and talked over the mat
ter. They were quiet, courteous,
but determined. At last, they
rose to make their salaam of de-
parture, when John Lawrence, with his
usual TACT determined to see if moral
impression might not be made upon
them. He suggested that they should
remain over night and see the guns at
daybreak ascend the hill. They agreed,
but with gesture indicating that they
did not believe that even the English
would haul heavy guns up the steep hill
At four o'clock in the Morning the in
crcdulous Skhs were awakened by loud
cheering. They rushed from their beds
thinking the garrison had made sally.
But what was their establishment when
they saw two large elephants slowly
pulling, tandem-fashion, q heavy gun,
while third pushed it from it behind!
They stood amazed, as gun after gun
was hauled and pushed up the narrow
pathway, and by the help of hundreds
of sepoys, safely rounded past the sharp
corners which seemed to make further
progress impossible.
The Sikh graybeards looked, but said
not word When the last gun had
been put into position on the plateau
which commanded the fort, they took
their departure. In an hour the white
flag was raised by the garrison. Man
"a by man they defiled out, threw down
their arms, and left for their homes. A
bloodless victory was thus won by the
tact of canny Scotch-Irishman, who
knew human nature. Youths Com
p'"''" l-r