Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-31
TACT.
Good.Intentioncd, But Because Of Hls
Lack OF This Quality. an Unmitigatsd

Good~.Intentioncd, But Because OF Ills
Lack Of This Quality, an UnmitiEatSd
Nuisance.
Old man Knoscy. of West Madison
street, comes about as near being an
angel in pantaloons as Chicago flesh
and blood can hope to become, SO far
as intentions go; but in spite OF the
purity of his motives the guileless old
nan is in hot water a good share OF the
time, simply because he has no such
thing as tact in his nature, and will
persist in rubbing the hair the wrong
way whenever he comes in contact with
people. He means well. but no matter
| how hard he tries to be soc.able, he is
| sure to put his foot in it. He has on
| guile or II other Of the society essen
tials about him, and SO whenever any
thing comes INTO his head he blurts it
right out without any ceremony, re-
gardless of circumstances and sur
roundings. The great fallacy of h,sl fe
is that It is soc!ability to say things
that should be left unsaid altogether.
and ask quest'on about things that
a in no way concern him.
Introduce him to q stranger. and
within ten minutes he VIII ask the
price of the mans clothing. article by
article. from his hat to his boots. If
iewelry is Wis BILE, he will want to know
whether it is pure gold, Or only
washed" and whether it was pur-
chased new or at the pawnbroker's.
He will also want to know if the mans
watch keeps good time. and if he hasn't
been getting his pantaloons dyed.
When the conversational possibilities
in that direction become exhausted, he
will make the strangers name a pre-
text for asking if he isn't related to q
family of the same name In such and
such a place, and then. very likely, he
will proceed to remark that one of this
very same family had to leave the
neighborhood between two days for
stealing sheep, and that another had
been thrown out of the church for rob-
bling the contribution box.
He will ask a doctor if be ever hur-
ried anybody out of the world by way
of experiment, and catechise a druggist
as to how frequently he has made fatal
blunders in filing prescriptions. He
will tell a lawyer that he can't UNDER
SllA1u now VIC uI'CkS VI tAfC plOiCSSlOll
can be rcconciled to the tenets of
Christianity, and will ask aspeculating
deacon the difference between dealing
in options and any other kind of gam
bling. He never h~csitates to intimate
to the infatuated of al uncomely
infant that he has seen much prcttier
children than her babe. and then the
poor man will lie awake all night
shortly afterward. trysng to make on.
why her husband has forcclosed g
mortgage on his home. He will doze
and nod IN his pew at chulch, and then
feel panied when he discovers that mis-
pastor does not clasp his hand with
reciprocal Warmth.
In visiting a neighbor he walks in
with muddy boots; sets his umbrella in
the corner to drip on the carpet; leans
back in his chair; mars up the rugs
with his boot heels; soils the wallpaper
with hair-oil; spits tobacco juice on the
stove; and yet the poor man can not
understand why they do not press hi1c
to come again, and why, after all his
efforts to be sociable, they should treas
him coolly. He tries hard to be cordial
to all, and he endeavors most unset
tishly, to be friendly, but can not sue
coed; and all simply through lack Of
discretion and want of tact.
Young man, if you want to slide
through the world easily, study tact
before you do Greek.-Chicago Ledger.