Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-06-17
ESSAY ON TACT.
WHAT TO SAY AND WHAT TO LEAVE
UNeAID.
1t Forms the Groundwork OF All the Ameni-
ties Of Daily Lifs-It Is Needed
Every where.
ror N. p,.nn,oh,

For the Dispatch.l
"The truth, the whole truth. and
nothing but the truth" is what the
courts call for, but suppose We all went
laundering about the world, giving our
testimony uncalled for, telling people
Exactly what NO think of all they say
and 90, receiving IN turn their unvar-
nishcd opinions OF our own perform
nuccs. what a pretty chaos the world
would soon present
i ar be 1t from me to decry truth, for
II rs the foundation-stone upon which
rest all honor and integrity Of purpose
and action but how far We may speak
md what We must hold in reserve is the
nee, ssary lesson for which we daily
t,riye, which is well-nigh as Elusive as
the will the-wisp. and which some
stumble through the world with grand
attentions without ever catching a
Clmpse o..
HOW DERIVED.
Tact is derived from the Latin word
g. touch hence the stroke IN beating
time - music Is called the tact any
lapse IN which produces discord. So in
suT daily lives u becomes "a nice per-
oct'ion, the ready power Of apprecisting
sud DONG what is required by circum-
Stances This makes it almost synony-
nous with presence OF mind. Perhaps
We have all been struck by the action OF
Fue collected person IN emergencies.
lle comes forward with cool head and
steady hand /; ia a def aud surprisingly
simple manner he ayerts catastrophe
vh.ch We were too much terrified TO
do more than shrink from. So we
ni persons doing the night thing,
fpaking the night word just at
tio moment when it will be most
needed and effective. A writer Of our day
fsvs: Truth will say TO one, 'You have
u.ta good feature in your face Tact
fsys, You have an exquisite expression.
j. .h facts sre equally true but the one
fc,, only whot Is unpleasant, the OTHER
only sees what IS agreeable. There can
lc DO question which is the pleasanter
companion.
IT Is NATIVE.
We may find many excellent rules laid
down iu books Of etiquette which If OBJ
served vail gave US all the surface polish
ola Chesterfield We may learn what to
,,uIfh our hands and how to conduct
ourselves on estate occasions, but true
tact and feeling for others Is not learned
ST. auy book. and Is as much a part Of
natures own beautiful handiwork as IS
81. gift Of poesy.
A STIRLING LTssON.
When Z was q little child l received q
worry striking lesson on tact which has
lasted ne through life st least thus far.
There was a lovely old lady who used to
come now and then 10 spend day and
a.elt with us. had often wondered 10
g.. Ler hair SO smooth and brown,
IS knew she WAS no longer
,o1ar. During one of these visits
= happened TO occupy the same room
with her, and rs We (children)
,,.rc allowed TO sit up later than usual
was awake when she retired. ShewOr
a. If those sweet old-fashioned "mOb
Gags. beneath which her hair was put
,e.tly back. When she began TO un-
ur,-s she took off her cap. aud to my
absolute horror her hair also. Ii was
"i 80 front" of chestnut hue, be-
A4,h which her own hair geam-
eli IN all its silvery wilderness.
b kept my own counsel until next morn
,ry at breakfast, when 1 startled the
Whole family Ivy saving: "Auntie, l
didn't know you could take your hair
rL' The dear old lady looked at me
over the top OF her spcctacles, and IN
tue gentlest way said simply: Little
folks mustn't tell tales out Of school.
HAPPY ILLUSTRATION
1or,av1
which happily illustrates the fact that the
Same idea may be expressed IN such
;1tsllv dllaront ways that the sting OF
tno truth IS lost in the peasantness OF the
telling \ certain monarch had
dream in which all his teeth fell out,
leaving him woe BECOME and toothless.
Die sent for a priest IN order to have his
dream interpreted. The priest said sor-
yovfully: - Woe to thee, o! King, for
nu thy linsmen viii die before thee.
The hing Was very wIoth and had the
expoundcr Of dreams chastised and
thrown into prison. lie sent for second
priest, who fortunately for himself was
more wary than his predecessor. He
Haid "Hsppy happy art thou, Q King,
FOR thou shalt OWiiye all thy relatives"
iIIh one v tb lIAltu viii uhuble AlANA ~
joiced in the smiles of his monarch.
Tact must not be COMPOUNDED with
mere surface politeness which savors
strongly Of Hypocrisy. Though it NAV be
DEVELOPED and cultivated by constant
care. it il not so much matter of edu-
cation as OF native kindness.
TIE "RoUGH DIAMOND"
There are many individuals in this
world Of ours-ws have all seen them
who take a great pride in being called
" Diamonds in the rough" and very
rough they are. Such person has a
hadn't of jerking out unpalatable truths (
On the most inOpportune occasion, and /
l, few friends make for him the excuse :
" lie doesn't mean anything by it 1t is I
just has way his bark Is worse than his /
bite" Believe me, such barking be- /
trav incisiye fangs, which are ready to .
wound without thought OF conse-
ggent "healing.'
10 j. not necessary to sacrifice the .
truth, Tor our health-giving though bit I
Ger pills may be so sugar coated that If 1t I
be aot a ioy TO swallow them, at least it
viii not be a pain.
u IS thptCiailN htCtHHhAl tbh0 tbpoo
holding authority should exercise tact
toward those beneath them. The la
Incnted Kaiser William Of Germany was
q notable exemplar of this. He was re-
markedly strict and scrupulously exact
ing, but always Just hls very rebukes
were couched in such kindly words. his
severity so tempered 10y discreet courtesy
that tho officers Of the household not
only obeyed him, but loved and honored
Inn.
TACT u MANAGING CHILDREN.
In our dealings with children how
many scenes" might be avoided II We
ouly realized that they are human beings,
and that discipline must be tactiully
maintained. Perhaps we have very
rebelhous, high-tempered boy to deal
with. lie has committed some little
misdemeAnor and We shut him up and
tell him TO stay there until he is sorry
and wants 10 be better boy. lie
storms aud raves we get very
herce and determined, and it be-
60. . o,,nsttop a. IN which ran hold