Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-03-23

The person who lacks tact will insist the doing
Of things that are not essential when letting
them 60 without being done would involve no sacri-
fee Of principle.
One of the blOOdiest rebellions the world ever
knew was caused by the lack Of tack and the bull
headedness Of a few individuals.
Itis about q century since the British government
assumed control over India. Awhile the government
got along reasonably we'll. Once in q while there
was some little trouble with the natives, but the
troubles local and settled without much diff
Guilty. native army had been organized, Differed
by British officers, and the SepOys, rs they
called, we're counted good soldiers. Finally there
came q commander who lacked tact-gOOd horse
sense. he was bullheaded and did not propose to
pay any attention to the religious customs preiud-
ices and beliefs Of bis Indian subjects. It was pro-
posed to pay attention to the caste Of the natives,
which meant an attack their strongest preiudices
The Sepoys we're forbidden to wear ear rings. Now,
so far the Englishmen were concerned, this was
matter OF no importance, bat it was matter OF great
importance to the native soldiers because these ear
rings were marks of cast which dear to them
as life. The army was provided with new uniforms
with belts and eockades made from the skins OF
animals the native soldiers deemed sacred. Finally
cartridges we're furnished the soldiers which we're
covered with lard to protect them from the moisture
Of the climate. Anything in the way Of hog meat
is an abominatiOn to HindOO, AID when they
understood that they would be compelled to pOlOte
their lips with hog lard when they bit of the ends Of
the cartridges it made them frantic They consider
ed buat al bueHe tnlugo were auu
tacks their religious beliefs. II the English COM
mander had been g man Of tact he would have IN
derstOOd this and avoided trouble. He would have
let the native soldiers their rings il they
wanted to.
They could have fought lust as we'll with ring IN
their ears as without them. he would have sup
piled them with some other kinds Of belts and cOc
kades than those made from the skius OF animals
the HindOOs considered sacred. Something else
than lard would have been used to encase the
tFidges, that the soldiers would not have been
forced TO pOute their lips with the taste Of pork
But the English commander was bullheaded He
lacked tact-cOmmOn horse sense. When the rep
resentatives Of the SepOys came to him to complain
he either laughed ct them or cursed them. BE had
not the gumptOn to see that he was locked up with
J pack Of trouble. The natives rose in mutiny and
mRssacred the foreigners by the thousand. The Be-
pOys we're finally subdued but it cost the British
government millions of dollars in cash and thou
& sands Of lives The SepOy rebellion OF 1857 has
hardly been equalled for horrible atrocities and the
whole trouble was caused because q commander
: lacked good horse sense, because he lacked tact.
K There are lot or people in che world who do
3 more harm than good because they have no tact.
They continually trying TO do the right thing Ia
re the wrong way. They tramp on somebody's toes
re when there isn't bic Of need Of doing t. They in
sist running up against the beliefs and pFeudices
q Of other people when there Is principle at stake
Do and when it makes difference what the other peO
re pie believe. They continually rubbing the hail
be the wrong way and a result they have great bun
% ches Of trouble their hands when there is
% sion for having any trouble ct all. Happy il ths
1y who has been gifted By nature With good paiE
horse sense, otherwise known as tact.