The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
The Value of Tact.

Is 1t true that the large majority of women are blind to the crowning value of tact?
 If so it Is most deplorable condition and one to which the attention of the world at large should be directed.
 Once upon a time a very clever man was asked what he thought made the perfec+ woman. He promptly answered. Tract, more tact and then some more tact"
 What is more awful than the tactess woman? She is thoroughly disliked and everybody hates to know that she is to be numbered in a crowd. Hers is always the excuse that she is plan-spoken and candid-but from these, good Lord deliver usi Of course she Is telling the truth but 1t is the tactless truth as Mir. kiplinS terms it. and nobody ever wants to hear 1t particularly about themselves. Of course there are things that are right to say-but they may be said to the wrong people and at the wrong time, and this is precisely what the tactess woman does.
 The twentieth century fairy who ap- pears at the cradle of the modern baby should bestow above all gifts that of tact. With this equipment an "open sesame" is established to every desired l of the mighty may be invaded genius, talent and beauty are not invulnerable to it, and to the woman who possesses it no avenue is closed.
 The tactful woman is sadly in the minority probably because one of its requisites is the suppression of all vanity and the manifestation of a spirit of toll erance or even eondescension toward the rest of the world.
 In English society the greatest amount of wonder has been caused by the par tiality shown by King Edward to Con suelo, Duchess of Manchester. The duchess Is no longer young; she has passed beyond even the matronly stage or early middle life, yet the Kings fa- voritism to her never fails. Young and very lovely women are turned aside for the duchess and those who hold her in envy are beginning to realize that the secret of her ruling power Is her un- failing and abiding tact.
 It is said of the duchess that she never offends, either by word or act. By her graciousness she always puts people at their ease and with this charming at tribute she has won and held the ad- miration and friendship of the King.
 American women are supposed to be the most tactful women in the world and 1t is said that the Duchess of Manches- ter attributes much of her success in
 
 But those who know her say that it is an distinctive art with her-this doing and saying the right thing at the right moment. She is the best illustration of the present day of the positive necessity of tact in any woman ambitious for so- cial preferences.
 Without tact the woman of society is doomed to rear seat, and 1t Is really amazing that so many women otherwise clever do not cultivate themselves in this direction.
 "But," says some one, what is tact?'' It has been variously defined by many people.
 To my mind one of the best definitions is that
 Tract Is that wonderful quality that renders a person stone deaf and blind during an awkward contretemps."
 Another has said that
 Tract is merely question of good mag ners, difficult symphony in the Key B natural"
 Still another has observed that
 'Tact is the art of withholding on proper occasions information which we feel sure would be good for our friends" And yet another clever definition amounts to this:
 Tract is the art of saying in san ex- uuisite manner the reverse of what one thinks"
 And in her home life with all of it's trials and worries. with c..-.1ren to train and deal with, and her husband to man. age (and not to let him know it: ohi wonderful art), the tactful woman is described as the one who-and now am quoting again-who never threatens never nags, never weeps-she calmly awaits.
 A very pretty woman made a distinctly startling statement recently. It was this:
 When l say nice things to people mo- tice others are not interested; but if I say anything slurrlng or poignant every