says that she longs for the affection and
esteem of her friends, yet, as she expresses it, she has "no personal
magnetism." I was once present in a literary society of which this lady,
Mrs. A., was a member. Another member, Mrs. B., made a statement about a
matter under discussion in the society, when Mrs. A. arose and said,
bluntly: "That is not true." Everybody was astonished, and listened
almost indignantly while Mrs. A. went on to show that Mrs. B. had simply
been misinformed and was mistaken. It would have been entirely easy and
proper for Mrs. A. to ask permission to correct a misapprehension on the
part of Mrs. B., and she could have done it in such a way as would have
wounded nobody's feelings. Mrs. A., while she complains that she has few
friends, frequently asserts that she believes in saying just what she
thinks. This is all well enough, but she says it with so little tact as
to constantly wound the feelings and antagonize the opinions of everyone
around her.

Tact is as important in manners as in speech. The word is closely allied
to the word _touch_, and a person who has good tact is really one who
can touch people gently, carefully, kindly, in all the relations of
life. In the animal creation no creature has more perfect tact than a
well-bred kindly-treated household cat. You may have seen one of these
enter a room where perhaps a circle of people were seated around a stove
or open fire. Puss wants her warm place in front of the fire or stove,
but she does not brusquely and rudely push her way there. No. She
glides gently, purringly around the circle, rubs caressingly against
this one and that, as though gently saying, "By your leave"; and when
finally she reaches the desired spot, she lays herself down so
gracefully and quietly and curls herself up so deftly that to witness
the act really affords pleasure to the observer. A creature of less tact
and grace would only appear obtrusive and offend and antagonize the
company, and probably rightfully receive reproof and be ejected from the
room.

And so I would wish to see you and all young people cultivate tact;
study how to speak and act so as to touch gently all with whom you are
associated. Behind the best tact lies the wish to be kind and to make
people comfortable and happy, to avoid wounding and irritating; and so
it is true that the basis of true tact is, after all, the moral
sentiment.

The young person who would cultivate tact in speech and manner