He.—After all, to sum it up, it is the word T-A-C-T, or the lack of it, that makes a person correspondingly agreeable or disagreeable in his social intercourse with another. Someone has defined tact as the art of pleasing, and so I should think we might add this mandate to our golden rules—Cultivate the art of pleasing,—say the right thing or say nothing.
Now, I am going to recite all our golden rules, for I know them by heart:
Golden Rule Number 1.—Avoid unnecessary details.
2.—Do not ask question number two until number one has been answered; nor be too curious and, too disinterested; that is do not ask too many questions nor too few.
3.—Do not interrupt another while he is speaking.
4.—Do not contradict another, especially when the subject under discussion is of trivial importance.
5.—Do not do all the talking; give your tired listener a chance.
6.—Be not continually the hero of your own story; nor, on the other hand, do not leave your story without a hero.
7.—Choose subjects of mutual interest.
8.—Be a good listener.
9.—Make your speech in harmony with your surroundings.
10.—Do not exaggerate.
11.—Indulge occasionally in a relevant quotation, but do not garble it.
12.—Cultivate tact—our new rule.
