LESSON 18
TACT AND TALENT
Talent is something, but tact is everything. Talent is serious, sober, grave, and respectable: tact is all that, and more too. It is not a sixth sense, but it is the life of all the five. It is the open eye, the quick ear, the judging taste, the keen smell, and the lively touch; it is the interpreter of all riddles, the surmounter of all difficulties, the remover of all obstacles. It is useful in all places, and at all times; it is useful in solitude, for it shows a man into the world; it is useful in society, for it shows him his way through the world.
Talent is power, tact is skill; talent is weight, tact is momentum; talent knows what to do, tact knows how to do it; talent makes a man respectable, tact will make him respected; talent is wealth, tact is ready money. For all the practical purposes, tact carries it against talent ten to one.
Take them to the theater, and put them against each other on the stage, and talent shall produce you a tragedy that shall scarcely live long enough to be condemned, while tact keeps the house in a roar, night after night, with its successful farces. There is no want of dramatic talent, there is no want of dramatic tact; but they are seldom together: so we have successful pieces which are not respectable, and respectable pieces which are not successful.
Take them to the bar, and let them shake their learned curls at each other in legal rivalry; talent sees its way clearly, but tact is first at its journey's end. Talent has many a compliment from the bench, but tact touches fees. Talent makes the world wonder that it gets on no faster, tact arouses astonishment that it gets on so fast. And the secret is, that it has no weight to carry; it makes no false steps; it hits the right nail on the head; it loses no time; it takes all hints; and, by keeping its eye on the weathercock, is ready to take advantage of every wind that blows.
Take them into the church: talent has always something worth hearing, tact is sure of abundance of hearers; talent may obtain a living, tact will make one; talent gets a good name, tact a great one; talent convinces, tact converts; talent is an honor to the profession, tact gains honor from the profession.
Take them to court: talent feels its weight, tact finds its way; talent commands, tact is obeyed; talent is honored with approbation, and tact is blessed by preferment. Place them in the senate: talent has the ear of the house, but tact wins its heart, and has its votes; talent is fit for employment, but tact is fitted for it. It has a knack of slipping into place with a sweet silence and glibness of movement, as a billiard ball insinuates itself into the pocket.
It seems to know everything, without learning anything. It has served an extemporary apprenticeship; it wants no drilling; it never ranks in the awkward squad; it has no left hand, no deaf ear, no blind side. It puts on no look of wondrous wisdom, it has no air of profundity, but plays with the details of place as dexterously as a well-taught hand flourishes over the keys of the pianoforte. It has all the air of commonplace, and all the force and power of genius.
STUDY GUIDE
A. Vocabulary Practice—Answer the following questions about vocabulary words from the essay.
1. Tact is the ability to deal with difficult situations. Do you know someone who has a lot of tact?
2. An obstacle stops us from doing something. What obstacles might stop you from doing well in school?
3. Astonishment is a feeling of extreme surprise. Tell about a time when you felt astonishment.
4. If someone has a knack for doing something, he or she can do it very well. What do you have a knack for doing?
5. An apprenticeship is when a beginner works for a company in order to learn from more experienced workers. If you did an apprenticeship, what kind of company would you like to work for?
6. To do something dextrously is to do it with a lot of skill. What can you do dextrously?
B. Comprehension Questions—Answer the following questions.
1. According to the narrator, which is more important, talent or tact? Explain.
2. Do you think tact is important to a businessperson? Why or why not?
3. If someone has a lot of talent, but no tact, what might happen to him or her? Explain.
4. In the last paragraph, it says this about tact “It seems to know everything, without learning anything”. What does this mean?
5. Talent and tact are important qualities in a person. What are some other important qualities?
C. Find the word—Using the clues, fill in the correct word from the reading.
1. paragraph 1—a r _____is a kind of joke.
2. paragraph 2—someone who many people look up to is r ________
3. paragraph 3—a word meaning “not often” is s _____
4. paragraph 5—to have a lot of something is to have an a ________
5. paragraph 6—someone who is listened to is o _____
6. paragraph 7—a person who can't hear is d ___