FIFTY MILLION STRONG 



before three-thirty became very restless. The nerves of the 

 teacher, too, were on edge, but she was quite equal to the 

 situation. After a moment's thought she got the children's 

 attention with these words : " I want all of you to close your 

 eyes and put your heads on your desks, and while in that 

 position be very quiet for several minutes and each one make 

 a wish. It may be the good fairy is near at hand." This gave 

 the nerves of the teacher and pupils alike a chance to relax. 

 The remainder of the closing hour was delightfully spent in 

 a recital of the wishes. How different the closing hour would 

 have been had not tact come to the rescue ! Much of the 

 trouble in churches is of a mercenary origin. If finances are 

 on an unsatisfactory basis and they receive emphasis on all 

 occasions, in a short time trouble arises and spirituality suffers. 

 A preacher who can solve the financial problems of a church 

 and do so in such a manner that a good taste is left in the 

 mouth even of the penurious, is of course a genius and richly 

 endowed with the coveted quality of tact. Some time ago 

 there was a large city church whose finances had fallen into 

 a disordered state. The pastor inaugurated a financial cam- 

 paign with the idea of permanently solving the financial prob- 

 lem of the church. His plan was rather revolutionary and 

 some of the best informed laymen feared complications. But 

 he was persistent. The first Sunday on which the plan was 

 announced two sermons were preached on the grace of giving, 

 and the consensus of opinion was that all had been won over 

 to the new plan and great enthusiasm had been aroused for 

 its success. Of course all depended on the announcement. 

 But the preacher had an abundance of tact, and tact won the 

 victory. The plan was put into operation with good results. 

 A study of biography reveals the strikingly varying degrees 

 of success with which the perplexities, the difficulties, and the 

 hazards of life are encountered. One person wends his way 

 from childhood to old age, and serenity accompanies him 

 throughout the whole journey. Another reaches the goal 

 only after many periods of storm and stress. In the case of 

 the first, tact paved the way; in the case of the second, absence 

 of tact made the way rough and rugged. 



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