The preacher took his place, as he supposed, at the head of the deceased, when looking down his eyes fell upon a pair of feet.  With great effort he kept his face straight and conducted the service.  At the close he invited the friends to view the remains.  One stimulated friend walked up to the coffin, shook his head and turning to another said:  “Don’t look at him, Jim.  He’s changing very fast and you won’t know him.”

The great preacher is to be excused if he did laught at that funeral.

It’s good to laugh, and yet, while I pay tribute to the trait of humor, I would have the undergirding trait of all traits of character, the trait of principle.  Though you may use policy now and then, never use a policy you must get off the heaven-bound express train of principle to use.

I don’t like that word policy.  There is another and better name for the trait I would present just here, and that is tact.  It means the doing of a right thing at the right time and in the right place.  Some young men win first honors in college and fail in the business of life for want of tact.  Here is where the Yankee excels.  The Southerner is genial, generous and has many traits of character to be admired, but he must doff his hat to Yankee character for the development of tact.

Sam Jones, who rarely ever failed to get the best of whoever tried repartee with him, met more than his match when he ran up against Yankee tact.  He was raising money to pay off the debt on a church.

A liberal member said:  “Mr. Jones, I have given about all I can afford to give, but if you will get one dollar from that old man on the end of the back bench of the ‘amen corner,’ I’ll give you ten dollars more.”

“Has he any money, and is he a member of the church?”

“Yes,” was the answer to both questions.

The great evangelist said:  “Well, that’s easy,” and started for the dollar.

Approaching the old man he said:  “Brother, I’m collecting money for the Lord.  You owe him a dollar.  I’m told you are an honest man and always pay your debts, so hand over that dollar.”

“How old are you, sir?” asked the old man.

When Sam gave his age at about forty, the old brother said:  “I’m nearly double your age, sir, and will very likely see the Lord before you do, so I’ll just give him the dollar myself.”

I lectured in New England a few years ago when before me sat a Yankee with his two sons.  He sat between them and when I made a point which he approved, he would nudge the boys.  He seemed to be driving my advice in with his elbows.  At the close of the lecture I took his hand and said:  “I see you have your boys with you.”

He replied:  “Yes, I always take the two boys with me when I attend a lecture.  I presume when a speaker has prepared himself he is going to get about the best things out of his subject, and will put them in a way to take hold and benefit young men.  If I were going to get the same information out of books I might have to spend a dollar or two, when I only paid fifteen cents each for them to hear your lecture.”