The Writings of Thomas Jefferson

Writings of Thomas Jefferson, by
Thomas Jefferson

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Title: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson Library Edition - Vol. 6 (of
20)
Author: Thomas Jefferson
Editor: Andrew A Lipscomb Albert Ellery Bergh
Release Date: April 7, 2007 [EBook #21002]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: Jefferson at Sixty-two]

THE WRITINGS OF
THOMAS JEFFERSON

Library Edition
CONTAINING HIS
AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NOTES ON VIRGINIA, PARLIAMENTARY
MANUAL, OFFICIAL PAPERS, MESSAGES AND ADDRESSES,
AND OTHER WRITINGS, OFFICIAL AND PRIVATE, NOW
COLLECTED AND
PUBLISHED IN THEIR ENTIRETY FOR THE FIRST TIME
INCLUDING
ALL OF THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS, DEPOSITED IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND PUBLISHED IN 1853 BY ORDER
OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS
AND
A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYTICAL INDEX

ANDREW A. LIPSCOMB, Chairman Board of Governors
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ALBERT ELLERY BERGH MANAGING EDITOR

VOL. VI.

ISSUED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF
THE THOMAS JEFFERSON MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION
OF THE UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON, D. C.
1903
Copyright, 1903, by The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association

Transcriber's Note: Omitted text or text that was in cypher is denoted
by asterisks.

JEFFERSON AS A TACTICIAN
The word "tactician" is usually applied to military movements, but it
has a broader meaning than this; it embodies the idea of a peculiar skill
or faculty--a nice perception or discernment which is characterized by
adroit planning or management, artfully directed in politics or
diplomacy in government.
"Of all creatures the sense of tact is most exquisite in man"--Ross:
Microcosmia.
"To see in such a clime, Where science is new, men so exact In tactic
art"--Davenant Madagascar.
True statesmanship is the masterful art. Poetry, music, painting,
sculpture and architecture please, thrill and inspire, but the great
statesman and diplomatist and leader in thought and action convinces,
controls and compels the admiration of all classes and creeds. Logical
thought, power of appeal and tactfulness never fail to command

attention and respect. It has always been thus, and it will
unquestionably so remain. Many really able and brilliant men, however,
lack balance and the faculty of calculation. They are too often swayed
by emotions, and their intellectual powers, which otherwise might exert
a controlling influence, are thus weakened, and often result in failure.
True greatness in a man is gauged by what he accomplished in life, and
the impress he left upon his fellow-men. It does not consist of one act,
or even of many, but rather their effect upon the times in which he lived,
and how long they endure after the actor is gone from the throng of the
living.
At the bar, in the pulpit, in the medical profession, and especially in
political life, tact is the sine qua non to the highest degree of individual
success. However gifted one may be, he cannot win conspicuous
laurels in any calling or avocation, if he be deficient in tactfulness. The
man who best understands human nature, knows how to approach
people, and possesses the art of leading them, is the one who will
invariably have the largest following and will possess the greatest
amount of influence over his fellows. The fact cannot be disputed that
men of great brilliancy of intellect, without tact, have been distanced by
others far less talented, who possessed the knack of getting near to the
masses with the object in view to lead and control them. A military
commander who knows how to muster and marshal his men so as to
make them most effective when a battle is pending, will be
unquestionably successful in manoeuvres and successful also in battle;
and it is equally true in statecraft, and in the learned professions as well.
The skillful tactician is master of every situation and is the victor in
every important contest. But more than in any other calling is this true
in politics. The successful leader in legislative bodies,--he whose name
is recorded on the legislative journal as the author of the most
important measures which are enacted into laws--is, without exception,
that member who is tactful, thoughtful, industrious and sincere. It
makes no difference how great his natural endowments may be, if he be
wanting in these elements his success will be restricted to a narrow
sphere; and the greatest of these is tactfulness.
The world's great tacticians are few. In America I can mention but three

who are deserving of first rank,--Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay