Miss Manners Herself, While Never Rude, Is

The Dinner Table Is The Center For The Teaching And Practicing Not Just Of Table Manners But Of Conversation, Consideration, Tolerance, Family Feeling, And Just About All The Other Accomplishments Of Polite Society Except The Minuet.

There Was No Singles Problem Until Singles Got So Single-minded That They Stopped Wasting Time With Anyone Ineligible. Before That, It Was Understood That One Of Society's Main Tasks Was Matchmaking. People With Lifelong Friendships And Ties To Local Nonprofessional Organizations Did Not Have To Fear That Isolation Would Accompany Retirement, Old Age, Or Losing A Spouse. Overburdened Householders Could Count On The Assistance Not Only Of Their Own Extended Families, But Of The American Tradition Of Neighborliness.

A General Rule Of Etiquette Is That One Apologizes For The Unfortunate Occurrence, But The Unthinkable Is Unmentionable.

Hypocrisy Is Not Generally A Social Sin, But A Virtue.

Manners Require Showing Consideration Of All Human Beings, Not Just The Ones To Whom One Is Close.