Miss Manners

HOW did America, a generous country, end up with such ungenerous politics—and might that ever change? Seeking good cheer in this holiday season, Lexington stepped away from the campaign trail to consult an expert with a different perspective on society and its foibles. Judith Martin has been writing her “Miss Manners” column since 1978, and is syndicated in more than 200 news outlets three times a week. Her postbag is as heavy as ever: she receives some 50 or 60 letters and e-mails each day. Beneath Mrs Martin’s social advice lies a good deal of moral philosophy, not to mention wisdom (at 77, she shows no signs of retiring, though she co-writes columns now with her adult children). Her first two decades of correspondence are held at Harvard University, as a trove for future sociologists or historians.