Miss Manners on Joys and Concerns

In the Chicago Tribune, Judith Martin (Miss Manners) pontificated on Joys and Concerns. Linguistic analysis suggests that her questioner was a UU, since other churches tend to call this problematic time "prayer requests." As usual she has her own interesting slant in her advice. "Don't give the microphone to habitual abusers," she says, and "The minister should put aside sharing given to (ahem) him if it is frivolous."

Well, the second is a possiblity. The first probably is not. But I do like her general statement that it is rude to mix the serious and the frivolous even in party conversation, much less in church. Now we can at least give our habitual offenders a copy of the column!