Peggy Noonan

Here’s a story of the times: In New York City recently, a small group of idealists decided they wanted to help disadvantaged teenage girls get a start in the world. So they created and helped fund a new public high school just for girls. Now, the first thing you think is, what a great idea. […]

At a school concert recently, a pensive mother turned to me. The gathering was festive and the gym was packed, for ours is the kind of school where entire families show up to cheer the kids on. She gazed at the crowd and said, “I wanted my father to be here, but he said the […]

Since the country is facing a national election, which is, among other things, a coast-to-coast argument, I have been thinking about the peaceful image of a joining of hands, a private coming together-a wedding. Which is, of course, not an entirely private act, as it takes place in public with witnesses, and is a cause […]

You’ve left the house, walked just a few steps, and notice something: Your shoulders aren’t hunched defensively against the cold. Your pores, which for months had been sealed tight, unclench and breathe. There’s no scarf half asphyxiating you, no mildly embarrassing hunk of wool on your head. It must be spring. Heaven. That’s what it’s […]

I am walking along a busy sidewalk and a man barrels by, close enough to jostle me and another woman. “Skyewz me,” he barks, not looking at us or anyone else. I am on line at the grocery. The man in front of me, who is holding a baby, has forgotten something. So he turns, […]