The Narthex
Kinderstube and 'I'
Today's etiquette advice serves only to protect the self from discomfort, correction, & obligation
By John M. Grondelski | January 16th 2026 12:29 PMThose who read the Bible’s wisdom books know that they deal a lot with the quotidian: when to speak and when to shut up, how to conduct one’s self publicly, how to win friends and influence people. No surprise there, and sapiential literature was not unique to Israel. It was…
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There's an art to walking and to talking; both are compromised by iPhones
By John M. Grondelski | April 18th 2024 2:48 PMEtiquette as an expectation and as part of upbringing was once taken for granted. For a German, to say somebody lacks Kinderstube is an insult: it means that person is wanting in upbringing. He is boorish. Kinderstube was taken for granted because people rightly assumed that living with others in society is…
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