Wanted to share with you an interesting confluence of events:

1) I wrote a piece for the current National Review on hissing — one of my least favorite practices, and a subject I’ve written about regularly in my Impromptus column. In this piece, I pay particular attention to Harvard Law School: where hissing has been traditional.

2) On Friday, I wrote a Corner item concerning Yale, where I had just participated in a debate. I said that, afterward, “I had the feeling, not for the first time, that students have become much nicer and saner since I was in college.”

3) I received an e-mail from a reader who said, “My brother goes to Harvard Law School, and, not too long ago, Scalia gave a lecture to one of his classes. He was neither hissed nor booed — in fact, he was well received! Scalia said that ten years ago this would never have happened.”

Reason for hope, at the beginning of this fraught week!