This blog post is an essay from Atlantic by Walter Mimms about the peculiar evolution of the word "please" in English usage. Somehow it evolved from the super-polite "if it please you" to the slightly less formal "if you please" to the polite but simple "please" to the peremptory "would you please move" to the … Continue reading Walter Mimms — How “Please” Stopped Being Polite
David Labaree on Schooling, History, and Writing 