A word of congratulations to The New Criterion

Congratulations on 35 years of exemplary cultural leadership.

A responsible, discerning critic builds culture by extolling the good, the excellent, the beautiful, and the true, as well as by censuring the corrupt, the base, the ugly, and the trivial. Since its founding in 1982, The New Criterion has been an indispensable voice of just that sort. Readers are refreshed by the intelligence and sound judgment of its writers. Courage of critical judgment inspires, and elegant prose delights. These qualities are all the more precious because of their rarity in our time of banal mediocrity and gimcrack ideology.

With high intellectual standards and steadfast faith, we can nurture excellence in the arts, courtesy in daily life, and nobility in public affairs. This is no mean service to our age, and First Things is honored to share this mission with The New Criterion.

Editor, First Things