“For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together. Our friends seldom profit us but they make us feel safe. Marriage is a scheme to accomplish exactly that same end.”

A sharp-eyed American journalist and satirist of the early 20th century, Mencken’s razor wit and unflinching critique of pretension defined the Baltimore Sun’s editorial pages. His essays and columns skewered political hypocrisy, cultural affectation, and the pretensions of the American mainstream, earning him a reputation as the era’s most fearless voice of skepticism.