On
the other hand, I might be in that interfering humanitarian mood which
is liable to beset even the wisest of us. I would then be tempted to
lead her homeward gently but firmly, simulating intoxication, if I
could bring myself to do it--pretending, you understand, to be in the
same state as herself, if I could manage it with any prospect of
success--in order to make her feel thoroughly at ease. I should not
dream of ruffling her state of mind by a single word f reproach; the
private feelings and self-respect, even of a drunkard, should never be
violated. Again, if I were in my ordinary reflective condition, I
should doubtless stand aside and muse, as I have often mused, upon the
folly of intemperance. Drunkenness--that shameful vice! How many
estimable men and women have succumbed to it; men I have known, women I
have loved and even respected! This makes me think that we ought to be
grateful to have so glaring an example of insobriety before our eyes.
We ought to regard Miss Wilberforce, if your account of her be true, as
a Divine warning.
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