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DRUNKENNESS. 



WE firmly and conscientiously believe that more injury has been 

 done to society nay, that more misery has been entailed upon the 

 world, by well-meaning blockheads than by all the designing knaves 

 that ever made other people's pockets their own, or converted the 

 profits of other men's labour into supports of their own idleness. 



The well meaning blockhead is commonly a person of middle age, 

 whose physical economy is of the most perfect kind ; whose animal 

 functions are sound, regular, and healthy ; whose prospects are cheer- 

 ful and full of promise. He looks around, and lo ! an admiring and 

 obedient wife, and seven lusty, pudgy, robust children. He is usually 

 considered by Mrs. B. a "wonderfully clever" man; and is regarded 

 by the little B.s as a great A. He revolves round the family circle 

 in light of his own making ; and by his own fireside, the father of 

 his family, he rules the unstinted sea-coal with a rod of iron. 



Haply, invested in new Sunday wig and yellow waistcoat having 

 taken in a freight of piety for the ensuing week he sits and calls 

 over the list of his own exceeding virtues. " What a happy what a 

 good man am I," he whispers to himself; " how completely I fulfil 

 every duty of life how I thank God that I am not as other men are ! 

 I look around, and what do I see in every direction vice immo- 

 rality drunkenness." He pauses, and takes a comprehensive mental 

 survey of this besetting sin; but his guests are about to arrive and 

 with this subject painfully occupying his thoughts, he takes the keys 

 of the cellar, and prepares to bring up such wine as the exigencies of 

 an alderman, and two common- council men may demand. 



But more seriously to apply ourselves to the consideration of our 

 present subject, which has been furnished to us in a parliamentary 

 report of the select committee, appointed to enquire into the extent, 

 causes, and consequences of the previlaing vice of intoxication among 

 the labouring classes, with a view to ascertain how the further spread 

 of so great a national evil may be prevented. 



It is very easily, nay, at once, perceived, that Mr. Buckingham, the 

 chairman of this committee, and such of its members as concurred in 

 the drawing up of this report, are of the class of which we have just 

 tendered a specimen. Mr. Buckingham, the chairman of these amateur 

 legislators, is evidently a well-meaning man, with a little of the 

 Pharisee, or house-top charity, in his nature well- versed in the phi- 

 losophy of court, and apparently disposed to clothe naked facts in 

 decent suits of fiction probably to recommend them to respectable 

 society. He 



" Compounds for sins he is inclined to, 

 By damning those he has no mind to;" 



and appears to think that prevention is better than cure; especially 

 after the disease has assumed a formidable shape. He would seem 

 to have agreed with Swift, that the plan of supplying our wants by 

 M.M. No. 106. 2 Z 



