L E T T E R S

136basis for this sound judgment, in a moment I will present my reason for sayingthis. The judgment was made after running about all day, turning to the gods ofthe idolatrous Persians, by instinct, respect for your brother, or as thinkingpeople, using a kind of reasoning with which I am not familiar, for you knowhow difficult it is to explain volitional phenomena. At any rate we came to theconclusion that, aside from heat, there is something in nature that constitutesthe basis for this. However, banish from your mind the filthy thought of thegenital organ of the female half of the human race. That is for fallow youth,and for those who are in a rut. We who are closer to perfection have given ourfull attention to alcohol. One look betrayed our noble sentiments. Asimultaneous nod of agreement led to a solemn decree of its fulfillment. Wewere not deterred by the late hour, a common concern for dwindling funds, orthe consideration of a skimpy meal in the future. "You know neither the daynor the hour! Do not be concerned about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take careof itself," said the Lord. His word alone, then, becomes my guide on this, mymiserable journey. I am commissioned to go down the stairs. I have no desireto enumerate all the trials of this unfortunate foray. I do not wish to rememberthat it was I who underwent these trials while my friend sat there at myfireplace like a Lord, warming all 20 of his extremities. In my slippers withholes from holding them too close to the fire, I exposed myself to catchingcold, as well as to the cost and danger of this weakness. I had to put on mysplendid reddish topcoat, and certainly expose it to fading. At this point I donot wish to mention who paid for the alcohol, or /in order not to bypass thetruth/ who will pay for it in the future. We will fully honor all the rights whicha person acquires by its lawful purchase. We will set a bottle of wine here onthe table, in the midst of the tobacco, candles, papers, pens, books and glasses.Drawing the curtain on the past, on avenues pursued in obtaining theabove-mentioned container with alcohol, as well as on the decor just described,let us suppose that the bottle is already on the table. For the moment, let therebe a balance in using the picked fruit, just as there was a balance in the high-