text:  The true object in my "Opium Confessions" is not the naked physiological theme--on the contrary _that_ is the ugly pole the murderous spear the halbert--but those wandering musical variations upon the theme--those parasitical thoughts feelings digressions which climb up with bells and blossoms round about the arid stock; ramble away from it at times with perhaps too rank a luxuriance; but at the same time by the eternal interest attached to the _subjects_ of these digressions no matter what were the execution spread a glory over incidents that for themselves would be--less than nothing