Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-12

natural protectors but wcro so placed
as 10 be constantly tempted to take
advantage Of their ignorance and
crsduhty. She related, in illustration
Of her views, several anecdotes to
show what apt scholars they had be-
come, even with the small advantages
they possessed, aud among others the
following Prefacmg the story with a
statement that she herself was desti-
tute of the mathematical faculty and
never could learn the multiplication
table or do a sum in simple fractions,
she said it happened not long since,
in the absence of her husband, that
she had occasion to settle with a
negro for some wood which Mr.. Davis
had purchased. The wood was meas
urod on the presumption hat there
were eight cords, but it fell short of
that amount, and she in vain attempt
ed to find the value with pen and pa
per of the fractional part Of a cord.
She covered nearly a sheet with fig
ures, but was not satisfied with the
result. At last the negro teamSter,
with great humility, remarked Mis-
sis, your figures are not correct. Let
me do dat sum for you But do
you know how to cipher, jimmy
" Yes, Missis, | does" said Jimmy.
She gave him the pen and paper, and
Jimmy figured it out in an instant,
and at once received his money, But
where did YOU learn TO cipher? p said
Mrs. Davis to him. 20, missus,
said Jimmy, Use a graduate of the
high school. Mrs. Davis c~ntertains
the opinions of her husband in regard
to free labor as being more advanta
geous than the labor Of slaves, and said
she would not like for any considera-
ton to return to the old system. I'm
der that system the house servants
were a burden upon the house-keeper,
and the cost of their maintenance far
exceeded in amount the wages paid at
present, for a larger number were
required, and the work was not done
so well as now. In herreligiOus views
and opinions your correspondent be-
lieves that the wife of the ex-Presi-
dent of the Confederacy is the most
orthodox woman hat he has ever
conyersed with. She believes the BIZ
bic is the work Of God, aud that there
is not a line in the sacred volume from
Genesis to Revelation that is not
literally true, She has been a reader
of Darwin, Tindall, Huxley and other
eminent scientists and scholars, but
she said nothing could shake her faith
in every fact and circumstance record
ed in the bible. She never entertained
a doubt that the world was made in
six days, that the whale swallowed
Jonah, and that the sun stood still for
the accommodation of Joshua. In
discussing this last miracle Mrs. Davis
said, in reply to some suggestion of
your correspondent Il can see nc
difficulty about it at all. If a mira.
Gle was to be performed what mat.
tered it if it did affect the whole
solar system as well as this planet
which we call earth?" In discussing
social topics Mrs. Davis seemed to be
impressed with the most intense ideas
of caste. When Informed by me
that one of her old friends, the
widow of an ex-senator who was
formerly on the most intimate terms
with her husband, was living the life
ofa quiet self. denial, aud dcvoting the
whole income of property left by her
husband to lift the fallen and cncour-
age the lOwly among the young fo-
males of this city. Mrs. Davis said il
must be a thankless task. She be
iievcd that it was Of no advantage t.
try and help such people-that proyi
dentially one class Of people were
placed above another-that one is the
complement of the Other-and that
blood only would tell. Notwithstand-
ing these ari2tocratic notions, the
whole tenor Of our conver alton left
with Inc the impression that Mrs.
Jefferson Davis is a charming, sensi-
BILE Christian woman--that She I'M
derstands the social and political
questions of the time far better than
the average Of the male sex and that.
like her husband, she has no hopes oi
aspirations in connection with the
lost cause"