Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1910 — Drawing Inferences. [ARTICLE]

Drawing Inferences.

President Lincoln once told the following story of D. H. Bates, manager of the War Department telegraph office: “I’m like an old colored man I knew. He spent so much of his time preaching to the other slaves it kept him and them from theft* labors. His master told him he would punish him the next time he was caught preaching. “ ‘But, marsa,’ said the old man, with tears in his eyes, T always has to draw infruences from Bible texts when dey comes in ma hs4d. I jes’ cain’t help it. Can you, marsa?’ '•‘Well,’ said his master, ‘I suspect I do sometimes draw inferences. But there is one text I never could understand. and if you can draw the right inference from it I’ll let you preach to your heart’s content.’ “ ‘What is de text, marsa?’ asked the colored man. " ‘ “The ass snuffeth up the east wind.” Now, what inference do you draw from that?’ “ ‘Well, marsa, I’se neber heard dat text befo’ nohow, but I ’spects de infruence am she got to snuff a long time befo’ she get fat’ ” —Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph.