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From: ix900@sdccsu3.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Mark Twain and Jesus' real name
Message-ID: <992@sdccsu3.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 25-Jul-83 17:13:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdccsu3.992
Posted: Mon Jul 25 17:13:59 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Jul-83 23:30:29 EDT
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Student System 3
Lines: 16


     Twain tells about this in his Autobiography.  It seems that when
he was a printer's apprentice, a Campbellite minister brought in one of
his sermons to have published.  One of Twain's young companions set the
sermon.  Just before it was to be delivered, he noticed that he had
inadvertently omitted the name "Jesus Christ" on one page.  Looking the
page over, he saw that there was room for only a few letters--to put in
the whole name would mean resetting two entire pages (and this was in
the days of hand composition, remember).  So he abbreviated it to
"J.-C." and hoped that would pass.
     The minister picked up the galley proofs and was back in a short
time, furious.  He lectured the young printers: you must *never*
abbreviate the Lord's name, it is blasphemous, only the decadent
Catholics do that, etc.  Twain's friend meekly agreed to reset the
whole thing with the entire name this time.
     According to Twain, he took his revenge.  The minister got his
next copy with the full name, all right: "Jesus H. Christ"!