Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sdccsu3.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!ix900 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"!