n the Pacific Ocean." And he is not far removed in our minds from the
New England pastor, who preached on the well-known text of St. Paul, and
having read: "All things are possible to me," took a five-dollar bill
out of his pocket, and placing it on the edge of the pulpit, said: "No,
Paul, that is going too far. I bet you five dollars that you can't----"
But continuing the reading of the text: "Through Christ who
strengtheneth me," exclaimed, "Ah, that's a very different matter!" and
put back the five-dollar bill in his pocket.

[Illustration: THE MISSIONARY AND THE FIJIS.]

This kind of amalgamation of the sacred and profane is constantly
confronting one in American soil, and has a firm foothold in American
humor.

Colonel Elliott F. Shepard, proprietor of the New York _Mail and
Express_, every morning sends to the editor a fresh text from the Bible
for publication at the top of the editorials. One day that text was
received, but somehow got lost, and by noon was still unfound. I was
told that "you should have heard the compositors' room ring with: 'Where
can that d----d text be?'" Finally the text was wired and duly inserted.
These men, however, did not intend any religious disrespect. Such a
thing was probably as far from their minds as it was from the minds of
the Puritan preachers of old. There are men who swear, as others pray,
without meaning anything. One is a bad habit, the other a good one.

* * * * *

All that naive philosophy, with which America abounds, must, I fancy, be
the outcome of hardship endured by the pioneers of former days, and by
the Westerner of our own times.

The element of exaggeration, which is so characteristic of American
humor, may be explained by the rapid success of the Americans and the
immensity of the continent which they inhabit. Everything is on a grand
scale, or suggests hugeness. Then negro humor is mainly exaggeration,
and has no doubt added its quota to the compound which, as I said just
now, completely staggers certain foreigners.

Governor Hoard was telling me to-day that a German was inclined to be
offended with him for saying that the Germans, as a rule, were unable to
see through an American joke, and he invited Governor Hoard to try the
effect of one upon him. The governor, thereupon told him the story of
the tree, "out West," which was so high that it took two men to see to
the top. One of them saw as far as he could, then the second