“The divine jumped at the invitation, and taking the gymnast’s arm, proceeded to the “library;” the stranger in the meantime manifesting considerable anxiety to learn how much his reverend brother received as salary, and how his flock prospered. Arriving finally at Hogan’s gymnasium rooms, the twain entered, when, instead of beholding a study-room stocked with holy works, his bewildered gaze fell upon a miscellaneous lot of dumb-bells, boxing-gloves, pulley-weights, sand-bags, and the paraphernalia that is usually found in a gymnasium. Hogan pointed to these with a satisfactory air, saying:
“‘Here’s my study.’
“‘Ah, but I don’t understand,’ replied the holy man.
“Hogan proceeded to enlighten him upon the mysteries of the profession. He gazed for some time on Ben’s muscular exercises in an abstracted manner, and finally allowed this was very well for the development of the body, but asked when he developed the mind.
“Hogan replied that this exercise served to enlarge both mind and body, and invited him to balance a thirty pound dumb-bell. The minister declined, and began to realize his mistake. Hogan, finding him to be a pleasant gentleman, with a humorous turn, soon explained the situation, not omitting to tell how many times he had been mistaken for a clergyman. The reverend gentleman realized the situation, and remarked that he had never made a more serious mistake in his life, looked the gymnasium carefully over, admitted the necessity for such institutions, shook hands, and laughed heartily when Ben told him how many prize fights he had been engaged in.
“The clergyman then explained to the professor that his appearance and general make-up, together with the book he supposed to be the Bible, and the Times (which he knew to be a religious journal) all led him to believe he had met a brother and an earnest worker in the vineyard.
“Ben admitted that he didn’t know much about the vineyard, but remarked that he was an earnest worker in the gymnasium. After a brief (very brief) season of mutual congratulations, the rural divine started to seek a genuine brother with a study more to his taste.”