The old country preacher

An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was
getting time the boy should give some thought to
choosing a profession. Like many young men, the boy
didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he
didn't seem too concerned about it.

One day, while the boy was away at school, his father
decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's
room and placed on his study table three objects: a
Bible, a silver dollar, and a bottle of whisky.

"I'll just hide behind the door," the old preacher
said to himself,
"and when he comes home from school this afternoon,
I'll see which object he picks up. If it's the Bible,
he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a
blessing that would be! If he picks up the dollar,
he's going to be a businessman, and that would be
okay, too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going
to be a no-good drunkard, and, Lord, what a shame
that would be."

The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his
son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and
headed for his room. He tossed his books on the bed,
and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the
objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he
walked over to inspect them.

Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under
his arm. He
picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his
pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink.

"Lord have mercy," the old man whispered, "he's gonna be a Republican!"