The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-03-01
THE PRESIDENTIAL OATH.

The oath of Office taken by the In
coming President of the United
States is the shortest and the sim.
plest required OF any ruler on earth.
It is prescribed by the Constitution
and is as follows:
= do solemnly swear Tor affirm
thut5I will faithfully execute the office
Of President Of the United States
and, 10 the best Of my ability, protect,
preserve and defend the constitution
of the United Statcs.n
This oath is slowly repeated by the
Fresident-elect after the Chief Jus.
tlce of the Supreme Court in the pres
ence Of the public upon a platform
erected in front of the main door on
the eastern side of the Capitol. After
lie President has taken the oath he
delivers his inaugural address. While
the oath is being repeated the Pres.
ldent-elect and the Chief Justice face
eacll other and hold with their right
hands, between them, a Bible, fur..
'shed by some person interested or
especially procured for the occasion,
which becomes the property Of the
President after 1t has been a]ppropri.
ately inscribed and sealed by chief
clerk of the Supreme Court. Presi.
dent Cleveland at both in%augurations
took the oath upon a little red pocket
Bible which was given him BY his
mother when he left home as a boy.
President Harrison used a Bible that
had been presented to him by a Sun.
day school class in indianapolis.
AT the close Of the oath the Presi-
dent.elect bows his head and kisses
the open page of the book, and 1t has
been customary for him or his wife
or q friend to select some appropriate
passage at which the book shall be
opened and the verse upon which he
shall press his lips. Sometimes when
those interested forget or neglect to
choose n passage the Bible is opened
at random, but the clerk of the Su;
preme Court is always careful to
note and mark the exact place where
the lips touched the page.
The verso that General Grant kiss.
ed at his second Inauguration is found
in the eleventh chapter Of Isaiah, and
reads as follows:
And the spirit OF the Lord shall
rest upon us; the spirit OF wisdom
and understanding; the spirit Of
counsel and might; the spirit of
knowledge and the fear Of the Lord;
and shall make him OF quick under.
standing in the fear Of the Lord"
1t is understood that Rev. DR.. New.
man, at that time pastor of the Met:
ropolitan Methodist Church of Wash:
!ngton, furnished the Bible for that
occasion and marked the passage he
wanted General Grant to kiss.
President Hayes was sworn IN
twice. You will remember that there
was a great deal of political feeling
growing out OF a doubt of his election,
and at one time it was feared lest
some hot-headed Democrats might
Try to prevent his Inauguration. To
complicate matters, the fourth OF
March fell OIL Sunday, and as a pre-.
caution at noon OF that day the oath
was administered to Mr.. Hayes by
Chief Justice Waite in the Blue Par.
Tor of the White House. General
Grant, his Cabinet, General Sherman,
several OF the justices Of the Supreme
Court, the Hayes family and several
others were present. Rev. DR.. New.
man offered a prayer, but there was
no other ceremony. and an attempt
was made to keep the incident secret.
Tie same Bible was used during the
ceremonies at the Capitol on the fol.