The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-11-14
WHY OLD MOTTO
WAS TAKENFROM
NEW COINS
No Warrant for Inscription, "In
God We Trust
CLOSE TO THE SACRlLIGIOUS
President Quotes Many TESTS and
Cartoons Making Light of Sacred
Subject.

WASHINGTON Nov. 1.-the pres
ident caused to be given out at the
White House copy Of letter which
is being sent to all persons and organ
izations sending protests to him
against the omission of I'm God we
trust from the new coins. The letter
follows:
ION Nov. II, 1907, when the question
of the new coinage came up, we look
ed into the law and found there was
no warrant therein for putting In God
we trust on the coins. As the custom,
although without legal warrant, had
grown up, however, might have felt
ut liberty to keep the inscription had
approved Of its being on the coinage.
But as l did not approve of 1t did
not direct that it should again be put
on. OF course the matter of the law Is
absolutely in the hands of congress.
and any direction of congress in the
matter will be Immediately obeyed.
AT present. as | have said, there is no
warrant in law for the inscription.
MY own feeling in the matter is due
TO my very firm conviction that to put
such a motto on coins or to use it In
any kindred manner not only does no
good. hut does positive harm and Is in
effect iryeyerence which comes danger
ously close to the sacrilegiOus. A beau
tiful and solemn sentence such as the
one III question should be treated and
uttered only with that fine reverence
which necessarily implies certain ex
altation of spirit, and any use which
tends TO cheaper it and above all any
use which tends to secure its being
treated with spirit of levity is from
every standpoint profoundly to be re-
GREETED.
ut is a motto which ii is indeed well
to have inscribed on our great national
monuments, In our temples of justice,
in our legislative halls and in buildings
such as those at West Point and An
napolis-n short. wherever it will tend
to arouse and inspire lofty emotion
in those who look thereon. But it
seems to me eminently unwise to
cheaper such motto on coins, just as
1t would be TO cheaper it by use on
postage stamps or in advertisements.
''As regards its use on the coinage
we have actual experience by which
to go. In all my life | have never
heard any human being speak rever
emily of this motto on the coins or
show any sign of its having appealed
to any high emotion in him. but | have
literally. hundreds of times heard it
used as an occasion of and Indictment
to the sneering ridicule which it is
above all things undesirable that so
beautiful and exalted phrase should
excite For example, throughout the
long contest, extending over several
decades, on the free coinage question
the existence of this motto on the
coins was constant source of Jest
and ridicule, and this was unavoida BILE
Everybody must remember the in
Vulnerable cartoons and articles based
on phrases like In God we trust--for
the ether S cents In God we trust
for the short weight In God we trust
for the 81 cents we do not pay and
so forth and so on. Surely l am we'll
within bounds when | say that n use
of this phrase which invites constant
leyity of this type is most undesirable.
IF congress alters the law and dl-
reefs me TO replace on the coins the
sentence in question the direction viii
be Immediately put into effect, but |
very earnestly trust that tSe religious
sentiment Of the country, the spirit of
reverence in the country, will prevent
any such action being taken