The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-16

Man Who is Expected 20 Have the
Needed Volume Ready When Called
Upon to Do So-RooseveIt's Volume
May be Used for Emergency Pur-
poses.
(By the Associated Press.)
Washington, D. c., Feb. 13.-That
the incoming President always takes
the oath of office on a Bible and that
the Chief Justice Of the United States
known, but where the Bible comes
from is a fact concerning which the
public knows much less. The one
who is able to give more information
on this subject than n other IS
James H. Kenney, Clerk Of the Su-
preme Court, who is the MAJ who al
ways has the sacred book at the right
place at the right time, and in whose
hands. TRANCE to say, it always so
opens hat the august parsonage who
is about to pledge his fidelity to the
Constitution and the best interests OF
the people of the United States; finds
his palm resting upon some passage
which is an -augury Of good for all
concerned. h purchase Of the book
is one of the 'perquisites' OF the
clerk.
No." said Mr.. Kenney, in response
to a question; no, we do not use our
c~entury-Old Bible for the swearing IN
of Presidents, but it often happens
that the. clerk supplies a new book
for the occasion. 1t is the intention
that the m an who takes the oath Of
office should have the volume as a
keepsake, and it generally transpires
that his family, if not himself, Set
much store by it. Not always, how
ever, nor even in a majority of cases,
800 o -, Ivy n 1aI
book, for it frequently happens that
the President or some member Of his
family is the owner of some treasured
volume of the Scriptures, which it
is desired hat he should use upon
this sacred and important occasion.
This was the case when Mr.. C1eve-
land wa inaugurated. He was the
owner Of a small Bible, not longer
than your hand, and viii apparently
had seen much usage. His mother had
presented it to him When he was a
boy, and he had treasurer 1t ever
since. When he was consulted about
taking the oath, when first i~nauguar-
ated as President, he stated that he
desired his mothers present should
b. used for this purpose. When the
oath was administered to him at the
beginning of his second adninistra-
ton, the same volume. which on this
occasion had been hunted out by Mrs.
Cleveland, was again brought for
ward and presented as the one upon
which her husband should make his
pledges.
Quite in contrast with this little
was the one used in admin
iStering the oath to Mr.. Mckinley. The
negro bishops joined together and pre-
scented to Mr.. Mckinley one OF the
biggest books I have ever seen. It
was an extraordinary large family
Bible, bound in heavy TRIM
med in gold and stores in a much or
box. / remember very Well
that [ was quite tagged out from car
rying it to the Sena&e chamber and
from the chamber to the platform IN
front of the Capitol. After h Bible
had been used for this purpose |
it over to the Presid ent, but,
Notwithstanding he had already re-
ceived it, the donors afterwards an
ed at the White House and presented
it with formal speeches, to which Mr..
Mckinley made appropriate reply
''President Roosevelt was sworn in
on a Bible which had been used TOR
the same purpose when he was inau-
Governor OF New York. We
had bought a Bible for his
when we received word from
Mrs. Roosevelt that she preferred the
use of their own volume, and 1t was
substituted.
1--WE still have on hand the Bible
bought for that occasion, but we SnaIi
not use it for Nh. TAFT. Unless he
furnishes a book himself, We will get
a new one and will keep the Roose-
Welt Bible on and for emergencies,
such for instance, as occurred when
Arthur took the oath Of Office in this
city. He had been sworn in in New
York, but it was suddenly decided
that it would be safer to again Id
the oath in Washington. Ac-s'
cordingly Chief Justice White and
about twenty other people OF pron-
thence were called very suddenly to-