The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-02-15
THE Inaugural IA G.
HOLY BOOK
BIBLE MUST BE USED FOR CERE-
MONY AND 1T is UP TO ST.
PREME COURT CLERK TO SUP
PLY SUCH.
(By Associated Press. J


Washington, D. c., February 10
That the incoming president always
takes the oath of office on a Bible
and that the Chief Justice of the
United States administers the oath is
generally known, but where the BIZ
BILE 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 any
other is James H. McKenney, clerk
of the supreme court, who is the man
who always has the sacred book at
the right place at the right time,
and in whose hands, strange to say,
| it always so opens that 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 aug
ury of good for all concerned The
purchase of the book is one of the
"perquisites" of the clerk.
NO" said Mr.. Mckinney, in re-
Spouse to a question; "no, we do
not use our century-old Bible for
the swearing in of presidents; but
it often happens that the clerk sup
he
1t is the intention that the man who
takes the oath of Office should have
generally transpires that his family,
if not himself, set much store by it.
Not always, however, nor even in the
majority of cases, are we called upon
to supply a new book, for it fire.
quently happens that the president
or some member of his family is the
owner of some treasured volume of
the Scriptures, which it is desired
that he should use upon this sacred
and important occasion.
This was the case when Mr..
Cleveland was inaugurated. He was
the owner of a small Bible, not
larger than your hand, and which,
apparently, had seen much usage.
His mother had presented it to him
when he was a boy, and he had
treasured it ever since When he
was consulted about taking the oath,
when first inaugurated as president,
he stated that he desired his mothers
present should be used for this pur
pose When the oath was admins
tered to him at the beginning of his
second administration, the same vol
ume, which on this occasion had
been hunted out by Mrs. Cleveland,
was again brought forward and pre-
scented as the one upon which her
husband should make his pledges.
Quite in contrast to this little
volume was the one used in admin
istering the oath to Mr. Mckinley.
The negro bishops Joined together
and presented to Mr.. Mckinley one
of the biggest books have ever seen.
1t was an extraordinary large family
Bible, bound in heavy morocco, trim
med in gold and stored in a much
ornamented box. / remember very
well that I was quite tagged out from
carrying it to the senate chamber
and from the chamber to the plat
form in front of the Capitol After
the Bible had been used for this pur-
pose I turned it over to the presi-
dent, but, notwithstanding that he
had already received it. the donors
afterwards called 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
for the same purpose when he was
inaugurated Governor of New York.
We had bought Bible for his inau-
guration, when we received word
from Mrs. Roosevelt that she pre-
ferred the use of their own volume,
and it was accordingly substituted.
I'VE still have on hand the Bible
bought for that occasion, but We
shall not use it for Mr.. Taft. I'm
less he furnishes book himself, We
will get new one and will keep the
Roosevelt Bible on hand for emer-
gencies. such, for instance, as oc-
Cured when Arthur took the oath
of Office in this city. He had been
sworn in New York. but it was sud