The Irish standard., 1913-05-03
REFERENCE TO A
HIGHER POWER
Presidents of This Nation Who Have
Acknowledged Supreme
Being.
Not One From First to Last Has
Failed to Mention Ruler of All
in Inauguration.
In the Inaugurals God" and AL
mighty God" Not Frequent
Divine Applications.

A Supreme Being has been acllnowl-
edged, and His aid invoked in every
Presidential Inauguration, save one,
from Washington to Wilson, says
Frank H. Brooks in the New York
Press.
The exception was in the second in
augura of Washington, which con-
tains not even a reference to Higher
Power.
God" and Almighty God" are not
as frequent in the inaugurals as other
divine appellations. The invocation
for supreme guidance occurs most fire.
quently in the termination Of the ad-
dress. President Wilson almost par
allelcd Garfield in this respect, the
last words of Garncld's inaugural be-
ing Almighty Cod"
Some Of the presidents hastened to
acknowledge their dependencies upon
Providence at the start. Mckinley
invoked the guidance OF Almighty
God" in the first paragraph Of his in
augural and closed with a petition to
the Lord Most High" which no for
ner president had used on a similar
occasion.
f. ..7zz,:..s--sak kss3siustsns Set Prsesdsnt.f
In his first inaugural Washington
was nearly verbose in his acknowl-
edgment. Almighty Being," "Great
Author" and "Smiles of Heaven" ap-
pear in the same paragraph, and
Providence" and 1.-The Divine Parent
Of the human race" were devoutly
supplicated to favor the American
people," Maybe because of his fire.
quent overturcs for help from on high
in his first, the Father of his Coun-
try thought it unnecessary to 20 over
the same ground in his second inaug-
ural.
John Adams, in the beginning of his
inaugural, acknowledged an "Overrul-
ing Providence" and in the close
mentioned the Being Supreme over
ALL the Patron of Order" the
Fountain of Justice" and the "Pro-
tector Of Virtuous Liberty
Thomas Jefferson called upon that
Infinite Power in the last section of
hi inn ro1 nd ,nIfo tnl
Being in his second address. And in
the second he also mentioned the
Creator" and made fervent refer
ence to Christian religion.
James Madison acknowledged the
Almighty Being" in the close of his
first, and the "Smiles Of Heaven" in
his second inaugural. In the latter he
quoted Washington.
James Monroe, in the beginning OF
his. acknowledged that the Almighty
had been graciously pleased" etc, and
also spoke of the Supreme Author"
and Almighty God"
Adams Quoted PsaImist.
John Quincy Adams admitted being
in the presence of Heaven" in the
first part of his address, and in clos-
ing repeated an admonition from
David, 'If the Lord keepeth not the
city, the watchman waketh in vain"
This was the first and it is the only
direct quotation from the Psslmist in
any inaugural.
Andrew Jackson in his first invoked
"that Power" and in closing asked
His divine care and benediction." In
his second he made a "most fervent
prayer to that Almighty Being"
Martin Van Buren in the beginning
of his inaugural "hoped for that sus-
tanning support of an ever watchful
and benefcient Power" and in closing
looked to that Divine Being"
William Henry Harrison in his eight
thousand words made two references
to the Higher Power-"Beneficent
Creator and that Good Being"
John Tyler, who succeeded Harrison
a few weeks later, printed his inaug-
ural in the newspapers. He Cooked
to an all wise and all-powerful Being
who made me" and trusted in the
ever-Watchful and overruling Provi-
dence."
James K. Polk invoked the "Al
mighty Ruler Of the Universe" and