The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-05-04
OPENING THE bible
When the President Takes the
Oath OF Office.
NO PLACE FIXED III ADVANCE.

thc Chief Executive Presses His Lips
10 Entirely Matter Of Chance-The
BhIc After the Ceremony.
Tie president before he enters, on
the execution Of his Office takes an
DATA or affirmation that he will faith
fully execute the Office Of president of
the United States ana will, to the bes!
If my ability, preserve, protect and
dcfCad the constitution OF the United
states" and this oath is usually seal
cd or confirmed by the hscing of the
Bible.
The kissing of the Bible as part of
the inaugural ceremony is perhaps fol
lowing very ancient custom. The
Egyptians were required to kiss the
rolls on which the commands of Joseph
were written.
Tho custom requires that immediate
IS after the president elect has taken
the oath, with hand on The Bible, the
clerk of the United States supreme
court shall throw open the book. and
the incoming chief magistrate shall i'm.
plant kiss on one Of its open pages
Doubling Thomases have always
thought that there was TO element Of
chance IN this performance and that
the passage Of Scripture is always
carefully selected in advance, and tie
took Is held by the clerk Of the court
ia position so that the incoming chief
win kiss The passage that it IS intend
"a he shall kiss but this supposition IL
entirely wrong.
James u. Muher, clark Of the su-
prone court. said that the opening OF
the book is entirely "haphazard" and
that no man on clrtn has The slightest
intimation IN advance regarding die
pogsaee OF Scripture that viii he thus
'uoGght into notice.
Usually the Bible tnat IS used in al
ministcrlng the oath IS bought b. the
clerk Of the supreme court and pai3
for out Of his pocket and is small
oxford edition costing SO TO $50. The
late James H. Mckinney, for many
years clcri; Of the supreme court. once
said, lyon see. congress expcnds mon
cy only by appropriation, aud If we
were to wait for congress TO appro-
PIRATE the price OF the book we might
never get Bible on time
There have been exceptions. how
over. Nncn TIN Bible came FROM 9TH.
or sources. For instance when James
4. Garfield was inauguratc1 March 4
1881, he carried in his oyerco2t pocket
to the capitol well worn. leather
bound volume which had been pre-
scented 20 him ~ his mother. TIE
bool, was taken from the White House
and in a few years found ts way to
The stan of n bookseller ia san Fran
cisco. How Il sot there has never
been known. nor Is it likely it ever
win be- \ few years aeo il was Of
fcicd for sale at Il very high price.
Chester \. Arthur took the oa,h Of
Office jast AFTER midnight at his home
in New York city Sept 20, ISL The
Bible used WAS one belonging TO the
then chief justice OF the statc Of Now
York 1t is cherished hy the JUDGES
family a. an heirloom.
On March 4. 1885, when Grover
Cleveland was inausurated president
Tor the Gyt timo, lie, like Garfield,
kissed the Holy Book which wa given
to Inn by his mother. 1t was a small
voluHe. bound in red leather. and was
PRESENTED to him many years before.
Tic boo; is now in TIE possession cf
Nr. Clcyeland's married sister ut To
icGo, o. The Hiblc upon which he took
t3e oath in 1898. eight years later
when he became president the second
time, was unc,prcsented by his beau
tlfuI wife, and she became its pcs
SCISSOR.
When Benjamin Harrison was made
president March 1, 1889, the hible used
was one tl.at his wife had gwen him
on lie day Of their marriage IN Ok
ford. O., where President Harrison
spent ais school days. The Harrison
Bible Is owned by Mrs James Il. Nc
Kee. tie daughter Of exI'resident uaI-
rison
President Mckinley used Bible that
had been presented to him by the
negro bishops OF the country. Il was
the biggest Eihle ever seen at the
clerks Cai-c and Clerk Mckinney III
relating the incident said The day
before the Inauguration ono OF the |
bishops called AT my o.Ilce with the |
Bible It was huge affair of the
type known as family Bibles 1t rested |
in an ornate b., lined with purple vel |
vet and ornamcnted with go!l. The
box was fastened by lock and key.
When realized that il would he my
lot to carry that huge Bible frcm the
senate chamber clear ont to the front
Of the capitol my knees grew weak |
and could not refrain from asking /
the bishop jollingly whore the wheel |
barrow was TINT should go with It."
The invariahie custom IS that cn the
day following tie Inauguration the
clerk Of the court takes the Bible to
the White House and presents ii TO |
the first lady of the land rs a keep
akc.-EXchange.
Re-enforced Concrete.