Evening star., 1925-03-01

The Chief Justice OF the Su-
preme Court of the United States
could not be used, because there
would be no such court or person
until the first President appointed
them. The weeks delay was devoted
by Washington to round OF social
ceremonies and to audiences with
statesmen with whom he was to be
associated in the establishment of
the new Government.
For his first inaugural Washing
ton wore a brown suit of American
manufacture" point upon which
considerable emphasis was laid at the
time. 1t was in the mode of the day,
but not as elaborate rs his black vel
vet worn in Philadelphia four years
later. No mention is made of garters,
but it is recorded that he wore bright
silver buckles on his shoes and car
ried a dress sword with a plain steel
hilt in a plain scabbard. The cere
| monies were in Federal Hail." where
Congress met, and which stood al the
corner of Wall and Nassau streets on
| the site now occupied by the United
States subtreasury. Religious services
were held in all churches in the
forenoon and cannon were fred off
at frequent intervals all day. Houses
and shops were closed and the whole
| town turned out. Washington and his
party rode to the hall in carriages,
but could hardly get through the
masses of people. They alighted two
| blocks away and marched through
double rank of military troops to
| the hall.
The oath of Office was administered
on a portico outside the building. in
view of a big crowd of citizens. Upon
| a table was huge, gold bound Bible.
resting on a crimson cloth. Washing
ton stood with his hand on the Bible
as the oath was read to him. At its
conclusion he lifted his right hand
and said solemnly:
II swear--so help me God"
Then he bent and kissed the Bible
and the crowd, which had been stilled
by tho impressive scene, burst forth
into cheers, church bells rang, salutes
were fired by artillery and from can
non on boats in the harbor. The
crowds were so dense when the cere-
| monies ended that the carriages could
not be moved, so Washington and his
official party walked back to Franklin
Square, stopping en- route to attend
divine services in st. Johns Church.
The inauguration of John Adams
| in Philadelphia on March 4, 1897, was
distinctive because of two facts with
which Adams himself had little to do.
| The first was that chief interest was
| In Washington, the retiring President,
| rather than in Adams, the incoming
There was no sentiment of THE king
is dead; long live the king" The king
was very much alive. The other was
| the presence of such a large number
| Of Presidents and future Presidents
| five in all. Washington and Adams
| were. of course, present. Thomas JEFF
! ferson, who had been Washington's
Secretary of State, was there as the
T, incoming Vice President, dressed in
| plain, dark suit with crimson waist
coat and knee breeches." James Madi-
sons term as a member of the House
from Virginia expired at the very
| moment Adams took the oath of Office,
| so he was on hand, as was also a
Vigorous young lawyer from the new
State of Tennessee, named Andrew
Jackson, whose term in the House
also expired at the same hour.
! x X y x
IWAsHINGToN gave farewell din
ner TO his official friends on the
night of March 5, 1897. At IL O'Clock
| the next morning Jefferson took the
oath of Office as Vice President, 60
ing to the Senate unattended for the
| purpose and shocking many of the
| Federalists by the off-hand manner in
| which he went through the ceremony.
He was running true to form, how
ever, because he feared the effect of
pomp and ceremony on the young re-
public and had criticized Washing
ton Inauguration in New York as
| mot at all in character with the SIM
plicity of republican government, and
looking, as If wishfully, to those of
European courts"
At Ia o'clock noon the Senate re-
paired downstairs to the House cham
ber, where Washington, Jefferson and
adams took seats at the head of the
room, Adams in the Speakers chair,