The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-06-12
The AT Of Prayer
These Days E Hx ggU 2tI E. soHo1sxr

May | disagree with those who
criticize the President for pray.
ing over the radio? 1t is a gain
in this age II our rulers feel called
upon to pray to God for victory.
Up TO now, most of them, Musso-
lini, Hitler and even those on our
side. except Winston Churchill,
have been SO sure of themselves.
In Rooseyelt's prayer there was the
slightest overtone OF humility
and that is a gain. The truly no.
BILE OF our race always possessed
great quantities Of humility. Lin
coin left a heritage of humility
There are those who say that
Mr.. Roosevelt should have called
In a clergyman TO do the praying
but we are OF such mixed reli-
gions that no call in only one
would have been an offense to
the others and to have three or
four do it, would perhaps have
been an offense to God who can
understand the sincere In heart
and mind in any language And
so the President prayed for all.
Just as In many countries the King
used to be, and in a few places
still is. the head of the church, so
in our democratic republic the
President spoke for all the
churches. 1t is a great advantage to
have a President who can speak
for all kinds OF different peoples
who can sort Of be all things TO all
people.
Another criticism hurled at the
Presidents prayer seems to me
unjustified. 1t is suggested that
instead OF composing his own pray
er. he should have used an an
cient liturgicaI one. such as the
Lords Prayer. But that would not
have been in the modern manner
and we must be modern at any
things so ancient that they stem
back to the very roots Of our ex-
istence. Individual, spontaneous
prayer. often spoken In public at
dinners and banQuets, has become
an American custom. Sometimes
on such occat )ns when the clergy
man is called upon to say the
blessing, he speaks so long and so
ardently that he leaves the hired
orators with little TO say. And
that may be an improvement on
the hired oratory.
| once heard a clergyman at a
Republican banquet open 1t with
New Deal prayer that took half
an hour in which he answered In
advance all the arguments OF the
great statesmen invited to speak
on that occasion And the only
reason that he did not spoil any
thing was that after the first few
minutes, everyone wondered wheth-
er. the Lord required that much
instruction.
The ancient Hebrews we're mas
ters at prayer. 1t was their art;
their greatest contribution to the
art of the human race. They were
never much good at politics, usual
ly falling into the traps of their
adversaries. but they knew how to
pray. And their prayers have been
answered in . the sense that II
life for them has been hard, at
least, they survived their enemies.
Psalm 1874, for instance, is a won
derful wartime prayer and fits our
present situation to perfection,
even as though its author had been
reading the news since Pearl Har-
Dor. In fact, the genius of these an
cient Hebrews lay in their ability
to write for eternity. In this
psalm 1874, there is no mistaking
whether the victory came from
God or the speaker, the latter max
ing no claims for himself at all.
Let me quote that prayer:
Of II had not been the Lord
who was on our side.
When men rose up against US;
Then they had swallowed us up
quick,
When their wrath was kindled
again us;
Then the waters had overwhelm-
ed us,
The stream had gone over our
soul;
Then the proud waters had gone
over our soul.
Blessed be the Lord.
Who hath not given us as n