Evening star., 1945-01-20
Declares Americans
Will Pass Supreme
Test of War
BY ]. A. FOX.


day renewed his oath of office
for fourth term with a promise
that in time to come America
will work for lasting peace with
the same intensity of purpose
with which her sons today face
the enemy on battlefields.
In brief message climaxing a
simple, unpretentious ceremony de-
void of all the pageantry of former
inaugurations, the President charted
the Nations course in crisp, firm
sentences.
I'VE Americans of today, together
with our Allies, are passing through
a period OF supreme test" he said.
1T is test of our courage-of our
resolve-of our Wisdom-of our eS-
sential decency.
If we meet the test-Successfully
and honorably-We shall perform
service of historic Importance which
men and women and children will
honor throughout all time"
Small Crowd Attends.
Mr.. Roosevelt took the oath in an
unprecedented ceremony on the
south portico of the White House.
Before him, the smallest inaugural
crowd in years-estimated at ap-
proximately 10000, including those
outside the grounds had scuffed
light snow off the White House lawn.
About him on the south portico
were gathered the Government top
leaders, including the new Vice
President, Harry S. Truman
The entire ceremony lasted only
IA minutes.
LAS I stand here today, having
taken the solemn oath of office in
the presence of my fellow country
men-ln the presence of our God
l know that it is America s purpose
that We shall not fail" the Presi-
dent said.
In the days and in the years that
are to come We shall work for a just
and durable peace as today We work
for total victory in war.
"We can and we win achieve such
a peace"
The President spoke just a few
moments after he had stood beside
Chief justices Harlan Fiske Stone,
placed shis hand on an old family
Bible ,ahd pledged anew to discharge
faithfully the duties of leadership
for which the people again have
chosen him.
Nearby stood Mr. Truman, former
Senator from Missouri, who had
just taken the oath from his prede-
cessor, Henry A. Wallace.
Bishop Dun invokes Blessing.
Surrounding them were their fam
lilies, the judiciary, the cabinet, the
heads of the armed service, the
Speaker of the House and the Am
bassador of Mexico, dean of the
diplomatic corps. There, too, was
the Right Rev. Angus Dun, Episco-
pal Bishop of Washington, who in
voked the divine blessing as the
President prepared to take over.
On the lawn below stood the
other invited guestS-members of
Congress, State Governors, mem
bers of the Electoral College, Demo-
cratic committeeman, national and
State, and representatives of the va
r1ous groups which took part in the
November campaign, when Presi-
dent Roosevelt, now nearing 63, de-
feated Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of
New York and took from the people
a mandate to press the war to VIC
tory and join with the other leaders
of the United Nations to work for
an enduring peace.
Yards away beyond the White
House fence stood the general pub
lie. Loudspeakers carried the pro-
ceedings to them. Today's crowd, and
the simple ceremony, reflective of
wartime, were in vivid contrast to /
the throngs and panoply of peace
time inaugurations.
Official guests numbered 5.913. |
where in peacetime it would have
been five times that. The spec
tators on the outside, who were
better able to hear than to see. were
few in comparison to the thou
sands who ordinarily would be con-
gregated at the Capitol and along
the route over which the President
would move to the White House on
this day.
Hours before the ceremony scores
of blue-clad White House policemen
and an equal number of military
police in khaki overcoats were lined
up on the various drives over which
ticket holders were guided.
OF the approximately 5000 cards
issued, only about 500 entitled their
holders to the White House lawn
Immediately below the portico. On
the outskirts of the reserved areas
the public gathered early to get a |
long-range glimpse of the quadren-
nial show
Speech Shortwaved
The Presidents speech, carried on
the four networks and short-waved
In English, Spanish, French and
Portuguese, was in full keeping with
the simplicity of the rest of the
ceremony.
AS he spoke of the peace it is his
hope to fashion and warned that
America cannot live alone, the Pres
ident said solemnly, "We shall strive
for perfection" but that this would
not be achieved Immediately. Mis-
takes will be made. he said, but they
must not be those which come from
'faintness of heart or abandonment
of the moral principal"
The war, the. President continued.
has taught us lessons-at fearful
cost. 1--WE have learned that we
cannot live alone, at peace" he
said, that our own well-being is de-
pendent on the well-being of other
nations far away. We have learned |,