 The inaugural Bible has been brought to Illinois for the first time
by the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Illinois
and is provided as a courtesy by the St. John's Lodge of New York
for use during the installation of the grand master and Grand Lodge
officers on the evening of Oct. 9 at the Springfield Hilton.The
Bible complements an original 1799 George Washington letter featured
in the exhibit Illinois Stories: "How Vast and How Varied a
Field..." The Agricultural Vision of Abraham Lincoln. The exhibit
may be seen at the adjacent Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The
letter is on loan from the St. Louis Mercantile Library and will be
displayed through November. Paid admission is required to visit the
museum, while there is no charge to visit the library.
"We are grateful to the Grand Lodge for bringing this priceless
artifact to Illinois for the first time for public viewing," said
Thomas Schwartz, Illinois state historian. "Washington and Lincoln
have always been considered our most important presidents, and
having artifacts from both men in such close proximity is a truly
memorable occasion."
After the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, New York City
became the first capital of the United States, and it was there that
George Washington, a brother of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, was to be sworn in as the nation's first president. Gathered
on the inaugural platform were members of Congress, Washington and
Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, grand master of Masons in the state
of New York. Everything was ready for the oath of office when it was
discovered that a Bible had not been provided upon which the
president-elect could swear allegiance to the Constitution. Jacob
Morton, marshal of the inaugural parade and master of St. John's
Lodge, offered to get the altar Bible of St. John's Lodge, which met
nearby at the corner of Water and Wall streets. Livingston asked
Morton to fetch the Bible, and the ceremony proceeded.
Washington took the oath with his right hand resting on the
Bible, which had been opened to the book of Genesis, chapters 49 and
50. Washington concluded the oath with "I swear, so help me God!"
then bowed over the Bible and reverently kissed it, whereupon
Livingston exclaimed, "Long live George Washington, president of the
United States!"
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 To preserve the memory of the event, a page was inserted in the
Bible:
On this sacred
volume, on the 30th day of April, A. L. 5789, in the City of New
York, was administered to George Washington, the first president of
the United States of America, the oath to support the Constitution
of the United States. This important ceremony was performed by the
Most Worshipful Grand Master of Free and Accepted Masons of the
State of New York, the Honorable Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor of
the State.
Fame stretched her
wings and with her trumpet blew.
Great Washington is near. What praise is due?
What title shall he have? She paused, and said
‘Not one - his name alone strikes every title dead.'
The King James Version Bible has since been used at four other
inaugurations: for President Warren G. Harding in 1921, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and
President George H.W. Bush in 1989. It was also to have been used
for the inauguration of President George W. Bush in 2001, but rain
prevented its use.
It has also been present at numerous public and Masonic
occasions, including Washington's funeral procession in New York on
Dec. 31, 1799; the introduction of Croton water into New York City,
Oct. 14, 1840; the dedication of the Masonic temples in Boston on
June 24, 1867, and Philadelphia on May 24, 1869; the dedication of
the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 21, 1885, and
its rededication in 1998; and the laying of the cornerstone of the
Masonic Home at Utica, N.Y., on May 21, 1891. It was also used at
the opening of the present Masonic Hall in New York City on Sept.
18, 1909. More recently it was featured at the World's Fair in New
York, has been displayed at the CIA offices outside Washington,
D.C., and at the Famous Fathers & Sons exhibition at the George H.W.
Bush Presidential Library near Dallas, Texas, in 2001.
The Bible is still in active use by the lodge. When not being
used by St. John's Lodge or on tour, it is on display at Federal
Hall on Wall Street in New York City. For more information, visit
www.stjohns1.org/portal/gwib.
For information about programs and exhibits at the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, visit
www.presidentlincoln.org.
[Text from
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
file received from the
Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency] |
