DAVID LAWRENCE Great Powers of President Rise From Will of People WASHINGTON An unforgettable inaugural . . . The transfer of authority ... Solemnity and yet with a spontaneous cheer . . . Echoes of a triumphant election conducted by the people freely ... Few places on earth where such freedom prevails. The outgoing President participating and showing loyalty to free institutions . . . The new President taking the oath . . . to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution... A kiss first for the First Lady and then a prayer of dedication. A Message of Hope Now the inaugural address . . . The people packed in the streets before him ... A message of hope, of high purpose and of resolution . . . One excerpt tells it all the way to inevitable peace: To produce this unity, to meet the challenge of our time, destiny has laid upon our country the responsibility of the free worlds leadership. So it is proper that we assure our friends once again that, in the discharge of this responsibility, we Americans know and observe the difference between world leadership and imperialism; between firmness and truculence; between a thoughtfully calculated goal and spasmodic reaction to the stimulus of emergencies. Faced With Confidence We wish our friends the world over to know this above all: We face the threat not with dread and confusion but with confidence and conviction. Those few words proclaim the new policy a thoughtfully calculated goal and not the opportunism of spasmodic reaction to recurrent crises reminding us of our lack of firmness to meet the first crisis. The phrases are pregnant with meaning ... Especially significant the sentences: We must be ready to dare all for our country . . . We must be willing, individually and as a nation, to accept whatever sacrifices are required of us. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina of purpose. Other Inaugurations Memories of other inaugurations . . . Jan. 20, 1949, when Truman stood there humbly and without rancor . . . Jan. 20, 1945, when Franklin Roosevelt wasnt able to go to the Capitol but stood on the White House balcony . . . His face haggard and pale . . . Less than 90 days later the President was dead. Back to March 4, 1933, when the same man in vibrant phrases, with strength of voice and body, said, The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Back to March 4, 1913, when Woodrow Wilson, with the finest phrases of them all, spoke his message of inspiration as the Democrats took over the first time since 1893 ... a span of 20 years, too. Power of Presidency Memories, too, oi William Howard Taft as he said farewell at Union Station on March 4, 1913 ... A reporter asking him what he would miss most . . . Ah, he said, the power, the power of the presidency. Thoughts of Truman ... the power he had . .. the power we bestow on all our presidents ... They little realize sometimes that it is temporary and transient . . . The true power is with the people, to repudiate them or enshrine them . . . Wondering if we will be patient, unpartisan, tolerant till we see . . . Maybe we can be.