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An Inaugural Tradition
Since the earliest years of EHS, students have joined in inauguration activities to witness the transition of presidential power. While travel into the district was sometimes daunting, inaugurations have been enjoyed by EHS as both a moment in history and a rare school holiday.
Launcelot Blackford, Headmaster at Episcopal from 1870 to 1913, described the first inaugural event he attended. With the exception of three students restricted to campus for disciplinary reasons, all of Episcopal's 60 students braved historically cold conditions to attend President Grant's second inauguration in 1873. Blackford and a group of students were driven to the steamboat wharf, to travel by boat into D.C. Hoxton also led a group which traveled by steam car and found their return delayed by hours, spending much of the night in town in the bitter cold. Poor weather plagued subsequent inaugurations, to the point that the weather seemed to be part of the inaugural tradition.
For President Cleveland's 1893 inauguration, Episcopal students faced a dark and gloomy snow-covered day, punctuated by piercing wind. Despite the dreary conditions, the significance of the day was not lost on students. The Monthly Chronicle concluded its description of the event declaring, “[T]hink of the moral grandeur of the time in which we live. Turn back to the days when the transfer of power from one party to another was only accomplished with bloodshed. Now we see the representatives of two great parties, ‘these in the robings of glory, those in the gloom of defeat,’ banishing the insolence of victory, hiding the bitterness of disappointment, joining hands and bowing in dignified submission to the will of the majority.”
While others braved the freezing temperatures, Blackford and his wife enjoyed the day in relative comfort, having secured an invitation to watch the processions from a window seat of a building on the route. The headmaster relished the day stating, “It is a mark of respect for the illustrious incoming president whose election is by far the most important as well as the most encouraging political event of this generation. It is hard to exaggerate its significance or be too thankful for the fact.”
Years later, Blackford reported in his March 4, 1909, diary entry, “The afternoon yesterday was exceedingly wet. The rain increased after dark, soon changing to snow and ere bedtime to a regular blizzard […] The storm seems to have continued through the night and was about as bad as it could be when we met at a 7:30 breakfast.” The headmaster announced to students that while he considered it “not only foolish, but dangerous” to travel to Washington that morning, he would not prevent his students from attending. With this in mind Frank Rogers 1909 and his classmates huddled around the radiators to devise their plan they were determined not to miss President Taft’s inauguration. Rogers said, “March 4, 1909, was a day which had for some time been constantly before our minds; in fact some had been looking forward to it for four years. This was the first opportunity most of us had had of witnessing this ceremony, so we were determined to enjoy to the utmost the day which was to be so essentially ours, for Inauguration Day is one of the few holidays that we have.”
Despite the weather, most of the students decided to attend. It meant braving a long walk through knee-deep snow to reach the car line. And although the trip was not easy, Rogers and his classmates were rewarded for their efforts. The crowds were lighter than expected, the weather brightened, and there were plenty of street vendors selling sandwiches. While the students were not able to actually see Taft take the oath of office, the parade that followed exceeded expectations.
Students in the 1970s recall attending President Nixon's 1973 inauguration, both the swearing in and the parade that followed. Episcopal's schedule precluded students from taking advantage of all the inaugural festivities, so Echol Marshall ’76 declined an invitation to attend an inaugural ball.
Today, the tradition of EHS students attending presidential inaugurations has evolved into an all school event. This year, the students and faculty attended President Obama's second inauguration.
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For President Cleveland's 1893 inauguration, Episcopal students faced a dark and gloomy snow-covered day, punctuated by piercing wind. Despite the dreary conditions, the significance of the day was not lost on students. The Monthly Chronicle concluded its description of the event declaring, “[T]hink of the moral grandeur of the time in which we live. Turn back to the days when the transfer of power from one party to another was only accomplished with bloodshed. Now we see the representatives of two great parties, ‘these in the robings of glory, those in the gloom of defeat,’ banishing the insolence of victory, hiding the bitterness of disappointment, joining hands and bowing in dignified submission to the will of the majority.”
While others braved the freezing temperatures, Blackford and his wife enjoyed the day in relative comfort, having secured an invitation to watch the processions from a window seat of a building on the route. The headmaster relished the day stating, “It is a mark of respect for the illustrious incoming president whose election is by far the most important as well as the most encouraging political event of this generation. It is hard to exaggerate its significance or be too thankful for the fact.”
Years later, Blackford reported in his March 4, 1909, diary entry, “The afternoon yesterday was exceedingly wet. The rain increased after dark, soon changing to snow and ere bedtime to a regular blizzard […] The storm seems to have continued through the night and was about as bad as it could be when we met at a 7:30 breakfast.” The headmaster announced to students that while he considered it “not only foolish, but dangerous” to travel to Washington that morning, he would not prevent his students from attending. With this in mind Frank Rogers 1909 and his classmates huddled around the radiators to devise their plan they were determined not to miss President Taft’s inauguration. Rogers said, “March 4, 1909, was a day which had for some time been constantly before our minds; in fact some had been looking forward to it for four years. This was the first opportunity most of us had had of witnessing this ceremony, so we were determined to enjoy to the utmost the day which was to be so essentially ours, for Inauguration Day is one of the few holidays that we have.”
Despite the weather, most of the students decided to attend. It meant braving a long walk through knee-deep snow to reach the car line. And although the trip was not easy, Rogers and his classmates were rewarded for their efforts. The crowds were lighter than expected, the weather brightened, and there were plenty of street vendors selling sandwiches. While the students were not able to actually see Taft take the oath of office, the parade that followed exceeded expectations.
Students in the 1970s recall attending President Nixon's 1973 inauguration, both the swearing in and the parade that followed. Episcopal's schedule precluded students from taking advantage of all the inaugural festivities, so Echol Marshall ’76 declined an invitation to attend an inaugural ball.
Today, the tradition of EHS students attending presidential inaugurations has evolved into an all school event. This year, the students and faculty attended President Obama's second inauguration.
