The Emporia Gazette

May 28, 2012

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THE DAY AFTER he moved into the yet-unfinished White House, John Adams, the nation’s second president, wrote this prayer:

“I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

Had his sensible and independent wife, Abigail, been peering over his shoulder, she might have snorted at his assumption that all the presidents to come would be men, but Adams’ prayer was still a worthy thought.

No president in the nation’s history has always been wise — not Adams himself, nor even the sainted Washington and Lincoln — and a few have not been honest. But the United States has been fortunate in the institution of the presidency and in its system of checks and balances that adjusts, eventually, for the human failings of all who serve the people.

Now, 42 presidents after John Adams, the White House is still inhabited by the democratically chosen chief executive and the nation has grown, remained whole and, for the most part, prospered.

Today, Presidents Day, honors all the men who have served in the office and the wisdom of the people. It honors the presidents because each of them — from the best to the worst — contributed in some way to the nation’s success. It honors the wisdom of the people because the people have created Presidents Day.

There is no Presidents Day on the federal calendar. Officially, this is Washington’s Birthday, moved around by law each year to provide a handy three-day weekend. Presidents Day was thought up by department stores as a weekend holiday devoted to “white sales” — the annual clearances of sheets and blankets. Newspaper ads for the sales included portraits of Washington and Lincoln, whose birthday was also in February.

But the idea of the fictional holiday caught on, and now most people think it is a real federal holiday. Schools use it as a reason to teach lessons in civics and the history of the presidency.

It is a great idea for a national observance, and perhaps, one day, Congress will agree. Several states — not including Kansas — already have placed the observance on their official calendars.

But let us use this day, created and observed by the people, to reflect on all of those who have served in the presidency — on their triumphs and failures. We should also reflect on the wisdom of the Constitution that created an executive office flexible enough to protect against utter failure and still allow the emergence of greatness.