Opening Prayer

THE FOLLOWING is a portion of the prayerwritten by President Hopkins and readby him at the opening exercises:

To Thee, Creator, and Almighty Ruler of the Universe, to Whom men have given the name of God and to Whom mankind has always turned at last in time of trouble, we pray for understanding and for guid- ance how to seek truth and how to know it when found.

We recall with longing that in earlier days when men had more wisdom if less learning and more fortitude if less culture, they saw Thee in days bright with Thy sun- shine and in nights beaming with Thy heavenly fires and that Thou then didst walk upon the earth with them in a com- panionship that only faith can give. Help us, dear God, to simplify our lives and to clarify our minds so that again we may know where Thou art and how to find Thee.

Listen now to our prayer and forgive us our conscious and our unconscious trans- gressions. Clothe us with the armor of right- eousness; shield us with Thy truth; watch over us with Thy power; save us from calamity; and give us grace to pass all the days of our lives blameless and free from offence to those things which make for righteousness. Amen.