Proclamation 3194—National Day of Prayer, 1957

Whereas, we are grateful for the faith in which our fathers found their strength, and for the hope which has guided our Nation from the earliest days; and

Whereas, it is a good thing for a people unitedly to remember their heritage of spirit, and to refresh themselves daily in the Divine Truth which is their most precious inheritance; and

Whereas, in our steady drive for enduring peace among men we must always seek the aid of the Father of mankind; and

Whereas, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved April 17, 1952, has provided that the President "shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer":

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby set aside Wednesday, the second day of October 1957, as a National Day of Prayer; and I call upon our citizens, each according to his own faith, to unite in prayer and meditation on that day.

In constant dependence upon our Creator for the spiritual gifts required in the conduct of our affairs as individuals and as a Nation, let us now ask for wisdom and strength to fulfill the high purposes for which we are called, seeking the welfare of all peoples through a just and lasting peace across the face of the earth, bringing happiness to the home of the humblest family and to the courts of the Almighty. Let us pray with eager expectation that we may be inspired to sacrifice, at home and abroad, to achieve a life worthy of the children of God, for all men, everywhere.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this eighth day of August in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-second.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

By the President:

JOHN FOSTER DULLES,

Secretary of State