While countries around the world celebrate their own Mother’s Day at different times throughout the year, several countries, including the United States, Italy, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Turkey celebrate it on the second Sunday of May.
In the United States, the origins of the official holiday go back to 1870, when Julia Ward Howe – an abolitionist best remembered as the poet who wrote “Battle Hymn of the Republic†– worked to establish a Mother’s Peace Day. Howe dedicated the celebration to the eradication of war, and organized festivities in Boston for years. Here is the proclamation she wrote in 1870, which explains, in her own impassioned words, the goals of the original holiday.
“Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or of tears! Say firmly: ‘We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.’
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.
From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says, ‘Disarm, disarm! The sword is not the balance of justice.’ Blood does not wipe out dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead. Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each learning after his own time, the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.
In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”
In 1907, Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, began the campaign to have Mother’s Day officially recognized as a national holiday. Anna resolved to pay tribute to her mother, Mrs. Anna M Jarvis and all other mothers of the world. She dedicated her life to fulfill her mothers dream of the recognition of day for honoring mothers. Though never a mother herself, Anna is today recognized universally as the ‘Mother of Mothers Day’.
Anna Jarvis got the inspiration of celebrating Mothers Day quite early in life. One day when Anna was 12 years old, Anna’s mother said a class prayer in the presence of her daughter. To conclude the lesson on ‘Mothers of the Bible’, Mrs. Jarvis said a small prayer, “I hope that someone, sometime will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
Anna never forgot this prayer. And at her Mothers graveside service, she recalled the prayer and said, “…by the grace of God, you shall have that Mothers Day.” The words were overheard by her brother Claude.
After the death of their mother in 1905, Anna and her brother resolved to honor their mother. Anna found that adult children in the US were negligent in their behavior towards there parents. Few assisted parents in need and little was done to remember all mothers, living and dead and appreciate their contribution to the United States.
Anna determination and drive paid off in 1914. President Woodrow Wilson made an official enactment, proclaiming the second Sunday in May a national holiday and a “public expression of our love and reverence for all mothers.â€
Today’s commercialized celebration of candy, flowers, gift certificates, and lavish meals at restaurants bears little resemblance to Howe’s original idea or Anna’s grand vision. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that (what’s wrong is to FORGET it) but it is important to remember their original vision and goal. It IS a ‘public expression of our love and reverence for all mothers.’
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Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”