The first Mother's Day - 1870

jGilder · Post by **jGilder** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:30 am

It was back in 1870 when Julia Ward Howe, who was involved in the Women’s Suffrage Movement, made her proclimation of a "Mother's Day for Peace." It was during the time of the Franco-Prussian War, she began asking herself why is it that nations do this to one another, and in particular, she began thinking about what might be possible for women to do on behalf of humanity. She thought that being a mother really was a powerful experience and that after having been a mother, no one could willingly see their sons go off to war to be slaughtered, so she began to organize on behalf of women for peace.

Here is her proclimation.

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Julia Ward Howe

Mother's Day for Peace

Arise, then, women of this day. Arise all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or of fears. Say firmly, we will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us wreaking with carnage for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken to 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 out with our own. It says, disarm. Disarm. The sword of murder 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 solemnly take counsel with each other, as the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, and each bearing after her own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

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Source: Diva Julia: The Public Romance and Private Agony of Julia Ward Howe. By Valarie Ziegler, Professor of Religious Studies at DePauw University in Indiana

Happy Mother's Day everyone -- peace

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:38 am

I no longer celebrate holidays (at least in theory, sometimes it's hard NOT to everything has become so commercial), but I like Mother's Day. I bought myself a betta last year on the date, even though I'm not a mother.

amar · Post by **amar** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:51 am

well how about that...
http://german.about.com/od/holidaysfolk ... tertag.htm

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:57 am

german.about.com wrote:In 1907 Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia teacher originally from Grafton, West Virginia, began her own efforts to establish a national Mother's Day.

Indeed. She is one of the few famous people from West Virginia. The others are Jessica Lynch, Lindy England, and Jennifer Garner.

I like Anna better.

jGilder · Post by **jGilder** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:59 am

It is an interesting aside that Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" as well.

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:01 pm

I have a hard time with Mother's Day...all the cards extolling all those virtues I feel I lack, gift from my daughter reminding me of how many things I wish I'd done differently or how I feel I've failed her...
I've asked her to let it go by, but she refuses and I realize it's important to her to let me know that she loves me, so I grin and bear it. It's only one day...I can get through it.
*sigh*
Susan

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:02 pm

Mein eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!
He has trampled out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored!

I love that song, even if I don't understand half of it.

jGilder · Post by **jGilder** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:51 pm

Cranberry wrote:Mein eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!
He has trampled out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored!

I love that song, even if I don't understand half of it.

What I heard is that it's a Civil War hymn encouraging people to rise up against slavery.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Fri May 06, 2005 4:10 pm

I am glad that the concept of Mother's Day preceded the evil corporate card companies so I don't have to hear about it being invented by them.

It might be called Hell Day, tho, because their is nothing so punishing as going out for a brunch on Mother's Day at any restaurant around here. You get to wait in line for a long time then pay inflated prices for your trouble. All for dear ol Ma.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri May 06, 2005 4:31 pm

What time is brunch? This is a serious question. I'm guessing 10-11:00 A.M.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Fri May 06, 2005 5:16 pm

usually 11-2 but it starts earlier on Mother's Day and probably extends to 3 in some places.

susnfx · Post by **susnfx** » Fri May 06, 2005 5:21 pm

The Weekenders wrote:It might be called Hell Day, tho, because their is nothing so punishing as going out for a brunch on Mother's Day at any restaurant around here. You get to wait in line for a long time then pay inflated prices for your trouble. All for dear ol Ma.

See what I mean? *sigh* If she's like me, she'd rather you just forgot it (especially if she read that post, Weeks

)

Susan

jGilder · Post by **jGilder** » Fri May 06, 2005 6:16 pm

susnfx wrote:
The Weekenders wrote:It might be called Hell Day, tho, because their is nothing so punishing as going out for a brunch on Mother's Day at any restaurant around here. You get to wait in line for a long time then pay inflated prices for your trouble. All for dear ol Ma.
See what I mean? *sigh* If she's like me, she'd rather you just forgot it (especially if she read that post, Weeks )

Susan

It's like most other holidays -- they're great, but the expectations and obligations ruin them sometimes. ho ho ho

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Fri May 06, 2005 7:06 pm

jGilder wrote:
susnfx wrote:
The Weekenders wrote:It might be called Hell Day, tho, because their is nothing so punishing as going out for a brunch on Mother's Day at any restaurant around here. You get to wait in line for a long time then pay inflated prices for your trouble. All for dear ol Ma.
See what I mean? *sigh* If she's like me, she'd rather you just forgot it (especially if she read that post, Weeks )

Susan
It's like most other holidays -- they're great, but the expectations and obligations ruin them sometimes. ho ho ho

..Like Paddys Day in Boston. he he he..

Slan,
D.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sat May 07, 2005 2:23 pm

jGilder wrote:It's like most other holidays -- they're great, but the expectations and obligations ruin them sometimes. ho ho ho

If we choose to think of each and every day as a holiday (or a "holy day"), then things come into a different view--it suddenly becomes more important to live every single day more deliberately, more kindly, more aware, and more thoughtfully, and the concept of celebrating a "holiday" like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day or Christmas with money and candy and cards seems rather silly, because we understand that they are entirely commercial events, even if they didn't start out that way (and many popular holidays didn't).

That's a long sentence.