A Brief History of Mother's Day

As far as this writer is concerned, every day is (or should be) mother’s day. Every day across our land mothers are making sacrifices and loving choices for their families. But just when did people begin to officially recognize the efforts of our mothers with a single, special day of remembrance?

In the United States of America, the year was 1913 and the House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution to this effect in the month of May. This resolution requested that all government officials, including Congress and the President, wear a white carnation to recognize the mothers of the United States of America.

A year later on May 8, 1914, another resolution was passed in Congress that set aside the second Sunday in May as the official “Mother’s Day.” On this day, the US Flag should be displayed on all government buildings and homes as a “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” This first proclamation was given by then President Woodrow Wilson.

Still, this isn’t exactly the beginning of the recognition of the efforts of mothers. According to popular histories, the first official observance of Mothers Day occurred on May 10, 1908. Church services held in Grafton, West Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania marked the day by wearing Carnations, the favorite flower of Mrs. Anna Reese Jarvis’ mother. Anna Jarvis had requested the observance in honor of her departed mother. Tradition holds that white carnations are representative of mothers that have passed away and red carnations represent mothers that are still living.

Mrs. Jarvis’ efforts had been spurned by her own mother who had taught lessons in her Sunday School. During one of the lessons, Anna’s mother pronounced that, “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers.” The groundwork was laid by Mrs. Anna Jarvis who petitioned local businessmen and even Presidents Taft and Roosevelt to support her desire to recognize mothers.

Mrs. Jarvis saw her dream come to fruition, but over time merchants and businesses began capitalizing on the new national holiday. These businesses increasingly promoted material gifts, cards, presents and flowers to their customers. Such greedy materialism did not match the intent Anna Jarvis intended and she became increasingly frustrated with the practice. So much so that she filed a lawsuit in 1923 to halt a Mother’s Day festival. Later still, Mrs. Jarvis was arrested for disturbing the peace while trying to sell carnations at a war mother’s group. Ultimately Mrs. Jarvis died in 1948, full of regret for starting the mother’s day tradition.

However, long before there was an Mrs. Anna Jarvis, others had pressed for recognition of the plight of mothers. In Boston, in the year 1870, Julia Ward Howe (Author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”) issued her own proclamation in the name of peace.

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our 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, 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 of murder is not the balance
of justice.”

Blood does not wipe our 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
bearing after their 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.

Perhaps Julia Ward Howe had actually been encouraged by the mother of the woman who eventually saw Mother’s Day become a National holiday. Prior to Julia Ward Howe’s proclamation, the mother of Mrs. Anna Jarvis (Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis), had been organizing Mother’s Work Days since 1858. The goal of these work days was to improve health and sanitation conditions in West Virginia communities. Her work continued through the United States Civil War when she encouraged women to care for casualties of that war. An increasing number of women and mothers became exposed to the dangers and destruction caused by modern means of warfare and soon meetings were held to attempt to bring peace back to the land.

With so much warfare continuing to be waged throughout the world today, perhaps we could set aside the materialistic side of mother’s day this year and return to the original intention. Let us remember the sacrifices of our wives and mothers and honor them by finding way to ease their suffering. Let us dedicate ourselves to opting first to find peaceful solutions rather than immediately going to war over disagreements.