Mothers’ Day is certainly one of those “Hallmark Holidays”. One day a year where we are obligated to buy stuff. In this case, the object of the purchase is our mother. And a worthy object she is. Moms are great. They care for us, reassure us, put up with us and generally sacrifice for us so that we can go out into the world and hopefully make them proud.
But the History of Mothers’ Day in America is a much more interesting story than “let’s take mom to Pizza Hut tonight so she doesn’t have to cook”. And since it has a Unitarian Universalist tie, I thought I’d take a moment this morning to quickly review how we got here.
Mothers’ Day was originally proclaimed by Unitarian Julia Ward Howe in 1870. Nine years earlier, Howe had written the lyrics for The Battle Hymn of the Republic after a meeting with Abraham Lincoln. The song went on to become one of the most popular Union songs during the Civil War. But as the war progressed, Howe became increasingly distressed by the human toll of the war. Not just the deaths of soldiers but the devastation those deaths wreaked on the families of the soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
In 1870, Howe made the first Mothers’ Day Proclamation calling for mothers on both sides of the Civil War lines to work tirelessly for an end to the conflict. Her proclamation is powerful and moving even today.
Arise, then, women of this day!
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 of 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 out dishonor
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have of ten 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 his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.
In the name of womanhood and 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.
Here are a few links to further reading, if the spirit moves you:
- Mothers’ Day Central – The history of Mothers’ Day
- UUA Biography of Julia Ward Howe
- Wikipedia Mothers’ Day Page
