Mother's Day

By Matthew Clark

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac (almanac.com/content/history-mothers-day) the first observance of Mother's day occurred in 1887 in Henderson, Kentucky. A teacher by the name of Mary Rawles Sasseen led her class in a session focusing on honouring mothers. Later Ms. Sasseen would publish a pamphlet calling for a special day to honour mothers. She suggested April 20th (her mothers birthday) as a good date to salute all moms. Mary died in 1906.

Three women, Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Ms. Jarvis daughter Anna, took up Ms. Sasseen's idea of some form of a national mothers day. Ann Reeves Jarvis, an Appalachian Sunday School teacher, had campaigned against unsanitary living conditions which, she argued, resulted in high infant mortality rates. Ann Jarvis made a special appeal for mothers to be in the forefront of changing these malignant conditions. She further proposed, at the end of the civil war, the establishment of a "Mother's Friendship Day," to promote peace between Union and Confederate supporters.

Julia Ward Howe was a famous poet who authored 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' (1862). In 1870 she proposed a 'Mother's Day for Peace.' Her idea gained support primarily in Boston, although a few other communities took up Julia Howe's suggestion. For thirty years there was a regular celebration of 'Mother's Day for Peace. Eventually these observances ceased in the early twentieth century.

In May of 1907 Anna Jarvis (Ann's daughter) held a memorial service for her mother (who passed in 1906) in the Methodist Church of Grafton, West Virginia. Anna Jarvis dropped the idea of public service and instead campaigned for a day to simply honour all moms. In 1908 she held another memorial for her mother. This memorial occurred on May 10th. Thus was instituted the tradition of celebrating mother's day on the second Sunday in May.

Anna's idea quickly steamrolled, gaining favour throughout the United States. In 1914 U.S. President Wilson signed a bill designating the 2nd Sunday in May as Mother's day.

In Canada Ms. Jarvis idea also caught on with that nation's public at large. The first celebration of Mother's day in the Great White North took place on May 9th, 1914 (three months before the commencement of WWI). Participants went to church wearing a white carnation as a salute to all moms.

One interesting fact about Mother's day. Every year the 24 hour period with the most long distance calls made by phone transpire on Mother's day!

To all you moms far and wide the Forgotten Outsider wishes you a

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY