They represent the best of what Mother’s Day is all about, or at least the modern version.
Originally created by Julia Ward Howe — yes, that Julia Howe, the author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” — Mother’s Day originated as a proclamation calling for an “appeal to womanhood throughout the world.”
Howe was horrified by the death and destruction of the Civil War and other global calamities. She believed an international body of women could find ways to avoid war and bloodshed.
See the photos
Pages 8-9A: Find more than 125 photos of mothers with their daughters and other family members in today’s print and e-editions of The Brookings Register.
While Howe’s mission was honorable, it never gained legs. Today’s Mother Day is more associated with the work of Ann Jarvis, who wanted to celebrate her mother with the noble idea that, like Howe before her, women could and would change the world.
This year’s Brookings Register tribute to moms doesn’t pretend to share such lofty ideals. Yet we always have understood that women have and will continue to change the world through their families, their community and their nation.
This past week we asked our audience to celebrate the mothers in their lives with postings utilizing the Register’s Facebook page. More than 140 mothers, daughters, friends and families were showcased in a variety of manners.
Some, like Tonya Perry Anderson, showed an extraordinary likeness between generations of females. Others, such as Ashley Norgaard Hartung, noted that families don’t have to match, showing off her adopted offspring.
All showcased a bond that only comes from family, by name or by interest.
Howe and Jarvis never got the holiday they strived for. Yet we can argue that they, like the mothers showcased in today’s paper, change the world every day.
— Contact Brian Bloom at [email protected].
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