Mother's Day in the War Cry | Heritage Centre & Archives

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Mother's Day in the War Cry

Posted May 4, 2021

 

"In 1905 Anna Reeves Jarvis died. On 9 May 1907, on the second anniversary of her mother's death, Miss Anna Jarvis arranged a memorial service, asking that it honour other mothers as well.
The service was held in a small nonconformist church in Philadelphia and attracted new[s]paper publicity.
Prompted by this initial success, Anna Jarvis decided that one Sunday should be set aside each year all over America to remember their mothers.
She received such an overwhelming response to her campaign, she gave up her school teaching job to devote all her time to organising a Mother's Day.
But by the 1920's Mother's Day was becoming commercialised and sentiment was almost ignored. Anna Jarvis came across some women selling Mother's Day carnations and argued so violently with them she was arrested for disturbing the peace.
She couldn't fight commercialisation, however. Florists, confectioners, greeting card manufacturers, printers–all were cashing in. Anna Jarvis's opinions were ignored–and so was she. Completly embittered, she shut herself off from the rest of the world and refused to see anyone.
Deaf and nearly blind, the founder of Mother's Day died in 1948."