Mother's Day, Original Proclamation - (Anti war)

[annabanana]

The Original Mother's Day Proclamation
Julia Ward Howe, 1870

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 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 out 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 learning after his
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.

[Stephanie]

1. Let's do it!

Let's email this around the planet and then let's convene a great convention of women for peace next Mother's Day in DC.

[Bluerthanblue]

2. NOW THAT'S

a proclamtion i can stand behind 110%!!!

Thank you for that-

i'm passing it on to all i know.

[bloom]

3. It was sad to think

there are some mother's that I could send it to and others - who have already sent their sons (or more like - whose sons went whether their mothers liked it or not) - that I could not.

[Tsiyu]

4. Kicking

:kick:

Julia Ward Howe must have been of "That Other Faith."

[WebeBlue]

5. Mother's Day Origins article by Geov Parrish

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=19000


Geov Parrish
WorkingForChange.com
05.05.05

"In the name of womanhood and humanity..."
The radical origins of Mother’s Day: Julia Ward Howe's strident call for women to oppose the wars of men

Two years ago in this space, I took the occasion of an upcoming Mother's Day weekend to reprint the 1870 call by American poet and women's leader Julia Ward Howe for the establishment of the holiday. The response was astonishing; the awareness, by even peace activists, was nearly nil that what is now widely viewed as a sentimental tribute to family was originally a call for women to wage a general strike to end war.

This year -- as more and more mothers, in America as well as Iraq, mourn their fallen sons and daughters, lost to the insanity of organized violence -- Julia Ward Howe's call for women to not allow their men to constantly play at war is suddenly back in fashion. Around the country, her original Mother's Day Proclamation will be the basis for parades, remembrances, and other events that try to reclaim the holiday's original spirit in a year when the United States' (male-dominated) government talks seriously not of avoiding war, but staying the course on the multiple ones we're already fighting.

..... snipped, see rest at link (above).

I sent this article out this year as my own Mother's Day Acknowledgement and it is fitting for me to do so since I am a military family Mom who does speak out..

[DanCa]

6. Thank you so much for posting this.

I already copied and pasted and sent it out too various friends. Danny.

[Lars39]

7. Emailed.

Wonderful reminder that life is not a Hallmark card.

[Hun Joro]

8. Thank ypu for posting this. n/t

[Sapphire Blue]

9. Thank you for posting this

http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?list=type&type=47

[annabanana]

10. Up it Goes...

In time for every Mother's Day as long as there is murder done in my name.

[Sapphire Blue]

11. ...

:kick:

[anarchy1999]

12. Can we please keep this at the top all day. It would mean the most!

N/t

Thank you.
Anarchy1999

[kimpossible]

13. I had no idea

that this was the original meaning of Mother's Day! That's beautiful. Thanks for posting it.

[kimpossible]

14. Here's my edited email to moms I know:

I worked parts of the WorkingForChange and CodePink articles, along with the text of the original pledge, into an email to forward to friends and family. Wouldn't it be great to turn this into one of those (usually annoying) invasively spreading, inbox-clogging, conversation-starting chain emails that everyone gets eventually?

###########################################

Forward this to all of the mothers you know, and those who love them, in honor of the strength of the maternal spirit that links mothers around the world.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we pause to celebrate this Mother's Day, very few of us recall the original spirit of the holiday. This year -- as more and more mothers, in America and around the world, mourn their fallen sons and daughters, lost to the insanity of organized violence --
the importance that Julia Ward Howe gave to the act of honoring mothers in the late 1800's is strikingly relevant today.

Mother's Day is not a Hallmark holiday. It is a call to peace by women who lost their sons in the Civil War.

While best known for writing the Battle Hymn of the Republic and her stance against slavery, Julia Ward Howe was horrified by the carnage and suffering during the Civil War and the economic devastation that followed. She was also heart-broken by the outbreak of war between France and Germany in 1870, with its ominous display of German military might and imperial designs.

It's worth remembering that the Civil War, a political division that lasted longer and
was considered more intractable than today's Palestine/Israel conflict or indefinite "War
on Terror," was not unanimously lauded at the time. And that women thought they could do
something to prevent such bloodshed in the future.

Here is the original, pre-Hallmark, Mother's Day Proclamation, penned in Boston by Julia
Ward Howe in 1870:

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 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 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.

(with credit to Julia Ward Howe, Geov Parrish of WorkingForChange.com, and Medea Benjamin
of CodePink.org)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Sapphire Blue]

15. ...

:kick:

[Sapphire Blue]

16. Once more, before the day is over...

:kick: