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Show KEEP MOTHERS' DAY AS DAY OF PRAYER, PRESIDENT URGES Secretaries Baker and Daniels and Anna Howard Shaw Send Messages to American Mothers. ".VSHINGTON, Ma)r 11. A nation's unity tomorrow in reverence and in homage to motherhood was asked tonight by President Wilson in a Mothers' day. message to the American people. Espeeiallv is it fitting at this time, the. president said, that the mothers of American men who have taken up arms in defense of worM liberty be revered, and he called upon all to pray God "for bis divine blessing upon them and upon their sous whose wholehearted service is now given to the country which we love." Messages to American mothers also were issued tonight by Secretary of War Baker, Secretary of the Navy Daniels and Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, chair- President Wilson. ' m man of the woman's committee ot the council of national defense. Mr. Baker's message "was a word from the soldiers at ' tho front, asking thevr mothers to be of good cheer, while Mr. Daniels called upon the nation to join in prayer for all mothers of the defenders de-fenders of democracy. President Wilson's message, issued in response to a house resolution, said: I take the liberty of calling special spe-cial attention to the fact that this is Mothers' day, and I take advantage advan-tage of the occasion to suggest that during this day our attention be directed particularly to'the patriotic pa-triotic sacrifices which are being so freely and generously made by tjhe mothers of our land in unselfishly unself-ishly offering their sons to bear arms, and, if need be, to die in defense of liberty and justice, and that we especially remember these mothers in our prayers, praying God for His divine blessing upon them and upon tbeir sons, 'whose wholehearted service is now given to the country which wo love. The other messages follow: To the Mothers of America: ' I bring you a message from your boys in France. They are cheerful and earnest and full of fight as proud of their country as their country is proud of them. From you they yet draw inspiration, and to you they semi a message filled with determination and with hope. They hope ' to make this war the last war that America will ever have to fight against a military despotism, and they want to fight till that hope has been achieved. They ask you to be of good cheer, to be with them fondly in your (Continued on Page Four.) WILSON URGES PRAYER FOR MOTHERS' DAY (Continued from Page One.) thoughts and to sustain your hearts in the day of battle as they will sustain theirs. NEWTON D. BAKER. Tothe Mothers of the Defenders of Democracy: The courage of the mothers in the homes is reflected by the bravery of the men at the front. It is always true that the morale of a nation's soldiers and the ideals for which they fight are born in the spiritual heroism of a nation's mothers. Let the nation join in international prayer to all mothers of defenders of democracy, to cheer and strengthen them, their sons, and the'nation itself, to fight to win the fight that must be won. Our country stands before the world as a nation fighting for the ideals of nations, and the world knows that the mothers of America are sending men of ideals to the front. In that lies our streugth. Faith and prayer are the two basic supports of national idealism. International prayer, for all mothers of democracy there are thirteen millions of them cannot but aid every soldier in camp or trench, as well as strengthen every mother at home. JOSEPHUS DANIELS. To the Mothers of the World: The mothers of the world are one in sacrifice, hope and pride in their sous and daughters who are serving their country while their sons are on the battle line. The mothers rejoice that they, too, may serve in the same groat struggle tor justice and that with every rising and setting sun their prayers of gratitude ascend and their hearts rejoice that they are the mothers of men who hold that honor is more precious than life and that the crowning glories of a nation are justice and mercy. ANNA HOWARD SHAW. The. National Association for Mothers of Defenders of Democracy announced an-nounced tonight that it had set aside tomorrow as a day of prayer. "The result desired," said the announcement, "is to cheer, console and strengthen the hearts of the mothers who have sons in the camp or trench, and to secure, through mothers' letters to their sons, a higher spiritual soldier morale. |