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Show AlVffiTIR PC WeVe honored u u U L l(J L l 3 mothers for centuries, 0 , n but President Wilson r-i I made it official f iyu.. in 1914! The celebration of Mother's Day, the third most popular holiday in the United States, goes back to the English custom of honoring mothers on a day called, "Mothering Sunday. V The American version of this celebration celebra-tion began with a mother who hoped someday someone would start a special day to honor mothers and a daughter who dedicated her life to fulfilling her mother's dream. The scene was Grafton, W.Va. It was shortly after the Civil War. Anna R. Jarvis, the wife of a storekeeper and the mother of 12 children, only four of which grew to maturity, was an active member of the service community. She taught Sunday School in the local Methodist Church and started clubs made up of mothers who wanted to develop better health care systems for their families. These clubs held meetings attended by soldiers and family members who fought on both sides in the Civil War. The idea was to bring unity back to Grafton, a divided community com-munity during the war period. After the death of Anna's husband, hus-band, the family moved to Philadelphia. Mrs. Jarvis died in 1905, leaving her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis, to crusade for a Mother's Day commemoration. This energetic school teacher made speeches, wrote thousands of letters, traveled many miles and spent her money trying to sell the Mother's Day idea to the nation. In 1908 while living in Philadelphia, she organized the first Mother's Day celebration. The second se-cond Sunday in May was selected because this was the Sunday closest to the day of her mother's death. The program was held in the Andrews An-drews Methodist Church where Mrs. Jarvis had worshiped and taught. The program, attended by about 400 people, began at 8 a.m. and lasted until noon. A second ser vice was held in Philadelphia from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. During the service, a telegram from Miss Jarvis was read. It stated the purpose of Mother's Day as a day set aside to honor our mothers, to bring families together, to make us all better children and to brighten the lives of good mothers. Miss Jarvis donated white carnations carna-tions that were passed out at the first Mother's Day service. She hoped this flower would become the symbol of Mother's Day. To encourage people to celebrate Mother's Day, Miss Jarvis would stand on a street corner in Philadelphia with a big tub filled with carnations. She would ask people to wear a red carnation if their mother was still living and a white one if she was dead. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. |