| Show mothers mothe s day observed b by y all nations the observation of mothers day as a national festival is significant that a lay so rich in sentiment so tender in its moaning meaning should be officially adopted in a country which scoffs at sentiment and prides itself on its veneer of practicality la Is a hopeful sign like tho divining rod of old us age it reveals underneath the crust of commercialism a perennial spring of idealism although the formal designation of a specific day as mothers day was tut recently made in this country wo we find in turning the pages of history that the idea rests like so BO many of our customs upon an ancient foundation it strikes deep roots into uni versal truth and emotion mother love iove antedates the christian religion mother worship with its awn rites and ceremonies reaches back into pagan times bl mother other of the gods coda our earliest record of formal moth er worship Is tn in the ilia stories of the ceremonies by which cybelle or rhea the preat great mother of gods was wor salpe in asia minor in her worship it was tile the power and majesty of motherhood rather than its tender maternal spirit that the wild dances and wilder music celebrated cybelle was represented ns traversing the mountains in a chariot drawn by lions the lion the oak and tile the pine were sacred to her the worship of this superlative mother of gods was introduced through greece into rome about years before christ there it was known as the festival of hilaria and was held on the ides of march when the people made offerings tn in the tern tem pie these were of course confiscated by the priests but they thay served their purpose of elev elevating aUng motherhood into something of its rightful dignity with the advent the festival still keeping sonic some of its old atoms was informed with a new spirit and transfigured trans figured the old celebration with pagan rites in honor of the mother of the gods on the ides idea of march grew into a celebration in honor of the mother cli church 1 I it became the custom on mid lent sunday the fourth sunday in lent for the faithful to visit the church in which they were baptized and brought up bearing gifts for the altar hio mothering sunday cunday old just bust when and how this festival of worship for tile lie mother church gave rise to the observance of mothering sunday is ils uncertain it la Is sure however that a long time ago when young men and maidens were bound out as apprentices nelces and servants mid lent sunday w was as set apart for them to visit their parents the folio following ing quaint ace arit of this astl al Is taken from chambers to kook IC of days alie the harshness and general painfulness of life in old times roust must have been much rell relieved eved by certain simple find and affectionate customs which mod ru people have learned to dispense with amongst these was a practice of going to see parents and especially the female one on the mid sun day of lent taking for them soine boine little present such as a cake or a trinket A youth engaged in this amiable act of duty was said to go a mothering and thence the day it self belt camo came to be called mothering sunday one can readily imagine how after a stripling or malden maiden had gone gon 0 to service or launched in independent housekeeping the old bonds of filial love would be brightened by this pleasant annual visit signalized signalizes ns as custom demanded it should be by tile the excitement attending some novel and perhaps surprising gift there was waa also a cheering and peculiar festivity appropriate to the day the prominent |
