What Would We Do Without Women
(Editor’s Note: Dr. John Brown submitted this column for Mother’s Day last week before the death of Osama Bin Laden. After the, he submitted a column on Bin Laden which was published last week. Here is his column on Mother’s Day.)
On May 10, 1908, Mother’s Day was first observed in this country at the Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The prime organizer of the event was a lady by the name of Anna Jarvis who sought to continue the work of her mother, also named Anna Jarvis.
The elder Ms. Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe, author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” had worked together in the late 1800s to bring about reconciliation of Northern and Southern mothers following the Civil War. They felt that if our nation’s mothers would come together than our country could be healed from the wounds of war.
The younger Ms. Jarvis’ idea to honor the work of not only of her mother but of all women, spread around the country and in 1912, her home state of West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day as an official day of celebration. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day to be a federally observed day designating the second Sunday in May to be the day of remembrance.
The younger Ms. Jarvis became jaded over her own creation because it soon became commercialized. In fact, she fought to have the term “Mother’s Day” copyrighted in order that she might gain some aspect of control over the celebration.
Ironically, Ms. Jarvis passed away in 1948 without any children of her own. In another twist to her story, a cartel of florists, one of the industries which she criticized for the commercialization of Mother’s Day, paid the bills for her medical care in her later years.
In her zeal, Ms. Jarvis brought attention to the role of women in our society in a time when their role was not universally appreciated.
On that first Mother’s Day in 1908 the very women who were being honored were not given the opportunity to vote. Many trades and professions were closed to them and their educational opportunities were limited.
In 1908, in spite of the fact the Bible teaches that “there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:28) churches often times did not allow full participation by women.
Today I am proud to say that our nation is a changed place. Today the rights of men and women are equal in our society. Most all professions and trades are open to women and educational opportunities for women abound. In fact, today more women attend college in our nation than men.
Today in our community we are well aware of the capabilities of women in leadership and in its professions. The editor of this publication is a woman. Our representative in the state legislator is not only a woman but a former mayor of our community. The chairperson of our county’s Board of Education is a woman.
We have women serving on our County Commission and City Council. Women serve as Probate Judge and Tax Commissioner. A number of our leading physicians and attorneys are women.
The church has also experienced a transformation. While not all denominations are open to the full participation of women in all aspects of church life many are. I am proud to say that my denomination is one of these.
Today in the United Methodist Church we have women in many positions of leadership. We have women serving as pastors in many churches. We have women who are bishops and serving in other denominational leadership capacities. This is true not only in our denominational hierarchy but in our local congregations.
Here in Jasper County, congregations of many different denominational traditions now find themselves under the leadership of very capable and Spirit filled women pastors who add a great richness to the spiritual life of our community. It is only fitting that women assume these roles. After all, the first persons who were entrusted with “telling the Good News” of the resurrection of Jesus Christ were women.
So it is that we remember those pioneers like both the elder and younger Anna Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe who realized both the power and potential in the women of our land. As a father whose only child is a daughter I am grateful that she has opportunities that were not available to women of generations past. So it is on this Mother’s Day that we celebrate the contributions of all women to making our world and our community a better place for all.