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Mother’s Day as a Day of Peace

Julia Ward Howe, magazine author and writer of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, was sick and tired of the Civil War’s devastation to families, the community, and the world.  In 1870 she wrote a proclamation calling mothers to come together with a voice of peace.  Below is her letter: 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...

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