GRAFTON, W.Va. — On this 100th anniversary of Mother’s Day, the woman credited with creating one of the world’s most celebrated holidays probably wouldn’t be pleased with all the flowers, candy or gifts.
Anna Jarvis would want us to give mothers a white carnation — she felt it signified the purity of a mother’s love.
Jarvis, who never married and never had children, got the Mother’s Day idea after her mother said it would be nice if someone created a memorial to mothers.
Three years after her mother died in 1905, she organized the first official mother’s day service at a church where her mother had spent more than 20 years teaching Sunday school.
The former Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church is the official shrine to mothers around the world. Today, the shrine will give each mother attending a special service a white carnation.
The shrine also serves as a “reminder to the accomplishments of these women and to the issues mothers still deal with today, trying to do the balancing act of being everything to everyone,” said Cindi Mason, the shrine’s director.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 83 million mothers in the United States. More mothers now work out of the home, and the number of single-mother households has tripled to more than 10 million since 1970.
“Mother’s Day was meant to be — and still is — a celebration of a 19th-century ideal of motherhood, when mothers were supposed to dedicate themselves completely to nurturing their children and making a cozy, safe home,” said Laura Prieto, an associate professor of history and women’s studies at Simmons College in Boston.
Yet, Jarvis became increasingly disturbed as the celebration turned into an excuse to sell greeting cards, candy, flowers and other items.
She became known for scathing letters in which she would berate people who purchased greeting cards, saying they were too lazy to write personal letters “to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”
Before she died in 1948, she protested at a Mother’s Day celebration in New York and was arrested for disturbing the peace.
Popular names still on top
WASHINGTON — Emily again topped the list of most popular baby girl names last year, registering as No. 1 for the 12th straight time. Jacob led among names for boys for the ninth year in a row.
New parents didn’t stray far from past habits in 2007 when naming their babies. Only one name — Elizabeth — is new to the top-10 list. Samantha, which previously ranked 10th, dropped to No. 12, according to the latest list released Saturday by the Social Security Administration.
Top 10 boys’ names
1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Ethan
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. Christopher
7. Anthony
8. William
9. Matthew
10. Andrew
Top 10 girls’ names
1. Emily
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Ava
5. Madison
6. Sophia
7. Olivia
8. Abigail
9. Hannah
10. Elizabeth
The Associated Press
