The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-09
MINISTERS ALL OVER AMERICA
 WILL OBSERVE MOTHERS DAY.

A IL OVER the United States and Canada "A clergynaen of nearly all denomina- tions are to-day putting the finishing touches on sermons designed to teach proper respect and reverence for mothers, while florists are enioy- ing .an unprecedented demand for carnations which have been chosen as symbolic of the aims of the Mothers Day International Associa- tion. This organization. formed to popularize the observance of the second Sunday of May as Mothers Day, was inspired by a Philadeph woman, Miss Anna Jarvis. Her grief at the death of her mot ther led her to fuller realiza- tion of tn e sanetity of motherhood, and gave her the idea of 8 general celebration of day dedi-e cated to the memory 'of the best mother that ever Iived4- your own
 Miss Jarvis began her campaign by writing anonymously to editors, clergymen, leaders of fraternal organizations and publicsmen, and the idea so appealed to the deeper sentiments of mankind that 1t soon won general adoption throughout the continent Tn 1910 Mothers Day was celebrated in number of cities in the United States, and last year there was hardly a city, town or village in the United States and Canada hat did not have some observance of the day. Since Miss Jarvis launched her move
 ment an attempt has been made to lnaugurate |a Fathers Day. but it has fallen rather flat and
 has served no purpose beyond affording astheme for jests by hard-w9rking newspaper humorists. many of whom are doubtless members of the Insignificant Order Of Male Parents
 This year the Washington government, as well as the officials of most States and Provin- Ices has given assistance to the furtherance of Ithe Mothers Day mover lent The association has sent out appeals to all clergymen, Catholic Protestant and Hebrew, to preach sermons on the welfare of the home. Jewish pastors in many cities have announced that they will ob-l Iserve Mothers Day to- day. It is pointed out that Mothers Day should be universal holiday, since it appeals to a sentiment cherished alike lby Catholic and Protestant Hebrew Moslem, Buddhist, agnostic, political reactionary and Revolutionary, and people of all classes, condi- Itions, creeds and countries.
 The American Mothers Day is but a revi- val of an English holiday which was celebrated for centuries on Mid-Lent Sunday, and which was called Mothering Sunday. Like most holi- days, it has its peculiar food, the sinlneI cake. F In Canada, and to lesser extent ih the United the modern Mothering Sunday, and in many tcities bakers and confe fectioners are having 8 l iI8rge demand for this dainty. ss5ss The origin of simnel cake is said to date lfrofn many centuries ago, when an aged pair, Simon aIid ely lived in small cottage in the leepths of an English forest They had seven sons, but all had gone out into the great world Ibeyond the wood, and visited their parents only l on Moth ering Sunday which, as in other house. d family reunion. On one Mothering Sunday
 poor old Nelly found that her cupboard was in 1.-the condition of thattof Mother Hubbard, save l for a little dough and a few bits of Christmas fpIum pudding The dough was wrapped about l the bits of pudding, but at that point Simon in
 terfered, insisting that the cakes should be bak- led, while Nelly stood outsfo boiling. They fin-
 ally agreedt to boil the cakes first and then bake Ithem, after which. process the cakes were coat
 led with egg Since then the cake has been known as Sim-Nel, after the inventors
 F