The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-05-04
THE MOTHERS GIFT TO THE MA.
TON

Since that fateful day in April,
IT'S, when the minute men at LeXing-
ton fired 'the shot heard around the
world" April has been America S
month of destiny, and beginning with
that certain Friday of October, 1892.
when Columbus first landed on the
shores of a new world, Friday has
been our day of days.
And now, in our time, both April
and Friday have been joined together
in a date that holds the eyes of all the
world. For it has happened that on
Good Friday, April 6, of this year,
the anniversary day Of humanity's SUI
premest offering, America gave UP
forever the ocean-bound contentment
of its fathers and definitely took up
its cross of sacrifice and world ser
vice.
On the Easter morning following,
into our churches, in visible emblems
or in spirit, the flag of this, our land
of youth and promise, was borne in
company with the cross of our risen
Lord And thus we pledged ourselves
with love and fealty, to a great and
righteous cause and to a conflict that
with Gods help, will forever end all
war.
And now comes Mothers Day-and
now tears dim our vision of both cross
and flag This year our festival fol-
mothers means no longer the wearing
of some white flower of love and the
tender turning of our hearts to dear
mother-memories This time it is the
| loyalty and fine fiber of the mothers
that must be tested and tried, and
that in the old heroic way in which
war pleads it's sacrifice.
For life asks much of its mothers
! Not only must woman go down into
the valley of the shadow of death to
win her crown OF motherhood, but as
the years go by there must come to
her another time of bitter trial, the
day of her child's spiritual birth. The
boy grows toward manhood and be-
comes a separate entity. He must
live his own life. For the mother, the
thing that cuts the cords that bind
the wings of her fedgeling to her
ideals, and sets his spirit free, is a
sword that pierces her own heart.
One by one, through life's swift
changing years, must women give
their sons and daughters to dream
the dreams and do the work that the
great world asks of them. Nut now
and then, in some great crisis, the
women of whole nation must unite
their gifts in one splendid Offering to
meet a need that is compelling and SUI
preme. Such a time is ours today,
and mother hearts from end to end of
our great land are offering their treas
ures.
II lids always OcSu lint llliS. II ID
from the mothers of America, long
generations of them-valiant. sweet
and high Of heart-that we have learn
ed the reverence. faith, and bravery
that pledge us now to humanity's
great cause.
AS the war begins, we come with
our supreme gift, the first great expo
nent of our lOyalty-the first great of
fering-an army of two million boys !!
Two million American boys-where
in all this wonderful world of ours
can there be found gathered all to-
gether so MUCH of eagerness and pur-
pose. so much of gayety and daring,
so much of promise, and so much of
sure fulfilment as in this gallant army
of boys? In them the vital chivalry of
new world pours out its ardor and
its heroism for the final healing of
the nations.-Southern Womans Mag
aZine.
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