The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-12
Good Needed Dr.. Walker
Second Church Believes There Is Something in Mother
 Love That May Be Secret of Worlds Salvation

T despise sentimentality as such
 since it is the counterfeit of true and honest sentiment" stated Rev, Dr. John 0. Walker, Second Con- gregational church pastor, yester- day morning in his sermon, we Need Good Mothers Today".
 Dr. Walker said in part:
 T strongly suspect that there has been more meaningless sentimen-
 taiity than sound sentiment and deep affection In much if the glor- ifcation of motherhood which has been seen and heard at this season of the year. There has been 6 cer- tain amount of cohnmercialization of Mothers Day and 50 l am the more pleased to find c man placing the emphasis exactly and precisely where I feel the emphasis ought
 to be placed. It isn't simply motherhood as such that we need The Nazis of Germany place c high value or motherhood and exait ita functions in the totalitarian state but it is all too evident why mother. hood, any kind of motherhood, haa enhanced value under such a re- zine. It is not motherhood as such we honor today but motherhood ct It's highest and best, motherhood In the Christian sense and with the Christian background. We honor the good mothers, the great mothers not those who have proved false to their trust. On Mothers Day we appeal for the highest ideals of motherhood. We want mothers, yesl We honor those who go down to the gates of death, if need be to bring new life into the world but beyond that we insist that we need good mothers, those who make motherhood Q sacred and glorious profession.
 Perhaps there Is something in the story of mother love that may Dc the secret of the worlds salvation in this most critical period in the worlds history. In her extremity Q mother Is driven back upon God for her help and guidance. Tn these days when everything men hold dear iS ir such dire and dreadful peril we too may be driven back upon God. Prayer must surely Do c more vital and genuine force with mil- lions of people in Europe today than 1t has been at any time since the Reformation. Beyond the ter- TOT and the fears Of this hour we may hope for forgiveness and c new understanding when this hoe locaust Is over and perhaps through the ifstrufnentality Of the mothers Of men. The statesmen and the scientists mad the churchmen and all the supposed leaders of thought end opinion seem to have failed. The stead of order and justice we have misery and chaos and destruction.
 Perhaps the mothers may yet show the way Of understanding to their son8 and daughters. What made me think of this possibility was c story in connection with the life of the mother of the woman who was tho founder and hlspira- ton of the observance of Mothers Day, Miss Anna Jarvis of Phila. deiphia. A few weeks since read an account oS what the writer called the first organized Mothers Day. I'm quite sure that the manner of it's observance was not what you would have expected.
 The story goes back to the tragic aftermath of the Civil War and the representations in one Of the border counties ii West Virginia. It was hard enough to heal the breach in any case but on the borders between the North and the South the feel ings were particularly bitter as we all know. Neighbors and even broth. CTS had fought against each other for four long years and 1t was bit. ter hard to forget. Men glared ct each other when they met, who mad once been friends and there was the ever present threat Of Q series of feuds among the mountain men.
 We are not sure how Mrs. Jarvis thought this thing out. We do not