“MOTHER’S DAY”

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7446, 22 May 1911, Page 1

“ MOTHER’S DAY”

CELEBRATION 4T Y.iI.C.A. Yesterday afternoon the second celebr* tion of Mother’s Day was held , at-the Y.M.C.A. Mr H. N. Holmes, secretary of. the, institution,- was in the chair, and the speakers were Mr Oliver Burgess, missioner of China, and Mrs E. O. Blamires. Mr Holmes' stated that this month "Mother’s Day", is being observed throughout the .United States of American The > general idea of the day was the world-wide emphasis-of the love men. women, and children owed to a good' mother. The-special object was to honour and uplift motherhood-and give comfort and ■ happiness to the " best mother that ■ever lived." ■■ , ' , ■ -r" . MOTHERS OF WEST AND EAST. "The difference between the : mothers of the West and South and mothers of . the, East," Was the title of Mr Burgess’s address. It was a very striking tmng, and it.'had been said , that we owed .a great deal of the sin, sorrow, suffering apd death, that’are.-in the world to Eve, but it was also true that we owed our salvation to Mary. What Eve had brought on the race Mary had also practically removed 'in. giving birth to the Saviour of the. world. ; 'men there was tne idea that woman was a very inferior article to man, but right down the lino of time they ■ fouud tdat-Cod -had continually shown to'them some of the most wonderful heroines of the world in the mothers of hisiory and Scripture. They blamed their .Catholic' friends for worshipping Mary, but ha'doubled-if the ■Protestants gave her the place they should.. Could they imagine waat- she . suffered when her. Son was hanging on the Cross? T.-iis was a, fulfilment of. Scripture ..where it said:’"And a sword shall pierce thine own soul also."' lie almost did not like the word "mother," because in scenes of death—and he nad seen it with, many races—the cry of dying men was lor their mothers, 'me word always came back to his mind connected with scenes of tragedy, horror, death and starvation. Tiiero was a good deal of philosophic teaching* about that. He believed the innocence of life was the, innocence of childhood. As they got, older, they got to be greater sinners. In China women were only chattels. He had been to the homes of mandarins where .they, had got half a dozen fresh wives and they were often .selling out old stock and getting in new. stock. , These poor- people needed the Gospel. In the inland citiesOf China no woman Was safe in walking across the streets without an escort../A.- -duty lay upon them to give the .Gospel to these people. One great .blessing ,he hoped would come to China through the teaching of, the .Gospel, was the, liberation ..of the slaves. There 'were three million women and girl slaves in China. One of the most cursed systems in the world was tho binding of the feet of Chinese females.. In .New Zealand, a woman* had perfect liberty,, and the same rights ,as a man. The .infamous teachings of Confucius. were tho cause of, the sufferings of the Chinese women. IVo owed bur liberty to the teaching of the Gospel. It had .been said that we. had.no, right to interfere with these people • in; taking t hem, the Gospel. If that were true, then Christ was wrong, hut ho believed Jesus Christ was right when He said, "Go ye into ail* the world and preach the Gospel." At seven or eight years of ago a Chinese child left its mother’s hands and wont .into , the .hands of its teacher. Tho mother’s influence was then gone for ever. Mre E. 0. Blamires urged her hearers to-cherish their, mothers’ love. It was a glorious heritage to have a mother whose life was pure, 1 and whose life was touched with. love. / , • During'the afternoon Mjbs Ward sam a solo-