Can you explain for me the Mother's Day Proclamation

[Sympathy]

Hi,

I’m reading this passage and there are some parts I don’t understand. Can somebody please explain them for me?

Julia Ward Howe

Cross-posted from: peace. ca/mothersdaypro clamation. htm

Mothers’ Day Proclamation: Julia Ward Howe, Boston, 1870

Mother’s Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their sons. Here is the original Mother’s Day Proclamation from 1870, followed by a bit of history (or should I say “herstory”):

…………………………………

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says “Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870

1. What does baptism of fears mean?
2. What does too tender of those of another country to allow mean?
3. What does the sentence about blood mean?
4. What does bearing after the impress of … mean?

Thanks a million!

[Beeesneees]

Roughly…

1. That particular website seems to have some misquotes. Other sources state it as ‘whether our baptism be that of water or of tears!’
   mothersdaycelebration.com/mo … ation.html
   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day_Proclamation
   ‘Tears’ makes much more sense as it is akin to water anyway. Presumable she is referring to the tears shed by the grieving women.

2. You have split the phrase in the wrong place:
   ‘too tender of those of another country’ - we will consider with tender-heartedness (the sons of mothers in)the opposing countries.
   '… to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. ’ - (Because of our tender-heartedness) we will not approve of our sons being trained to fight and injure/kill the people of the opposing countries.

3. ‘Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.’ Our country is dishonoured by this war and violence, and the spilling of blood does not remove that dishonour. The use of violence to take control of any territory is not a true indication of possession of that territory.

4. “each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.” Humans are figuratively described as having the mark or stamp of a ruler. If they fight and participate in this violence they will bear the mark of Caesar (a soldier ruler). If they work for peace the impress (stamp or mark) that they have will be the mark of God.