“Mother’s Day Is An Abomination”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 13 May 1961, Page 12

“Mother’s Day Is An Abomination”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WHANGAREI, May 11

Mother’s Day is ar> abomination, in the opinion of the Rev. W. A. Levack, Presbyterian Minister at Waipu—but the Whangarei Retailers' Association disagrees. "Mother’s Day is nonBritish, non-Christian, nonhistorieal and nauseating," Mr Levack said today. “It is not part of the British way of life. “It is a thing which has been brought in from America and set going in this Dominion in quite an artific’ 1 fashion. “It has had no natural birth among us and is therefore a monstrosity, like a lamb with six legs.” Mr Levack said that Mother’s Day was no part of rhe Christian year, for the Church actually had a Mothering Sunday which was quite a different kettle of fish, and did not come up at this time of the year. “Thus any parsons who make a palaver of Mother's Day in church are a baseborn lot. obviously under the thumb of their more assertive and more ignorant women," he said.

■ The Americans who began [this were people who could, at the drop of a hat, turn on !an exhibition of sentimentality about their women enough to make an elephant forget himself. Mr Levack continued “Not In Glasgow” For 15 years he lived tn Glasgow but never once did he hear of Mother’s Day in that city. “And don’t imagine that J haven’t got a mother." Mr Levack said. "I have a better mother than any of those drooling Americans ever had. and I have not sent her r single Mother’s Day card in her life.

“But I have written her a full-length letter every Sunday night 52 times a year for the last quarter of a century.

"As for retailers who are the real culprits—they have fallen back on this expedient because they found they could not turn the Incarnation into good business more than just once a year." Mr Levack said “The mere mention of Mother's Day makes me fee! like John Knox with his ‘first blast of the trumpet against the montrous regiment of women.' “Blast, Blast, tßlast Mother’s Day.” said Mr Levack.

“Supply The Demand” I "Retailers are in business to supply the demand, and Mother's Day provides very big trading." says the president of the Whangare' Retailers’ Association (Mr W K. Ward). “I think it is a good thing for the joy it gives children to give gifts to their mothers or fathers.” Father's Day. at a different time of the year, was sometimes as big. if not a bigger trading day. than Mother’s Day. said Mr Ward. Mother's Day was certainly not an abomination in his view. Apparently it was not in the public’s view either as the buying of Mother's Day gifts was building into bigger trade each year Mr Ward spoke of the “flop” in New Zealand attempts to get Valentine’s Day established “This was a very big day in the United States, bu’ it didn't get a toeho’d in New Zealand because the nublir iu”* weren't interested." he said _ But the New Zealand public willingly accented the opportunity of further recognition of the mothers.