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Mat 18, 1920. 



The Florists^ Review 



23 



MOTHERS' DAY MATTERS 



THANKS TO MESS JARVIS. 



From all over the country come re- 

 torts of record-breaking Mothers* day 

 sales. Though the weather man was 

 against florists inasmuch as he hindered 

 rrops so that the supply of cut stock 

 was far from adequate, he favored the 

 retailers with a balmy summer day 

 May 9. Everything in cut flowers sold 

 out and plants went well. So strong 

 was the demand that the wholesale 

 T/iarkets were cleared out. Carnations 

 responded in price to the excessive de- 

 mand and even then were sold at prices 

 below what some florists say they might 

 have got. Despite the trade's efforts 

 to turn the call for carnations into 

 other channels, the demand for it as 

 the day's flower was overwhelmingly 

 strong. When they were sold out, other 

 flowers followed and most retailers 

 closed their doors with empty iceboxes. 

 Many turned away buyers. 



That they did not have to turn away 

 more, thanks are due to Miss Anna 

 Jarvis, now so well known, if not en- 

 deared, to the florists' trade, that she 

 does not need to be introduced as the 

 head, if not all the rest of the anatomy 

 as well, of the Mothers' Day Interna- 

 tional Association. Her propaganda 

 against the use of flowers in the ob- 

 servance of Mothers ' day this year was 

 so widespread that no florist, it would 

 seem, need be enlightened as to her 

 efforts. 



The Review's history of the making 

 of Mothers ' day in its issue of April 29 

 made it sufliciently clear that florists 

 and not Miss Jarvis are responsible for 

 its national observance today. At this 

 stage, however, no individual or asso- 

 <'iation can dictate to the American pub- 

 He its mode of observing the holiday. 

 Flowers have been and will continue to 

 be universally associated with Mothers' 

 day. How little this sentiment was af- 

 f'eeted by Miss Jarvis 's press-agentry 

 was demonstrated last Sunday. The 

 florist may feel that the only thanks he 

 owes Miss Jarvis are that, as a result 

 of her efforts, he did not have to turn 

 :uvny more buyers than he did May 9. 



FLOWERS OR FLAGS? 



S. A. F. vs. Miss Jaxvis. 



The members of the trade throughout 

 ">o country were much surprised, 

 liidging from the correspondence reach- 

 "'K the S. A. F. promotion bureau, at 

 " 'lispatch, dated at Washington and 

 ^•manating from the Mothers' Day In- 

 '^•niational Association, of which Miss 

 Anna Jarvis is the head, to the effect 

 ,' •■'t flags should be used rather than 

 ^;'Wt"rs on Mothers' day, owing to the 

 '_sn prices charged by florists for flow- 

 ,„:, , "" t"e occasion. Charges were 



-'le that the florists were profiteering. 

 ^ no of the New York papers went 

 n~,„;"7' 1"oting an interview with a 

 ^1 'sintormed prelate, at which it was 

 •ilr,.n 1 J ^^ ^^ "^any carnations had 

 : '^ady been bought up as to make it 

 oxorKu ! *" pui chase them except at 



^'./ni .P'"'*'^^' ^'^ per flower being 

 •'« amount named. 



The Mothers' Day International As- 

 sociation also sent propaganda to news- 

 papers individually, of which the fol- 

 lowing, received from a prominent 

 metropolitan newspaper in Massachu- 

 setts, is a copy: 



City Editor, 

 Dear Sir:— 



One of our slogans this year is. "Do not buy 

 flowers for Mothers' day, but lielp us to stop 

 florists' Mothers' day profiteering." 



Will you help us to stop this graft? 



Mothers' Day International Association. 



Charge of Infringement. 



In addition to all this, the following 

 letter was received by the secretary of 

 the S. A. F. from the Mothers' Day 

 International Association by registered 

 mail, so that a personal receipt was de- 

 manded: 



Gentlemen: — 



This Is notice to the Society of American 

 Florists and all concerned that you are in- 

 fringing on the trademarks and copyrights of 

 the Mothers' Day International Association, Inc., 

 and Anna Jarvis, both of Philadelphia, through 

 the use and sale of florists' supplies and printed 

 matter bearing the words, "Mothers' Day," and 

 the white carnation, etc. 



It is also notice to each and all of you to 

 at once discontinue these infringements, or we 

 shall proceed against you to the full limit. 



You have been effecting sales through misrep- 

 resentations to the public as to our emblem 

 and through infringements, and now. In addition 

 to the profiteering of years past, you have en- 

 tered upon a new line of trade for the purpose 

 of further profiteering and free advertising. 



It is not believed that florists generally un- 

 derstand facts as they exist against Mothers' 

 day, through the propaganda of some persons 

 at the head of your society. We do not believe 

 many florists have contributed to the S. A. F. 

 money to be used to misrepresent facts re- 

 garding Mothers' day, or to annoy the Mothers' 

 (lay association and interfere with the welfare 

 of Its worli, or for litigation, or for other ex- 

 penses for which their money lins been spent in 

 some ways. It is our purpose to investigate 

 if contributions to your bureau were for these 

 purposes and for infringements upon moral and 

 legal trade rights, which are recognized as 

 dishonorable in all lines of business. 



To us It seems a small matter for your society 

 to have proceeded against Mothers' day welfare 

 in the way it has through some of its representa- 

 tives in order to sell a parcel of posterettes and 

 posters and similar matter through infringements. 

 We asked you to have a better understanding, 

 but you refused. 



It is hoped that any other movement con- 

 sidering the use of flowers will profit by our 

 unfortunate experience, annoyance and expense. 

 We sliall certainly not hesitate to protect any 

 we can. 



Trusting that we may have a prompt assur- 

 ance of your discontinuance of your infringe- 

 ments, we are. 



Respectfully, 

 ANNA JARVIS (Signed) .ind 

 MOTHERS' DAY INTERNATIONAL ASSOCI.\- 

 TION., INC. 



Charges Are Baseless. 



The secretary then wrote the follow- 

 ing letter to the Associated Press, ad- 

 dressing it to their general office in New 

 York: 



Referring to the item In the enclosed clipping, 

 which evidently is from a press report sent out 

 from Washington, also in the more extended 

 form copied in the advertisement also enclosed, 

 I take the liberty, in behalf of the florists of 

 this country, of declaring the charges to be 

 without foundation and the statements as ab- 

 solutely untrue and injurious to those engaged 

 in the florists' industry. 



I am also enclosing a copy of a letter purport- 

 ing to be issued by Miss Jarvis and the Mothers' 

 Day International Association, which may be 

 considered as bearing on the case. A copy of 

 the poster complained of is enclosed in addl 

 tlon. 



First of nil. Miss ,Tarvis is justly recognized 

 as the founder of Mothers' day, or at least 

 as one who has revived an old English custom, 

 recorded by Chambers as "a practice of going to 

 see parents, especially the female one, on the 

 mid-Sunday of Lent, taking for them some little 

 present, such as a cake or n trinket." A youth 

 engaged in this amiable act of dut.v was said 

 to "go a-mothering," and the day itself came 

 to be called "Mothering Sunday." 



Public Resolution No. 25, Sixty-third Congress, 

 is a joint resolution designating the second Sun- 

 day In May as Mothers' day and for other 

 purposes. Governors of states and mayors of 

 cities have, by proclamations, endorsed the ac- 

 tion of Congress and the day Is now generally 

 observed by the American public as one on which 

 homage is to be paid to mothers living and 

 honor accorded to the memory of mothers dead. 



So much for Miss Jarvis' claim of proprietor- 

 ship in Mothers' day. As a little inside history, 

 it may be mentioned that Miss Jarvis solicited 

 the aid of different florists' organizations at the 

 outset of her efforts to create interest in the day. 

 As a result, the Society of American Florists 

 gave her a check for $100 to be used in any 

 way she saw flt in the promotion of her Ideas. 

 The society further collected subscriptions from 

 individual florists throughout the country amount- 

 ing altogether to $1,000, which sum was also 

 turned over to her. 



As to the charge that florists have been 

 profiteering, I should say that this is baseless; 

 $1 apiece for carnations is absurd. If such a 

 price ever was received, it certainly was not 

 at a florists' establishment. At a charity fair, 

 perhaps, $5 apiece might willingly be paid. 

 White carnations are never sufficient for the 

 demand on Mothers' day, for the reason that 

 florists who grow them must necessarily take the 

 remaining 364 days in the year Into considera- 

 tion, days on which white flowers are in small 

 demand. Miss Jarvis never could seem to under- 

 stand this and her misunderstanding was the 

 cause of an abatement in the support given her 

 by the florists. With the exception of white 

 carnations, governed by the law of supply and 

 demand, just as other commodities are, flowers 

 for Mothers' day are just as reasonable in price 

 as on other days at the same season and there 

 is not the slightest justification for Miss Jarvis' 

 message, the publication of which she has foisted 

 on the evidently unsuspecting press. 



If you can help to contradict the statement 

 complained of, your assistance will be highly 

 appreciated by our society. 



The Associated Press courteously 

 took action in the matter, as will be 

 seen by their letter in reply to the sec- 

 retary by Harold Martin, superintend- 

 ent of the Associated Press. 



I enclose a copy of an Associated Press 

 dispatch from Washington today which gives 

 a denial by W. F. Gude of the statement of 

 Miss Anna Jarvis, concerning which you wrote 

 under date of May 6. This meets the point 

 raised in your letter. 



Denial By Gude. 



The dispatch referred to was as 

 follows: 



Washington, May 7.— Acting for the Society 

 of American Florists, W. F. Gude, Its Wash- 

 ington representative, has issued a denial of the 

 statement by Miss Anna Jarvis, president of 

 the Mothers' Day International Association, that 

 florists profiteered In white carnations, the 

 svmbol of observance of Mothers' day, last year. 

 Miss Jarvis had called on observers of the day 

 this year to abandon the carnation and display 

 American flags. 



All members of the society throughout the 

 country, Mr. Gude said, have been \irged to sell 

 white carnations at the usual market rate on 

 Mothers' day, Sunday, May 9. 



As to the charges of infringement of 

 copyrights, they may safely be ignored. 

 Mothers' day is a public day and so 

 declared by Congress; therefore our 

 publicity committee does not feel that 

 it reed have any further concern in the 

 matter. John Young, Sec'y. 



BOOSTING IN BUFFALO. 



Telegraph Company's Aid. 



One of the best aids to Mothers ' day 

 business in the city of Buffalo was given 

 by the Western Union Telegraph Co. 

 at the suggestion of a florist. About two 

 weeks before Mothers' day Mark 

 Palmer, of W. J. Palmer & Son, stepped 

 into the office of the manager of the 

 Western Union Telegraph Co. and told 

 Mr. Smith that he knew how the tele- 

 graph company could make itself a good 

 deal of business. He then suggested 



