Here is Julia Ward Howell’s Mother’s Day Declaration:

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

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.”

It isn’t about hearing only; it’s about acting in response to what we hear. It’s abour ” I ain’t gonna study war no more!” I’m not participating in govenmental killing. We must teach “little African boys” by example, which is, of course, the way we teach our own sons and daughters about the “peace” God sent to earth. But we must do it the way their mothers want us to do it, which is not necessarily the way our government thimks is best. What do our government know about teaching “little African boys”?

The Peace of God and the Spirit of God are the same (Three-in-One) Person. We must spread the gospel of peace.

Most women really understand the need to eliminate war and don’t want their children to go but are dependent on men to eat, so they don’t speak out. When a man leads against war, we must join him quickly, because there are so few men who are relly leading against war. Even on the Poetry Man’s site and The Peace Tree, you will notice, if you follow it for a while, that most of the comments come from women. The world needs women to speak out like it never did before. The world needs women to lead. It needs the men just as badly, but most won’t give up their unearned power to do so. God blesses the humble of this world who follow Him, not who’s higher on the food chain.

We (people who alive now) will most likely not live to see the end of war. But Revelation warns us of what will happen, if we don’t “get it together” in Jesus name. What on earth are Christians waiting for? Things aren’t bad enough yet? When they get that way, we’ll get the faith.