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95 10 A star of recognition Within days of the st. Mihiel salient deaths in eastern France, a women’s movement to abolish traditional black mourning dress was launched on the editorial pages of the American press. it began when Mrs. Louise D. Bowen, the chairman of Chicago’s Women’s Committee of the state Council of Defense proposed a gold star as a substitute for black mourning dress in memory of the American soldier dead.1 Bowen’s appeal was launched in a New York Times editorial, in which she claimed that the “glory of the death should be emphasized rather than its sadness.” Bowen added that the psychological effect of “multitudes in mourning” was not good for the country and that the majority of soldiers were also against such demonstrations of grief. “it is not too early to consider this subject now,” she concluded.2 The notion that wearing mourning garb was somehow mentally and physically injurious to the bereaved triggered a quick succession of editorials that wholeheartedly supported the patriotic chorus. The “lugubrious uniform once felt to be compulsory” was observed to have been in decline in recent years, due to change in taste and sentiment.3 instead, it was believed that the adoption of the gold star emblem would “show a higher appreciation of what death in the country’s good cause really [was]—an honor even more than a misfortune, and one reflecting something of honor on those whom the bereavement directly and personally affects.” Thus, sadness for the tragic, premature end of a life and the natural grieving process for that death were exchanged in favor of recognition for the living. “There is no better death than this and none so good,” the editorial espoused, “and manifestation of its glory rather than of a private grief becomes the patriotic citizen.”4 Pressure to change longstanding traditions emanated from the male domain as well as from women’s groups. speaking before an audience in Washington, DC, James W. sullivan, assistant to the labor leader samuel Gompers, described his experiences overseas and exclaimed, “All France 96 A Star of Recognition is in mourning.” sullivan’s concern went beyond the depressing sight of mourning garments to more practical questions of cost. He reasoned that if the French had declined to wear mourning attire, “the poor would have saved tens of millions of dollars.” sullivan went on to suggest that mourners wear a black band on the sleeve rather than a gold star. “if we are in for a two or three years’ war, it is worth considering,” he added.5 in May 1918, President Wilson wrote to Dr. Anna Howard shaw, head of the Women’s Committee of the United states Council of National Defense , suggesting that the group publicize its advice on mourning to other women. He urged the committee to promote service badges “upon which the white stars might upon the occurrence of a death be changed into stars of gold.”6 Wilson confided to shaw that it would be unwise for him to “make any public utterance in this delicate matter,” since it might appear that he was suggesting high death tolls.7 He therefore urged the committee to publish his ideas through its own voice, which it did. on May 26, the New York Times published an endorsement letter from the president that stated, “American women should wear a black band on the left arm with a gilt star . . . for each member of the family who has given up his life for the nation.”8 His suggestion was derived from countless letters received from women across the nation who wrote to the White House seeking a meaningful alternative to painful mourning. “We should not dare to mourn, lest those seeing our insignia and knowing of that supreme sacrifice, might think we felt it a precious life thrown away,” wrote Caroline s. read, the widow of a prominent New York banker.9 The precise evolution of the service flag in connection with the black mourning armband and star is unclear, but by early 1918, a service flag (or window banner) was considered de rigueur in homes across the United states. “in every home in this wide land is now a service flag, or explanations for the embarrassing lack of one,” one woman stated.10 The choice of an easily recognizable gold star, rather than white for purity and sacrifice or purple (the traditional color of mourning), reflects a need to see the loss in...

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