The Rotary Balita no. 610 (December 9, 1948)

Parents' Day at the Rotary luncheon last week was as touching as two notable guest speakers noted for their personal appeal could have made it. Mrs. Quezon's absence was deeply regretted by the club, but the message that she sent, and which was read by President "Emy," received no less of the quiet attention that it would have received had its author been present. Mrs. Pilar Hidalgo Lim, beloved widow of a beloved veteran general, struck a home run when, from the sacred loneliness of a widowhood that the entire nation shares with her, she voiced the heart-rending envy for "those of you who are lucky enough to still have beside you a partner with whom to share the responsibilities and joys of parenthood." Every single Rotarian sat in reverent silence listening to the one woman who because she paid the supreme sacrifice at the altar of war now must carry on the joint responsibilities of two. No other speaker could have made a more eloquent appeal for the enlightened parenthood that this country (as which country does not) stands in dire need of. Mrs. Lim's appeal, set against the background of her position, her life, and the example that she gives, was an experience that Rotarians are now the better-off for having shared together. That the two outstanding mothers of the year, Mrs. Juliana Ylagan Orosa and Mrs. Encarnacion Sandico Vda. de Santillan, sat as honored guests at the presidential table was but another symbol on a day charged with not only fitting but beautiful symbols as well.