Branksome Hall - Slogan Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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14 The Branksome Slogan Tradition in My Country .Peru, far to the south, is a land steeped in the folklore of its native people, the scions of the Inca Empire. Down through the ages of dom- ination by the Cuzco monarohs, the Indian vassals were fed on tra- dition. Their ruler was of supernatural origin, since the founders of the dynasty came out of Lake Titicaca in response to an order from their father Inti, the sun. Thus the sun was their chief diety and was wor- shipped daily by millions of followers throughout the empire and was brought into every phase of national life. This state of affairs lasted for many centuries and became second nature to all of these American natives. Then came the conquest, when Pizarro and his Spanish soldiers took advantage of the civil war between Huayna Capac ' s two sons to sub- jugate the empire. Thus Spain came to claim all the western half of Soutih America and the Pope duly gave them territorial rights with the condition that the natives be taught the Catholic Religion. Now the Indian brought up for centuries in the belief in the Inca ' s divinity, was forced to change his creed. This proved to be extremely difficult. The new Christian saints, for them, became different forms of their ancestral gods. Gradually the distinction between pagan and Christian became less acute as the two intermingled to form a new type of Cathol- icism. The country on the surface was Christianized, but the old tradi- tions still remained deeply (buried in every Peruvian heart. By this time, they no longer constituted a religion, but rather a group or collection of myths, which was looked upon as a great national heritage. The freedom typified in these ancient stories began to stir up the thoughts of educated people throughout the country and finally incited them to revolt and eventually to achieve independence. They now had a nation in the true sense of the word and in its organization tradition again stepped in. Take as an example the Peruvian flag. It is said that one night the ' ' Liberator, San Martin, saw in a dream, a large flock of red and white sea-birds flying over his camp. As he watched they formed themselves into three bands ; two red bands, one on either side of a white band, and in this formation flew out to sea. On awaken- ing, the Liberator felt that this was an indication of what his new country ' s flag should be. He issued a decree to this effect. The same influence is noted in the National Anthem. The forti- tude and strength of the Indian forbears are extolled although nothing is known directly about these qualities. The inspiration came from the old traditions.

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Legamu

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The Branksome Slogan 15 The importance, either conscious or subconscious, given to the legends finds expression even in the present day. The Indian farmer still keeps his Inca holidays although the object of veneration is no longer the sun. The Peruvian child begins the history of his country at an early age by learning about his traditional forbears. Even when he reaches the higher studies of Peruvian literature, he is brought back to the Inca classics. In his studies of more recent works, his chief book will be ' ' Peruvian Traditions, by Ricardo Palma, a collection of stories which have come down through the ages. Surely Peru is really built on tradition. It forms a chain which binds all Peruvians together with a feeling of pride and unity. MARION DUGDALE, Form V. The Douvenir The night was clear and cool, the sea slightly choppy due to a ris- ing wind. As the stars appeared, they twinkled approvingly while look- ing down upon the barren waters, but, had they been able to see below the waves, a different sight would have met their eyes. Fathoms down, in the midst of strange fishes and other marine life, a huge, dark o bject lay, slim in outline and too motionless to ibe alive. It was a submarine. Inside it was hot and oppressive, for the craft had not surfaced for some hours and the crew was restless. They were clean-cut, average looking young men, alert, and trained to the peak. The mate came on with a message from the lieutenant, their senior officer. Get a good rest, men; our target won ' t be along until dawn, and the lieutenant doesn ' t want a tired crew. In about half an hour coffee will be ready. Try to relax. There was a small buzz of conversation following the announcement and the sailors went to their bunks. A game of cards started, but the players were unenthusiastic and soon they, too, went to the bunks. A few desultory remarks were made and, after drinking the promised coffee, all were still. A few slept. Alone in his quarters the lieutenant was nervous and unsettled. Before his men he had kept up a bold front, yet he was anything but their calm and collected commander. It was his first duty in charge of a sub . He paced the floor, his mind racing over the possibilities that dawn might bring. The target was an unconvoyed enemy ship, pre- sumably a heavy cr ' uiser. Head-quarters had briefed him concerning