University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

Page 18 text:

Arthur Iong 4. Glff. MlKCHUNOISl Tradition at Sewanee, as anywhere, is embodied with- in a community. The similar interests of the community are given form by the people in their ideals. As the community ages and grows, some of the forms of these ideals are outgrown; the symbols change yet the mean- ings implicit in them remain constant Some persons tend to mistake some symbols for tradi- tion itself. Much tension may arise over the threat of losing an established symbolic form. This tension and threat might be seen by many as the ' decay of tradition. ' But by focusing upon this conflict, the ' essence ' of tradi- tion slowly fades. What might have been intended as protection turns out to be an act of destruction. In the struggle to find meaning within a community and in the effort to keep this meaning alive through symbols, one is penetrated by the benefits of tradition. And by a contemporization of its symbols and a working devotion to their meaning, tradition can further be per- petuated. Only then can we see its importance as an echo of the past and an anticipation of the future. KIM LEWIS 14