1901 Reveille Brings Back and Continues Tradition

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     At the archives on Monday, I was seated in front of the 1901 edition of The Reveille - Kenyon College's yearbook. It looked like an old impressive book that would be in some rich guy's private library - it had green canvas binding with gold writing on the front. Although I admittedly have never seen a modern-day copy of The Reveille, I would imagine it looks quite different, because the one from 1901 was nothing like a yearbook I'd ever seen. Rather than collages and full-page spreads trying to give a candid glimpse of all the campus offers, the book was comprised for the most part of one staged class photo, lists of names of members of organizations, and drawings pertaining to the theme of each page.  Some of the things that jumped out to me the most were the ways in which Kenyon then was different than Kenyon now: it was all men (I'm assuming from the photos, entirely white men), the main activities listed were being members of frats, and there was an official presence of Christianity as was evident by the listed faculty and majors. 

    Edmund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" (1790) is a plea to respect and honor tradition. He is specifically targeting the young French revolutionaries who were completely overthrowing their government through violent means rather than legislative ones, as what was traditionally done (in his view) to reform society. He claims that "all the reformations we have hitherto made have proceeded upon the principle of reverence to antiquity" (Burke, 1790, p. 65). He characterizes tradition as "an inheritance from our forefathers" that should be respected and followed and subsequently passed down to the next generation (Burke, 1790, p.65). All in all, Burke views traditions as valuable for continuing the greatness of those who came before us and following these traditions as a way to maintain order. It worked before, so let's keep doing it. 

    The 1901 Reveille, in particular, showed great reverence for traditions as a whole, but in particular, one specific tradition of Kenyon College: the annual printing of The Reveille. This Reveille began with a preface apologizing for the six-year period where the Reveille was not being made. The preface makes clear their desire to bring back the tradition of annually printing a recording of that year at Kenyon, and their acknowledgment that if successful they could restart the passing down of tradition to the next generation, and if they failed that may be the last of The Reveille forever. They clearly understand the important of tradition that Burke lays out: there is a reason this tradition was handed down to us and it is our duty to ensure that the tradition does not die. 

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