THE PETERITE Vol. XXXV1II
OCTOBER, 1946
No. 313
EDITORIAL. To many of us the Summer Term of 1946 had a special signitficance in that, so far as our school life is concerned, it seemed to ring down the curtain on the tragedy of war. No one, of course, could be hypnotised into a belief that the carefree, piping times of peace had returned. For there is still, unfortunately, a good deal of tumult and shouting. But in the term which has just passed there was, in the smaller world of School, a decisive change of atmosphere. The wholesale return from war service of members of the Staff brought the end of many temporary shifts and expedients which had lingered on, unavoidably, long after the last shots had been fired. Above all, the revival of Commemoration on the 1939 plan seemed to signalise a real end of war-time conditions. The gathering was a notable success, and left no doubt of the wisdom of reviving, in place of the simple Speech Day, the wider festival which attracted Old Peterites to the School in large numbers. It was, indeed, gratifying to be confirmed in our hope that the incidence of six years of war, which has undermined so many of the older loyalties and destroyed so many ideals, has in no way diminished the affection of the older generations of Peterites for their School. The enthusiasm for past achievement and the satisfaction with the present prosperity of St. Peter's, which were so evident at Commemoration, encourage the belief that there will be no lack of support for our plans and aspirations for the future. Much has to be done, particularly in the extension and improvement of our buildings, if we are to maintain our pride of place in the educational world of the future. Our aims in this connection were outlined by the Headmaster on Speech Day : and by the time this issue is published, the attractive illustrated " Appeal," which sets forth our projects in detail, will have been generally circulated. The sum for which the Governors are appealing is large, but it is no more than is necessary if we are to meet adequately the insistent demands of modern educational efficiency. We are at a crisis in our fortunes comparable with that which was overcome in the past by the removal from Minster Yard to our present home. But a century has passed since then, and the buildings which could be justly described in 1845 as " the most handsome building in York, after the Minster," are very far from It is no .part of our purpose to attempt to adequate to-day. underline the message of the " Appeal." The urgency of the need and the inestimable value which would accrue from the 1
