The Importance of Memory
David Starkey, in a recent podcast, bemoaned the trend in modern education whereby children are not asked to commit much information to memory. I must admit to having some sympathy for this point of view and it is true that in recent years the rise of coursework as a form of assessment has lessened the burden of swotting for terminal exam papers.
I think exercising one’s memory is valuable in itself and children recognise the discipline and commitment involved in doing so; I suppose it is a little like practising scales in music – not enjoyable in itself but essential if one wants to master the instrument.
Memory is closely related to knowledge, which is a precursor to understanding and analysis. A pupil can’t make sense of history, for example, unless they have a firm grasp of the factual material available; to rush to judgments without recourse to facts renders arguments mere assertion. A memory filled with information that is readily accessible not only lends credibility but a certain authority. I believe this is one reason why St Anthony’s boys perform so well at interview: it is because they know things and can easily draw on examples to support arguments.
At assembly today the boys learned about a different sort of memory, that of remembering the war dead specifically those who served during the Great and Second World Wars. Dr Stefan Goebel, from the Centre for the History of War, Media and Society at Kent University, deployed a series of images to show how the Imperial War Graves Commission (later the Commonwealth WGC) set about creating memorials for all those who perished in conflict. The principles of the IGWC were as follows: Equality, Non-repatriation, Graves for every soldier, and Memorials to the missing. War memorials are found in towns and villages throughout the UK, including at Hampstead cemetery. A prince or a pauper was afforded the same tombstone, as was the case of a certain Prince of Battenberg whose family were non-plussed that he was not afforded a grander tomb to reflect the soldier’s aristocratic status.
Death, of course, is no respecter on social class and we remember this month not just the war dead but all the Holy Souls languishing in Purgatory. The school gathers to pray for the repose of their souls at a Remembrance Requiem Mass on Tuesday. The Mass will be adorned with motets sung by the school choir, Gregorian Chant, whilst a trumpeter will sound the Last Post and Reveille.
V: Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine
R: Et lux perpetua luceat eis
V: Requiescant in pace
R: Amen
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