The Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-08-07, Page 6Page 6—Lucknow Sentinel, ,Wednesday,. August 7, • 1985
a
abI;s
"The Sepoy Town"
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1985
VERIFIED
CIRCULATION
PAID
Thomas Thompson
Sharon Dietz
Pat Livingston
Joan Helm
Merle Elliott
Alan Rivett
-Advertising Manager
-Editor
-General Manager
•Compositor
:Typesetter
-Reporter
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Hiroshima and
Nagasaki remembered
Forty years ago this week, the anniversary of one of the
most horrific ads known to humanity comes to pass . the
dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
to end the Second World War. '
The United States, hoping for a quick end to the war
against Japan and for the purposes of testing new technol-
ogy, dropped the bomb with an estimated 340,000 civilians
dead or severely maimed by the. blast.
However, according to a Toronto Star article, the horror
of Nagasaki and//Hiroshima in the 1940s 'would be a
"grossly inadequate" picture of what would happen today
with the new inroads into nuclear weapons.
One scientist' commented that no place'/would be unaf-
fected by a nuclear war today. He. concludes that the world
would be •thrown into a "smoggy, freezing darkness".
Estimates say 500 million people could die instantly with
starvation and disease.claiming another 3 to 4 billion lives •
within a years time.. '
A. group .of some 200, experts . in the field of science
collaborated on a study entitled\The Environmental Effects
Of Nuclear War.'
They- said there is a number • of variables involved in
predicting the effects of a nuclear war including, the time
of year, Where it would occur and'the size of the weapons.
However, there are .a few certain conclusionsthey made:
"Initial blasts would kill as manias half a billion people,
with many more dying from the effects of heat and
radiation poisoning. In the days after, the war, climatic •
conditions would be so dramatically affected that.nowhere
on earth would life be,,as we know it."
Monday night's The Journal on CBC showed portions of
a documentary that was filmed immediately afterthe
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for.the U.S.
pentagon. The film was never released and waclassified
as top secret by the military for.the last 40 years, deeming
it was too gruesome for the public.
The film was indeed. gruesome. Shots of people maimed
by the explosions and pictures of the utter wasteland that
used to be a thriving city prior to the nuclear attack, set the
tone for the documentary. ' • '
Granted, the two. Japanese cities have fully recovered
from the bombing. But, with the nuclear arsenal' available
today, a nuclear ,strike would surely make recovery 'an ,
impossibility. • A. R
Ripley's Alive in '85
Lucknow was well represented at Ripley's
mammoth parade last Saturday. The
Lucknow Legion Branch 309 entered a float
with a Remembrance Day theme (top)
while Lucknow Fair Queen Lindell Cross
greets the large crowd at the parade.
(Photos by Alan Rivett)
"I wonder what yon ladwill be wantin',"
Mrs. Murdoch said when she glanced out
of the window and saw young Allan living -
stone walking, sheepishly up to the door.
Her daughter Anne did not reply. She
scurried out of the room in the pretence of
doing some domestic chore so that her
mother would not seethe sudden flush of
embarrassment rise to her face. It was
Mrs. Murdoch who was obliged to answer
the timid knock.; Allan stood ready to greet
her with his cap respectfully held in his
hand and his cheeks the colour of beetroot.
"Good day tae ye - mi name is Allan -
Allan livingstone," he stammered. "If ye
please, missus, I've come tae ask if I might
walk oot wi' ye daughters."
Katie looked the lad up and down, and
she was not at all thrilled by what she saw.
His boots were badly in need of repair and
his clothes were full of patches. not stitched
by a feminine hand. She was absolutely
disgusted. How dare this uncouth raga-
muffin have the gall to think he was fit to
eourt the beautiful Anne Murdoch?
"It no pleases me at all," she said
angrily. "I'mno a fussy woman, but I'll be'
looldn' frae a better man than ye tae ,take
care o' my lass. Ye dinna look as though ye
make enough money tae buy yesel a pair o'
breeches, letalorl a provide frae a. wife."
Allan was momentarily left speechless.
He had never Met such .a cruel woman as
/ this. But what she had said was :perfectly
true - he didn't have one golden sovereign
to his name. Nevertheless, he was confid-
ent that the future had better things in
store for him. :
"i dinna hae much money the noo," he
' admitted. "But I hae' finished my appren-
ticeship as .a stonemason and maybe in a
year or so, I can start puttin' a wee it awa
frae a weddin'."
Mrs. Murdoch was not impressed by the
foolish optimism of impetuous youth. Her
daughter's future `could not be gambled
away on hopes and maybes.
"Then perhaps ye'll come again whenye
hae a little mare tae show frae yesel',"'she
said sarcastically. "Pd be loony tae let ye
court mi daughter/the noo - 'twould be like
puttin' the cart afore the horse!"
She turned around abruptly and slam-
med the door in his face.
Mrs. Murdoch lost no time in confront-
ing her daughter with what appeared to be
a clandestine affaire d'amour.
"Ye're a wucked•lass," she said bitterly,
"Ye never even whispered a word about
yon lad. W hat hae ye been.doin' behind mi
back?" "
"Nothing tae be ashamed of," Anne
said. "He is a quiet, honest lad; .and
though he be poor, it doesna alter hiS
character. I canna say I love hiin because I
dinna ken .what love is. But I hae a greet
likin' frae him 'all the same!"
"Then ye'd best forget him right noa. I'll
no hae ye givenhim any encouragement.
That, lass, is final, and I dinna want tae
hear any mare about the matter."
It suited Anne just fine not to continue
the conversation." But she was certainly not
going to put the lad out of her mind. She
hoped her stepfather would .intercede on.
her behalf when the time was 'right.
That evening, towards the end of
supper, Katie told her husband about
young Allan livinstone's. visit.
"The cheek o' the lad - corrin' 'ere' as.
bold as brass, an' wantin' tae court mi
daughter. And 'im wi' not even a bawbee
tae scratch 'is backside wi'. I soon put 'im
in '.is place. I sent 'im awa like a•cur wi' its
tail between its legs."
Over the years, llatnish Murdoch, had
become 'accustomed to listening to his
wife's ravings. From experience, he had
learned to keep quiet until her stormy
outburts subsided, But he was amazed how
quickly She had forgotten just how poor
they themselves were when they first came
tb Redtrees. What is'inore, how could she
forget the time when she had first seen him
standing on the dockside at Montreal. He
was half starved, ragged and did not even
have shoeson his feet. He felt he had to
say something ;in Allan Iivingston's
defence.
"We are all God's creatures," he said
softly. "Just flesh and blood.. Nobody is
any better than anybody else. That lad hae
the makings o' a fine citizen. He is a
craftsman and a hard worker. I for one hae
no objection tae 'itn.", •
"Ye can speak frae yesel, Hamish
Murdoch," Katie said, angrily. "I dinna
intend tae waste my daughter on the likes
o' a stonemason!"