Page 37 - 1966

Senior Prose
Senior First
THE HAND VERSUS THE BARRIER Esther Harrison
She watched the dark waters with a strange calmness of purpose. The thought of dying beneath the quiet surface did not frighten her. Only a fasc- ination remained, that of wondering how she would feel in the moments before her life ended. She imagined a dark, enveloping nothingness ; an endless rest. Minutes passed as she regarded the almost imperceptible movement of the currents that led her thoughts away from instant action. Those few moments
were enough to allow the Hand to intervene.
Behind her, a car's tires suddenly screamed and she whirled in time to see a small dog, caught, unprepared for death. A dull thud, and the car went on, leaving a small broken body. She turned violently away, tears dissolving the Barrier which had so long stopped them; the Barrier which had caused her to come to the canal, wishing to die. It had seemed too tremendous for climbing or overcoming. But a small dog's death was sufficient to rescue her from the waters which now almost seemed to regret their prey.
As she lifted her face, rain poured down in torrents, wetting her to the skin, cleansing and flooding. She was free!
She turned for a last glance at the small dog, and upon impulse lifted it carefully and carried it to the canal's edge. As the little body sank to its simple burial, she turned and walked away. She was in love with life as she had never been before.
Senior Second
PEACE MOVEMENT Doug Baird
Upon this continent, in recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of people professing pacifism. Daily, these gallant souls stride forth, placards slung over their shoulders, and as modern day Saint Georges prepare to do battle with the dragon of war. Perhaps it is some profound, dedicated zeal, possessed by all who say they are doing good which spurs on these knights-errant. Whatever it is, it's to be pitied, for in reality of their actions are revolting, traitorous, hypocritical and utterly futile.
Since primitive men formed the first tribes, which in time became nations , these nations or states have fought amongst themselves. There is no period inhistory which can record a complete absence of war, for the simple reason that war is as inevitable as the passing of time and as unavoidable as the old man with the sickle. Why is this so? Why, because human nature being what it is, people on a whole are unable to get along with each other for any great length of time, and as the personalities of the nations are merely the combined personalities of the nations' people or because the state is run by the whims of a small handful of people, usually very intolerant, it therefore stands to reason that nations with conflicting personalities are sooner or later, going to clash. As it seems to be impossible to change human nature and equally impossible topreventatyrant from becoming leader of a nation it is not likely that war can ever be abolished.
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