Buxton High School - Crescent Yearbook (Buxton, ME)

Page 19 text:

THIS ATOMIC AGE Amer1can Legion Pr1ze Essay Alan Lang '50 In this day of doubt throughout the world the magor countriesarestruggllng to obta1n super1or1ty in th1S atomlc world Any person w1th any 1nterest 1n the welfare of the world in the future is lnterested 1n obta1n1ng an author1tat1ve V1El'p0SS1b1e of Amer1ca's progress 1n the exploltation of atomlc d1scover1es and +he diff1cult problems that we as a democracy, face in our future d8CiS1OUS con+ cernlng +hem The Un1ted States Of'Am8P1C3'S At0m1C Energy Commission was set up 1n Jan- uary, I947 with a great deal of talk and many newspaper comments, as we all well remember !fter that it was wrapped in secrecy The necessary secrecy on one s1de and the loyal and patriotlc acceptance on the other The result 18 one ofthe worst things that could happen to a self govern1ng nat1on such as ours approval wh1ch was 1n ignorance That 15 actually happen1ng 13 that the people's buS1HBSSiS belng carr1ed on w1thout their knowledge Some people feel that th1s age 1S gilng to end 1n destruct1on Some feel it 18 a race between countr1es to see wh1ch w11l succeed in ga1n1ng control ofthese nany'myster1es whlch still baffle the sc1ent1sts of the world When one of these countr1es has succeeded, that country, 1f lt wishes, may f1nd lt posslble to dom- inate the world a d actually rule the people of all nations But th1s 18 not nec essarlly so The knowledge of 8+OW1C energy can greatly benef1t the world as well as destroy lt The people of Amerlca seem to have thelr worry flxed on R SS1a no doubt Russia has on us here 1n the Un1ted States But what 1S the reason for it? RHS51a as wellas the Un1ted States no doubt has many reasons for the want of knowledge of atomlc energy for the welfare of her country Cancer and heart dlsease are everywhere, RUSSla 1ncluded Power lsneeded everywhere If the people of the world can be brought to see 1nrealdemonstrat1ons that only by our common labor can they explo1t the vast knowledge forthe1r own history The 1mag1nat1on of the whole world w1ll be greatly spurred on if only our med1ca1, agr1cultura1 and 1ndustr1al progress was as great as I bel1eve lt can be hese things are w1th1n reach One of the greatest questlons at the time 15 this Can any ruling group, however powerful, stand up to 1ts own people if theyare left out of these advances and the even greater advances the early results forecasted left out because their government has seceeded from the earth? I belleve that the natlons wlll compete ln fear and terror, Wlul th1erl1ves at stake spy sys+ems all over the world, 1ron curtalns at every front1erof know- ledge rather than work together 1n true peace Sclence thrlves on compet1t1on f th1S k1n The Quss1ans are str1v1ng to outstrlp the rest of the world 1n sclence for good or bad no one knows The RHSS1aHS surely know that if we succeed 1n maSt6r1Hg atomic energy, t wall be 1mp0SSlb1e and also unwise to attack the Un1ted States or trouble her 1n any way for a long time to come They also know that if they succeed and we fall the sitaatlon will be completely turned lnless we keep a purpose 1n v1ew worthv of mank1nd and also worthy of ourselves at our best, the future won't be worth try1ng to save In the Tn1ted States, especlally throughout the west, 1S our vast atom1c emp1re In these places men are work1ng day and nlght searchlng for uranlum ore d01ng bas1c research, and testlng new oroducts destlned for both warfare and for peacetlme use Tan people belleve that the solution to the problem of research, 1S to break the Jo 1n pleces and g1ve dlfferent parts to prlvate 1ndustry don't belleve pr1vate 1ndustry can handle the problem Of course pr1va+e 1HdUStT5 plays a most 1nportant part and must cont1nue to T belleve th1s blS1n6SS should 1 0 1 0 0 . I U ' 1 Q Q Q I U 9 ' . ' ' . . 3 J O I 1 O 1- . O . ' 3 . . . . . O . . O dp.. . . O 1 . . . . as OOO! . O . . . . . Q advantage, the hope of everlasting peace can be brighter than it has ever been in O TQ! I I e 1 LL Q '11 , o Q s . A - ' ' ' J ' , , 0 . 1 1 O . . ' . 0? . . .1 . C v ' ' ' ' L1 1 O ' as ' A . . J . .g. . . . I , . , L. . J . I V .1 . . A . . I .