The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 1

News summary on page 2 Telephone 929-2000 Classified 929-1500 Circulation 929-2222 1986 Globe Newspaper Co. Soothesayer Monday Mostly clear. 70-75 Tuesday Ditto High tide 1:29 a.m.. 2:10 p.m. Full report Page 45 Vol.

229; No. 146 MONDAY, MAY 26, 1986 64 Pages 25 cents 'We're all here today with the common belief that one at a time, holding hands, we can make a Stewart Guernsey, director of Dorchester's Family House r2Lf A- 4 Millions join hands across the country Reagans take part in effort to battle hunger, homelessness By Robert Barr Associated Press Millions of volunteers extended hands to the hungry, the homeless and each other yesterday, joining Hands Across America in a broken line over mountains and plains, through pockets of poverty and to the porch of the White House. "This is just the beginning," organizer Ken Kra-gen said in New York. "When today is over, roll up your sleeves and go out to work in your community. We have to move from the big event to the person on the street." The line was thick with people, swaying to the strains of "We Are the World" and holding clasped hands aloft, at its terminals In New York and Long Beach, Calif.

In other places, red-and-white ropes and ribbons substituted for humanity. The first family on the East Coast was 6-year-old Amy Sherwood and her mother, Jean, who with Amy's five brothers and sisters have spent the past year in a rundown New York hotel after being evicted from her apartment. Kragen said Amy and her mother were chosen to head the line as symbols. "They represent the people we are trying to help 'J 'ft. I r.

if 1 ar ..3 The line of hand holders crosses the Charles River on the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, and spills down onto the Esplanade, globe staff photo by bill BRETT In Hub, 6,000 lend hand with human chain across the country to bring this subject home to everyone and let everyone know what the event is about," Kragen said. The western end was anchored by Bill Jones, 34, his wife, Mary, 25, and their five children, who live at the Family Shelter for the Homeless in Long Beach. "I think its just incredible and I hope this feeling carries on," Jones said. "There Is a real need. There are many families worse off than us.

It's hard and it's tough." At the White House, President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, joined an estimated 200 members of the Hands. Page id cials, among them Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and the homeless themselves. They sang "We Are the World" and "Hands Across America." "1 think I might have gotten involved in something I'm glad to be part of," said a homeless man named Jacco, a self-described "writer of sorts." Jacco, who had been asleep on a park bench, had been coaxed into joining the chain and was among those swaying and singing not far BOSTON, Page 10 reduced from the planned 8 miles to about 4 miles, but organizers and participants in Hands Across Massachusetts called the event a success.

"We're all here today with the common belief that one at a time, holding hands, we can make a difference," Stewart Guernsey, director of Dorchester's Family House, a homeless shelter, said at the State House where the hand-holding began. The 20-minute formation was timed to coincide with the effort mounted nationally to stretch hands from California to New York. Organizer Anne-Marie Rowan said late yesterday afternoon more than $100,000 had been raised locally. The human chain ran from Boston Common to the Charles River, west to Massachusetts Avenue, across the river, east to the Longfellow Bridge and back across the river to the Common. Participants came dressed up, dressed down, and in costume.

There were jugglers and clowns, public offi By Dick Lehr and Doris Sue Wong Globe Staff Forming a human chain around Boston Common and along the banks of the Charles River, about 6,000 people joined hands, swayed and sang yesterday in the local portion of Hands Across America, the fund-raising extravaganza for the nation's hungry and homeless. Minutes before the 3 p.m starting time, the length of the local loop was STATE HOUSE RACES Republicans seen cutting Democratic gubernatorial margin 'History" as screened by TV 1 jJvl By Ed Siegcl Globe Staff Last November, television viewers saw the root cause of the Civil War, certainly one of the most cata- COMMENTARY clysmic events In American history. In "North and South," a 24-hour mlnlscr-les spread out over two months, November and May, secesslon-Ism was personified by a full-figured, nymphomaniacal Southern belle and abolitionism was symbolized by her psychotically repressed Northern counterpart. The message was clear. Extremism on both sides caused the war; if only the moderates (symbolized by their brothers) had prevailed, slavery would have been abolished, slowly but 1 I Association and is one of only a handful of politicians with anything resembling a national perspective on what are still 36 very different as well as nascent campaigns.

"The sheer numbers favor us, many very popular Democrats are leaving office, so the roll of the dice is Just coming," Davis said. "President Reagan's standing does transmit a certain spirit and good tone, and the Reagan-Bush campaign machinery from 1984 Is still out there, but the popularity of Ronald Reagan does not translate to candidates." Davis' Democratic counterpart, Charles Dolan, has a similar analysis. "The Democrats reaped such a big harvest In the recession election of 1982," he said of the year when the Republicans lost seven state houses. That put the GOP at By Thomas Oliphant Globe Staff Barring a calamity beyond anyone's Imagination, the Republican Party Is virtually certain to make modern political history this fall. For the first time since World War II.

the party in the White House, it appears, will not lose ground In the country's elections for governors. In fact, the Republicans, now trailing the Democrats 34-16, stand to achieve a net gain, and could win big. There's Just one problem with this Impending historical feat: no one can divine any meaning from it. "The pendulum is swinging back to us for unexplained reasons." said Michelle Davis, who runs the Republican Governor's the level of 16 that they've stayed at even through the president's landslide reelection victory two years ago. "Now we're kind of in the exposed position the Republican Senate majority Is; basically the odds are Just against us." The most Important numbers to keep track of In this year's 36 elections are 27, 18.

14 and 4. Of the 36 elections. 27 take place In states where a Democrat now sits In the state house; but 18 of the elections will occur without an incumbent governor on the ballot, since 14 Democrats and 4 Republicans are either moving on In life or are Ineligible for another term. That accounts for the odds favoring the GOP. But the specific situation right now tells a different story.

By private consensus, GOVERNORS. Page 13 LLOYD BRIDGES As Jefferson Davis Like most of the genre "Winds of War." "Peter the Great." "Dream West" the "North and South" production was designed to attract a mass audience for TV HISTORY. Page 30 TERRI GARBER 'North and South' belle peacefully, and North and South could have continued their union with little travail. It may seem foolish to take a historical mlnlserles seriously enough to look for messages. GREEN MACHINE SPIRIT Inside Today: Sci-Tech South Africa signals plans for crackdown Boat sinks, passengers rescued A 30-foot boat carrying seven adults and four children struck a rock, then sank moments after Jts passengers were rescued.

Page 17. Chester Bowles dead at 85 mi Chester Bowles, former undersecretary of state and Connecticut governor and congressman, died In his Essex, home yesterday morning. He was 85. Mr. Howies also served as President Harry S.

Truman's ambassador to India and Nepal In 1951-53, and again was ambassador to India In 1963-69, during the administrations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Page 47. By Philip Van Nlekerk Special to the Globe JOHANNESBURG As two emotion-charged anniversaries for left- and right-wing opponents of the South African government approach, the government's words and actions last week Indicated it may be planning a massive crackdown against activists It believes are linked to the outlawed African National Congress.

The combined forces of the far right wing have announred they will hold a mass rally on Saturday In Pretoria next to the sacred shrine of the Afrikaner nation, the Voortrekker monument, to celebrate 25 years since South Africa became a republic. And black political groups are planning a three-day political strike and national protest action for June 16 to mark the 10th anniversary of the start of the Soweto riots of 1976, In which hundreds of blacks were killed by police. SOUTH AFRICA, Page 9 Hub celebrates Memorial Day Traditional Memorial Day ceremonies will be held throughout Greater Boston and much of the nation today. Page 17. St.

Michael's Cemetery In Rosllndiile holds a special meaning for Italian-Americans. Page 22. Culde to features ArtsFilms 23 Ask the Glolie 28 Bridge 28 Business 11 Comics 28-29 Classified 52 64 Dent ha 46-47 F-dllorlals I lorosco)C 28 Living 22 Rmrts 33 TVRadio 31 Danny Alnge, left, and Greg Kite, behind coach K.C. Jones, Join with other Celtics In laughter provided by Dill Walton, right, during a weekend practice at Hellenic College In Brookline. The Celtics start their NBA championship series against the Houston Rockets today at 3 p.m.

in the Boston Garden. Page43. fa glW: staff photo by george rizer.