RIVER CITY JOURNAL: NEW EDITOR INTRODUCES WEEKLY COLUMN

When you see something new in a familiar space, it can be unnerving. That photo doesn't look like Ken Newton. Ken was the longtime editor of this newspaper who filled this space with good prose and sobering thoughts. His eloquent column last week was his farewell piece before heading to new vistas in St. Joseph.

If you think this column is new, you are only half right. River City Journal is new to the Southeast Missourian. But the column itself dates back to 1971 when it first appeared in the daily newspaper in Moscow, Idaho. There was no river in Moscow, however, and the column was called Rear-View Mirror. Under this name the column continued in four Missouri towns: Nevada, Independence, Maryville and Blue Springs. When it showed up in Topeka, Kan., the name of the column was Capital City Journal, a reflection of the city's status as the seat of Kansas government.

There is nothing very special about this column, unless you, like many, enjoy reading other folks' mail or peeking into secret diaries.

Oh, now you are suddenly interested.

This column has grown up, much like its writer, and has evolved from being an outlet for outrageous indignation over government silliness to being a calmer, more reflective collection of memories sparked by current events.

An example: All the fuss in Missouri about Senate Bill 380, the legislation whose thrust is to reform education, prompts memories of a one-room school in the Missouri Ozarks on Greenwood Valley called Shady Nook, where Mrs. Ola Rayfield took nearly 60 youngsters in eight grades at the start of the 1950s and taught them to read, write and do arithmetic. By the way, none of the names are changed. If they are wrong or unrecognizable, it is only due to faulty recollection.

Mrs. Rayfield didn't give much thought to education reform. You don't have time for fooling around with the system when there are 60 young bodies squirming in ink-stained desks collected around a wood-burning stove. What a welcome relief recess must have been for her.

You get the drift.

Since you are new readers of this column, perhaps you could use a few brief rules:

First, your mother reads this column. Your mother is like most mothers. She is proud to see her son's name on a newspaper column. But she will not brook untruths, messy facts, gory detail or spite for spite's sake. This is good to know, because it is a mother's guarantee of safe haven. You don't have to worry about up-chucking into your corn flakes when you read this column.

Second, the use of the word "you" can mean you the reader or you the world or you the writer. It is a little strange at first, but most readers find a connection with the writer and the shared information. It is a minor detail, but one that need not cause you (reader, world, writer) a problem.

Third, not all topics make you laugh out loud. That is the aim sometimes. But occasionally there are heart-warming or heart-touching topics that crop up. If you shed a few tears in your morning coffee, don't be embarrassed. Showing emotion can be a burr in your comfort level, but it also can be a way to touch your innermost, real self. That is good from time to time.

It is that simple. No fancy rules. Just a bit of guidance for novices.

If you like what you read, a note or telephone call will be appreciated. If you don't like what you read, it must be that darn computer.

Goodness, what would Mrs. Rayfield have done with computers at Shady Nook? Well, maybe they would have given off enough heat to make the corners of the room as cozy as the center, next to the stove.

If you read this, Mrs. Rayfield, please know that being a first grader and getting to sit closest to the stove is remembered as a privilege bestowed by a thoughtful and considerate teacher. Besides learning to read, staying warm is one of the best things you remember.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.