PRAISE OFFERED TO BANDS, ASHCROFT; A BOO TO BUGS

In balmy conditions, the kind you would order special if you could, the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band concluded its 64th summer season Wednesday night. The Jackson Municipal Band, playing at the gazebo of that city's picturesque courthouse, wrapped up its musical schedule Thursday. Since June, these ensembles have provided their communities with musical enjoyment. Call it old-fashioned, call it a throwback to small-town life: that's fine. In an age of video rentals, cable television and compact discs, we prefer to think of their efforts as a pleasant, seasonal diversion. To both bands, thanks for the sweet music.

Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft was ele~vated earlier this week to the chair~manship of the ~National Governors' Association. It is quite an honor for Ashcroft and for the state he represents. This position also provides the state's chief executive with a platform from which he can espouse Missouri common sense on a wide range of national issues, including education reform. From a simple perspective of numbers, his selection is noteworthy. There are 50 governors in the association, plus those of long tenure who have left the group in the years of Ashcroft's governorship; he emerged to this leadership post over a talented field of chief executives, many from states of higher media visibility. We applaud Ashcroft's selection by the nation's governors.

How much good does it do to gripe about the weather in Southeast Missouri? Exactly none, but that doesn't stop people. The climate here, particularly accommodating in its mischief this late summer, has bred two things in ample quantities: bugs and ragweed. The wet spring and early August coolness have summoned forth any number of spiders, fleas and other crawling things into local homes. Conditions have also proved suitable for a vigorous and advanced pollen season, setting about a round of premature sneezing. What can you do? Take two aspirin, and call your exterminator and allergist in the morning. And try to relax: winter isn't too far off.

Here is a telling thing about Mary Maud Hosea, a teacher and principal in Delta for 40 years: her comments on education focus not on educators but on students. When she speaks of her career, she talks in terms of curriculum changes that "meant a great deal to the students" and societal problems "harming the children." It is a marvelous perspective and one that could be emulated by younger educators. When Hosea retired in 1980, she was honored by having the Delta Elementary School named for her. This month, she was honored again by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a "Pioneer in Education," one of only six designated in the state this year. It is a fitting tribute.