TEEN REACHES OUT TO AID FELLOW VICTIMS OF INCEST

Incest is a hideous crime that can scar its victims for life. At least one victim from this area, however, is turning her nightmarish experience into something positive for her peers. By her request, she was identified in a recent Southeast Missourian story as Chelsea. She is 15; for seven years of her life, she was sexually abused by her stepfather, who is now in prison as a result of her testimony. Rather than quietly trying to return her life to normalcy, Chelsea is working with other young incest victims, helping them better understand what they've been through, being there with a sympathetic ear. One can understand a victim's temptation to withdraw into the isolation of private thoughts; it takes a rare courage to reach out to others who have suffered and comfort them. We respect Chelsea for her willingness to help.

After a Kentucky National Guard cargo plane crashed in Evansville, Ind., earlier this month, Drury Inns Inc. had some problems of its own to sort out. The plane wrecked much of a Drury Inn in that city and an adjoining restaurant; 16 people were killed, including 11 on the ground. The hotel chain, which has its roots in Cape Girardeau, looked beyond its own interests, however. Drury Inns established a scholarship fund for children who lost a parent in the wreck, and contributed the first $25,000 to the effort. It is the act of a good corporate citizen to look beyond its own misfortune and take care of those whose loss is greater. The scholarship is a nice gesture.

Put this in the category of worst new ideas. One of television's leading producers, Steven Bochco, has pitched networks the idea of creating a series that would, in effect, be R-rated. Bochco, whose creations include the popular "L.A. Law" and "Doogie Howser, M.D.," says network television must be more daring to compete with the adult fare on cable channels. The daring required here includes violence, nudity and profane language; that is, we move beyond the sexual innuendoes and fleshy shots that are standard fare on network programs currently and take them to the next step. So far, the networks aren't biting. We wonder, though, with television audiences continuing to fragment because of cable offerings and video-cassette recorders, how long they'll hold out. One thing is sure: With Americans trying to regain some semblance of family values, this move would be unwelcome.