Imperial Valley press., 1944-11-30
NUBBINS
By
BURRIS JENKINS

This little column of editOria
comment which will appear here.
after as often as we feel like it OF
are able to get it out, p rhaps and
most likely, daily, will be called
"Nubbins." That's all. Nubbins. VIZ
shall get many letters. no doubt
saying to us, why don't you call il
Nuggets" No. sir, nor "A Chain
of Daisies" Nor Bunch of Topazes.'
Nor "Turquoises." Nor "Jades.'
Nothing, W = hope, with any claim to
elegance or excellence on our part
Just plain. home-spun English
"Nubbins."
Anybody who has lived on or near
a farm, especially anybody who grew
up there. knows what nubbin is,
an und rsized and often misShapen
ear of corn. A runty ear. One that
never completely grew up. The corn
on il may be just as good as the
kernels on the full-sized ar; but
the ear itself was stunted in its
growth. Now that's exactly what we
wish the title of this column to con-
vey. No speaking excathedra, that Is
from a big editorial chair; no as
sumption of superior knowledge,
light and leading; but Just plain
hard sense as from one neighb0r to
another. This column is no attempt
at fine writing. II is, W. hope, just
horse corn sense, common as an old
shoe and maybe twisted bit out Of
shape and certainly undersized.
That's what nubbin is. Just "cOrn."
We shall tell everything W. know
without reticence in this column.
Don't ever come 10 us saying, "NOw,
this is the real story, but we want you
to keep il und r your hat" Nothing
doing. 1t is a favOrite saying of re-
porters, Don't tell me anything to
be kept secret. 1 am a newspaper
man and everything l know g0s
slap bang into the paper" This is
the attitude of almost all the news
paper men.
This, however, is to be said. that
the best way to e. your story han
died properly by the press is to tell
the newspaper exactly what the
story is, adding, "Now, I'd rather
you wouldn't print this until such
and such a date or until certain
things hav,i happened" You can
count on it that then the newspaper
will respect your confidence. Rarely,
indeed, almost never, have we
known of such cOnfid nee to be viO-
lated.
A little boy out there in Cheyenne
seems to have been born a nubbin.
At any rate the doctors cay that he
has no chancH to round out full
life or even to live until Christmas.
What is the result? From all over
the United States Christmas Is
pouring in on that little kid. So that
he has already seen Christmas.
Santa Claus has air ady been to lit
tie Nubbins Hoffman's home. He's
got his little dog, his very own
Cocker Spaniel, his red automobile
from the president of the Union
Pacific. He's got all the toys imagin-
abb until he's utterly bewildered
with them.
Just let humanity know, and 1t is
wonderfully pathetic, and under
standing, and kind. Anyway. the
three years of that little Nubbin's
life will have been worth while just
b cause the newspapers found out
why they called him "Nubbins," and
told the people.
Yes, sir, we hope there will be no
air Of superiority or assumption on
thu part of this little column, that
it will be amusing, interesting and
true; that it will see the quips and
the WITNESSES in the news and will
bring them out just as well as it
possibly can; will beg, borrow and
st al anything humorous, or bucolic,
that will bring a smile. God knows
the world needs laughter. 1t will
venture to suggest book now and
then, but always a plain and simple
book, nothing hifalutin', a book that
anybody would like.