Local Matters

LADIES’ FAIR. – The ladies of St. Luke’s parish will give a fair and festival, at Metropolital Hall, on Wednesday evening.  More particulars will be given to-morrow.

TOO BAD. – A man came into our office yesterday with a full length pig’s tail pinned to his back.  Boys should not carry their jokes to such extremities!

ALEXANDER’S black and colored kid gloves, spring styles delaines, elegant French prints, striped French prints for bordering, just received at Wadsworth’s.  New goods constantly arriving.

TEACHERS’ EXAMINATION. – The regular examination of teachers and persons desiring to become such, will take place next Saturday morning, commencing at 9 o’clock at the brick school-house, corner Sixth and Warren streets.

GOING TO MISSOURI. – Mr. W. J. C. Taylor, so long in Mr. N. Jordan’s store, intends to leave to-day for Rolla, Mo., where he will be connected with the Sutler’s department of one of the regiments there.  We hope Mr. T. will find his new employment pleasing and advantageous, and not fall into the hands of the ‘secesh.’

PARTICIPATION POLICIES. – For evidence of the superior merits of these Insurance policies inquire of Thomas Orr, Jas. M. Dalzell, Joshua Burr, Rev. I. Butterfield, B. B. Woodward, and others who have been insured in them and have received dividends from them.  Robt. Simpson is the only agent for these companies in this city.  See new advertisement. *

JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. – The Jews of this city have rented a room in the third story of Forest’s block, on Perry street, which they are fitting up for a synagogue.  They were negotiating for the use of Wesley Chapel, at the time it was burned down, but that unfortunate occurrence has caused them to select more humble quarters.  We understand there are quite a number of that persuasion in our city.

DECLINE OF REAL ESTATE. – The Muscatine Journal says that ‘Davenport has probably suffered more in the decline in the value of real estate than any other town in Iowa.’  It is true that in the great rush to this State in the years 1855 and ‘6, Davenport was the principal city toward which immigration tended and that prices of real estate went up beyond its value, but comparatively the decline has not been greater than in Muscatine and other prosperous towns in our State.

ALMOST A FIRE. – Saturday morning, when Mr. L. Blatt’s store, Second Street, opposite the Le Claire House, was opened, it was discovered to be on fire near the stove, a portion of the flooring having already been consumed.  It was promptly extinguished though, for want of water at hand; cider had to be used – a truly great waste of that liquid.  The fire originated from the stove, and must have been burning some time, though partly smothered.  If a current of air had got at it, so as to give the fire a fair start, that whole row of frame buildings must have been destroyed.

PUBLIC LIBRARY. – Davenport is big enough to have a public library and it ought to have one – a place where our citizens of both sexes, and particularly the young, could go, once or twice a week, and spend a few leisure hours, and find choice intellectual entertainment. – Many of our citizens do not know that there is a very excellently chosen collection of books in the library of the now defunct Young Men’s Association of this city.  It contains works of most of the standard authors of the language, in history, biography, poetry, science, &c.  This library is now closed, and will probably remain so till the settlement of some legal difficulties in which it is involved, after which it is to be hoped, an effort will be made to throw it open to the public at large, under some permanent arrangement.

VALENTINES. – The little ones kept themselves busy Friday and Saturday, buying, inclosing, sealing, and sending these little missives.  The post office was blockaded by the juveniles sending and receiving their packages.  The business of buying and selling valentines, too, this season, has been unexpectedly good, the entire stock on hand being pretty much sold out.  The fancy and sentimental ones mostly went to the country, while the town boys and girls indulged in the cheap ones, while some of the youngsters resorted to verses of their own composition.  The class who used this species of correspondence a few years ago – young men and women – hardly made a purchase this year.  So let the custom die out; it has been of very little benefit to the world, while its abuse has often caused many bitter feelings.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Monday Morning, February 17, 1862, p. 1