Archive for the ‘Town Topics’ Category

15
Feb

Town Topics

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 15, 1907

Town Topics

Said one valentine dealer: “The tendency this year was more marked than ever in favor of artistic valentines. The coarse penny valentine is losing ground, and on the other hand the very elaborate, high priced, satin trimmed valentine is not so popular as it was. The prices of the popular valentines today range from one cent (23 cents today) to 75 cents ($17.32). When a young man feels like spending more than that on the object of his affection he will usually send candy or flowers, not a valentine costing as much as $10 ($231) or $15 ($346), which will be looked at once and then put aside.

Valentine postcards are among the latest innovations in connection with the observance of St. Valentine’s Day. To the man whose sentiments have been mildly stirred by Cupid the valentine postcard is a blessing. Without going to the trouble of placing it in a separate wrapper he may mail it to the object of his affection by simply affixing a one cent cent (sic) stamp. Each card is inscribed with some expression supposed to emanate from the heart and ranging in length from a single word to several lines of verse.

Another new thing is the valentine toast. These valentines constitute a series of well known and popular toasts neatly printed on a large card in colrs and suitably illustrated in colors. Such cards are intended for framing, and each is accompanied by a separate smaller card bearing such an inscription as “Valentine greetings” or “To my valentine,” etc.

The ragtime valentine is one of the new comers which is taking the place of the cheap comic. There is nothing vulgar in its laughable makeup. In this valentine grotesque figures are cut out and pasted on a heavy card. Each of the figures is neatly colored and made up with real cloth ties, cloth coats and cloth dresses. A feature of the ragtime valentine which commends it to purchasers is that it comes in a mailing case.

Other new comics include valentine jumping jacks, which are popular with the children. By pulling a strong these grotesque figures are made to go through all sorts of antics. There is a new series of valentines, styled “tender reflections,” in which a little mirror is fastened into the card. There is a series styled “on love’s highway,” in which love is depicted in every kind of vehicle, from a horsecar up to a 40-horsepower automobile.

17
Dec

What They Say

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 17, 1906

What They Say

“One would think that the hotel man always sees new faces and deals with an every changing crowd. As a matter of fact it is practically the same old crowd all the time. The same persons, especially among those that are on the road are to be seen every few weeks. One soon gets to know everybody that travels much and it soon gets so the faces are all familiar.”

-J.L. Johnson

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“I believe Fort Dodge will do its record on holiday business up this year. I never saw such a crowd here before as there was last Saturday. Next Saturday, of course will be the big day of all.”

-N.E. Hanson

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“I well remember one Christmas many years ago when I was a small boy and just like this year there had been no snow. I kept wanting a sled but was afraid it wouldn’t snow so I could use it. Christmas eve it snowed and Christmas morning I got my sled. My small boy happiness was just about complete.”

-Wm. Mulroney

20
Mar

Town Topics

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 20, 1907

Town Topics

Today is in every way an ideal Spring day. The opening of Spring to a country boy means many things. It means that he will soon be fishing under the banks of the Des Moines for suckers. It means that he will sprout potatoes on the barn floor, or get the little onions ready for planting on the back lot.

The prospect of a productive season is a change even from the slush and ice of a long and dreary winter. The farmer goes out to see whether the bees are getting ready to swarm; the town man prepares to plant some flower seeds on the front lawn. The housewife, the whole land over, looks up the mops and brooms and gets in readiness for the Spring housecleaning.

Everything takes a new start, as it were, in life; we begin anew and feel brighter and better natured and feel glad that we are living.

And now that Spring seems to have run up the curtain in readiness to open the show there are many things which while we enjoy nature and its changing forms, the town dweller should attend to. Nature will do her part to beautify Fort Dodge, but it will not remove the accumulations of ashes and refuse in the cellars of our citizens. It will not repair bad pavements, muddy street, stopped up gutters or sinking crossing stones.

Nature will cause flowers to grow in the country wood, but not on the citizens lawn unless seed be planted. Nature will make the shade trees burst into leaf but it will not remove unsightly wires, broken limbs or dead trees from the streets.

The sun will shine brightly on pretty dwellings and business places, but it will not apply the paint or the whitewash brush to the back fence or the front shutters where the wintry storms have caused a former application to wear off.

Nature will make the parks look green and beautiful, but the corner lots will still have an unsightly appearance unless man assists in “clearing up.”

Nature will asist (sic) in Spring housecleaning, but as this has been a very strenuous winter, there is much for the average citizen to do to make Fort Dodge look more beautiful than ever before.

18
Mar

Town Topics

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 18, 1907

Town Topics

Part of Saturday, all day Sunday and continuing to some extent today green was in evidence everywhere in Fort Dodge. Every other man one passed on the street wore a shamrock in his lapel and with the female population strap bits of green were to be noticed in the wearing apparel. Every year new and novel devices suggestive of St. Patrick’s day, March 17, are blossoming out and each year more attention is paid to this Irish holiday. Besides the shamrocks there were little clay pipes tied with green ribbon, little harps and tall green little Irish hats.

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What housewife has not on dozens of occasions had to content with the door bell nuisance? They are few, we will warrant. Oftentimes the busy housewife is called to the door ten times in a day by the ringing of the bell and in most of the instances only a circular has been left, a peddler wants to sell some knick-knack or a canvassing agent with his bland smile is found at the door. In connection with the cheaper grade of soliciting it has become a nuisance greatly in need of remedy and something to rid her forever from the harrassment (sic) of the pestiferous bell ringer is piteously prayed for by the average woman.

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Moving pictures – Moving pictures at the family theatorium. Admission 10 cents.

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The Messenger has a large assortment of score cards. Over 100 different styles.

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Girls wanted at the overall factory. Good wages and steady employment.

12
Mar

Town Topics

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 12, 1907

Town Topics

The six weeks reign of the groundhog is drawing to a close. The Candlemas day phophecy (sic) has been remarkable for its nonfulfillment this year and hereafter the doubting Thomases will be more clamorous than ever in declaring that the conditions of that day have nothing to do with the settling of the weather for the six weeks to come.

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When the sun is permitted to have a clear course in a blue sky these days, puffy little yellow clouds are seen going in no particular direction, bobbin up and down like a boy’s kite with not enough of bobs to held (sic) it in a dignified position.

That’s March for you.

It’s the breaking up time of Winter and while seasons change and the doings of the weather seems to be in strange variance with the programme (sic) of years ago, March is the same old windy month it always was, and so for its steady habits it deserves public respect.