The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-05-26
FROM THE EDITOR.
NUMBER ".


Dear Gasetie :-"La belle river" the beau'i-
lul stream upon whose banks first opened m,
eyes, bears US on her bosom, 10 the home Of my
childhood. How many fond recoleelions cius-
ter around the old homestead. How many Ia
miIar faces arise in the dim distance, and
wreathea with smiles. seem 10 welcome me
back Alas. and where are the friends OF my
childhood where are my youthful playmstes
Gone-all gone. A stranger wax the city o.
my nativity, | seek out old familiar hannts
and find them not
Change is written upon all things, but no.
where is il SO visible among the works Of man
as in this western country. In The old world
men not ulcommony are born and die IN the
same house; in the new, ut maturity rarely q
yeslige OF their childhoou's home can be traced
We are progressive people and value little old
en- associations when is presented the oprortu-
nity Tor making money. 1t is an element thai
enters 100 largely into all Of our calculations
and influences where higher motives alone
should govern. Parents should be at no trouble
to lnsri into the minds Of their offspring an ap-
probation Of money, as il is faculty in this
country soonest acquired and most tenacious OF
retention.
Tais is delightful day, as Insraham says" ga
bright morning in the merry month OF May
and rendered doubly 50 by contrast with the
week Of gloomy days tina, has passed. As the
sun SCI nagni6censly in clouds last evening, an
aged minister and member Of the first church
established in Boston, now tottering upon the
confines Of 81 years, spoke TO me OF the lovell-
ness OF this day. Many Of my readers VIII re-
member this minister as very old man who
preached short time in Davenport and Rock
Island sone ten years since. Mr.. Parsons ear
rics his age remarkably well, and is now on
tour from Texas to \. York.
Nothing can exceed the deiigh, in ascending
the chic, OF coursing along so close 10 the wa
te,,s edre, al ski,ed as il IS with the willow
and cotton wood with their pendant catkins
loading the atmosphere with delicious perfume
Yesterday gathered many plants in bloom that
with Us are but ginning 10 make their appear
ance from the snug quarters OF winter.
We tar.ied some time at Cairo; sufficiently
long TOT ME 10 conclude, ia opposition TO what
have maintained hitherto, that IN my day, al
least, no cry will rear its spires heasenward
from this desol4te and sunken site. Twenty
! ears OF labor and millions oil money are requisite
- lie formation Of passable foundation for a
city. 4 young disciple Of EscuiaPias favored
is with quite dissertation upon the healihiul-
ness OF the place. II conclusion he was asked
the import OF an ominous looking sign, visible
from the hurricane deck where we stood. "Why
thai,'' he replied, "that signifies there are cof-
tins FOR sale" This Young gentleman appear
ed 10 have conceived rather eontemptueus
opinion Of the Cairo.es, because seven when he
announced himself TO deliver . lecture, they
would not turn out TO hear him. The enun-
citation Of this fact elevated The good people Of
this wrelehed place IN my estimation degree
al least.
That Cairo is an immoral and corrupt town.
gathering us it does TO its bosom all the human
debris, washed down from The two rivers al the
confluence Of which i. is situated, cannot bt
doubted; but at the same tune. there are IN al
probability enough righteous even in this Go
norrha to save il from utter destruction. lh'
great improve ments being prosecuted at TIN
! place and in which we read that hundreds OF la
0orers are employed, amount 10 nothing more
than The construction OF temporary levee
| through which the water pereolaes 10 stagnot,
upon The dead fiat beyond. Onehalt ot fh'
people of Cairolive in covered barges upon thu
wate-, number OF which family boats are tiet
up along the shore together with the hulls 0
some three or four condemned steamers.
Yesterday we passed the somewhat famous
sCave in the Rock / once had the pleasur,
Of hearngia bugle sounded within the walls OF
this curious natural excavation, and OF hearing i
reverberate until il died away in the secret re-
cesses Of The hill. The Cave proper, when
saw it thirteen years since, was not more thar
20or 30 feet in depth, but there is second stor,
! TO il, entered through fissure overhead, which
/ I believe has never been thoroughly explored.
| The monotony Of our trip thus far has beer
uninterrupted by incident noteworthy. Eating
and sleeping are the only episodes in s'eamboa
llfe-as my eli friend, above alluded to, quoted
| bis noon,
eve eat, drink and sleep, and then,
We eat, drink and sleep, again.''
| That quotation reminds me that have not in
1 tuIged 10 my afternoons siesa, 50, doubles
silh the permission Of those who have had tn,
patience 10 follow me thus far, I'll make peri
Cd and tuIn in. s.