[Plymouth—Saturday, 22 June 1867]
Saturday. Still in Plymouth. J. hates to think of going away and actually declares he intends buying a place here and “staying forever” as Shelley used to say. He astonished me in our walk this morning by going up to an old farmhouse and declaring that was exactly what he wanted and he meant to have it and live here six months in the year. We stopped in our rambles on the summit of a hill and went into a country store to rest. The younger partner as it proved of the concern began to entertain us by courteous talk in reply to a few questions and he spoke with such sincerity of tone and fitness of langage, never making mistakes in grammar or by talking through his nose like the rest of the people that we became interested to hear all he had to say. He told us his partners both old men now had started the first glove business in this county and now it is one of the largest. The gloves are cut by men in a shop nearby, are sewed by farmer’s living all over the county who come to get them and receive 10 cts for sewing, then they are stitched by sewing machine on the back. They are common gloves for drivers, wood choppers etc. but made perfectly strong. He said after a deer-skin was properly prepared the gloves were cut, then from the pieces a pieced glove was made which he showed us and very neat it was, costing 22 cents to manufacture—these go usually to California where he said they must do hard work since so many of those gloves were used. The pieces left from these have long slender strips cut off of them for weltings—that is to lay between the seams to make them strong, and the scraps left after all this are sold to a manufacturer who grinds them up, reduces to a pulp—mixing with some other ingredient produces the kind of leather for the insides of shoes. How true it is that ideas and not money are the power of the world. Formerly after using the expensive oil necessary to the preparation of their skins they threw the residue away although there was quite as much in quantity as when they began because an oil is expressed from the skin by the operation—now after much thought they managed to make this residue available for tanners and under the name of Sod Oil can sell it for the same price wh. their good oil costs in the first place. They applied to both Drs. Hayes & Jackson of Boston to help them to something which should disengage the water from the Sod Oil but as they could tell them nothing accidently after much thought they discovered (or old Mr Ward it is who should have the honor) that saleratus would do and thus in half an hour this important revolution in economics was invented and a capital actually created out of almost nothing. We felt more than ever proud of America if that were possible when we came out of that shop.
In the course of the day finding my throat uncomfortable because of a hull from the preserved blackberry which I had taken at tea the evening before J. sent for the Dr. He came almost immediately, a tall red-haired, shrewd-eyed, pleasant mouthed country man of about 45, whose name I afterward ascertained was Kelley. He did what he could by putting his hand down my throat and almost strangling me to rub away the plague and then he began to discourse most enthousiastically about Ticknor & Fields & Literature & his hopes for a son at Dartmouth, of his yearnings to know, and his craving for Europe. It was really quite touching to see such deep enthousiasm for these things. His delight when he discovered who we were knew no bounds and when J. went into the vestry with him on his departure to ask his charge he pressed both his hands saying my dear Sir it has been treat enough to see you and the obligation for this visit is all mine.
If we had found Plymouth beautiful before we were unable to express our knowledge of this fact after our drive this afternoon round the Baker’s river valley.
The afternoon & evening were unspeakably lovely. I never saw our own country so green.
