r had before. You would be surprised to see how much they read.
The ladies are abundant, intelligent, refined, and kind. A wider,
better, harder, or more interesting field no man need desire." Dr. Todd
became one of the most public-spirited citizens of the town, jealous of
its honor. Educational matters, especially, received his attention and
assistance. His reputation as an author is not confined to his town, nor
to his day. The "Student's Manual" is the best known of his works; the
lectures delivered on returning from a visit to California are well
worth reading.

[Illustration: ON NORTH STREET.]

The first manufactories of the town date back to within a few years of
its settlement. Agriculture was, of course, the leading industry, and
was carried on according to the wasteful and, apparently, unwise methods
usual in a newly-settled country. Great attention was paid to breeding
horses and mules, of which many were sent to the West Indies and other
markets. The first carding machine was set up in 1801 by Arthur
Scholfield, an Englishman. Soon he set about making and improving
machines, which he sold to manufacturers in various parts of the
country. The industry was subsequently helped on by the superior quality
of wool, which resulted from the new custom of seeking better breeds of
sheep. About 100,000 yards of cloth, worth as many dollars, were
produced in the county in 1808. After the war which followed came a
season of depression of manufactures; the cessation of the unusual war
demand and excessive importations from abroad were the principal causes.

At this period, when politics were carried into private affairs, as
religion had been some hundred years before, each party must have its
factory. Thus the Housatonic Woolen Mill of 1810 was offset a few years
later by the Pittsfield Woolen and Cotton Company in Federalist hands.
The former enterprise languished before long for want of sufficient
water power. The latter, by a change of ownership, came under the
control of Lemuel and Josiah Pomeroy, and enjoyed the benefits of the
tariffs of 1824 and following years. Other mills went gradually into
operation. But in this instance Yankee ingenuity and versatility found a
difficult foe to master. The proprietors were ambitious and determined
to make their fabrics as firm and as heavy as the best imported goods.
In this they succeeded, but by a clumsy, wasteful process, which
destroyed all profit. Moreover, instead of mak