We all know that the decline of paper making is part of a decline in manufacturing, especially in rural Maine, but when you list the declines together, it really hits home. A short list: Forster Manufacturing (toothpicks, clothespins, etc.) closed all its mills in rural Maine, four of them in Franklin County. At least three tanneries have closed, all rural. Of the once-strong industry of shoe shops, not much remains other than the three New Balance shoe shops. Diamond Match in Peru and Oakland? Gone.