NOVEMBER 28, 1867--JUNE 10, 1871
Goes to Dresden.--Trials financial and personal.--Humorous letter to E.S.
Sanford.--Berlin.--The telegraph in the war of 1866.--Paris.--Returns to
America.--Death of his brother Richard.--Banquet in New York.--Addresses
of Chief Justice Chase, Morse, and Daniel Huntington,--Report as
Commissioner finished.--Professor W.P. Blake's letter urging recognition
of Professor Henry.--Morse complies.--Henry refuses to be reconciled.--
Reading by sound.--Morse breaks his leg.--Deaths of Amos Kendall and
George Wood.--Statue in Central Park.--Addresses Of Governor Hoffman and
William Cullen Bryant.--Ceremonies at Academy of Music.--Morse bids
farewell to his children of the telegraph.
It will not be necessary to record in detail the happenings of the
remainder of this last visit to Europe. Three months were spent in
Dresden, with his children and his sister-in-law's family around him. The
same honors were paid to him here as elsewhere on the continent. He was
received in special audience by the King and Queen of Saxony, and men of
note in the scientific world eagerly sought his counsel and advice. But,
apart from so much that was gratifying to him, he was just then called
upon to bear many trials and afflictions of various kinds and degrees,
and it is marvellous, in reading his letters, to note with what great
serenity and Christian fortitude, yet withal, with what solicitude, he
endeavored to bear his cross and solve his problems. As he advanced in
years an increasing number of those near and dear to him were taken from
him by death, and his letters of Christian sympathy fill many pages of
the letter books. There were trials of a domestic nature, too intimate to
be revealed, which caused him deep sorrow, but which he bravely and
optimistically strove to meet. Clouds, too, obscured his financial
horizon; investments in certain mining ventures, entered into with high
hopes, turned out a dead loss; the repayment of loans, cheerfully made to
friends and relatives, was either delayed or entirely defaulted; and, to
cap the climax, the Western Union Telegraph Company, in which most of his
fortune was invested, passed one dividend and threatened to pass another.
He had provided for this contingency by a deposit of surplus funds before
his departure for Europe, but he was fearful of the future.
In spite of all this he could not refrain from treating the matter
lightly and humorously in a letter to Mr. E.S. Sanford of November 28,
1867, written from Dresden: "Your letter gave me both pleasure and pain.
I was glad to hear some particulars of the condition of my '_basket_,'
but was pained to learn that the _hens'_ eggs instead of swelling to
_goose_ eggs, and even to _ostrich_ eggs (as some that laid them so
enthusiastically anticipated when they were so closely packed), have
shrunk to _pigeons'_ eggs, if not to the diminutive _sparrows'_. To keep
up the figure, I am thankful there are any left not addled."
He was all the time absorbed in the preparation of his report as
Commissioner to the Paris Exposition, and it was, of course, a source of
great gratification to him to learn from the answers to his questions
sent to the telegraph officers of the whole world, that the Morse system
was practically the only one in general use. As one of his correspondents
put it--"The cry is, 'Give us the Morse.'"
The necessity for the completion of this work, and his desire to give his
children every advantage of study, kept him longer in Europe than he had
expected, and he writes to his brother Sidney on December 1, 1867: "I
long to return, for age creeps on apace, and I wish to put my house in
order for a longer and better journey to a better home."
In the early part of February, 1868, he and his wife and daughter and
youngest son left Dresden for Paris, stopping, however, a few days in
Berlin. Mr. George Bancroft was our minister at the Prussian court, and
he did all that courtesy could suggest to make the stay of his
distinguished countryman a pleasant one. He urged him to stay longer, so
that he might have the pleasure of presenting him at court, but this
honor Morse felt obliged to decline. The inventor did, however, find time
to visit the government telegraph office, of which Colonel (afterwards
General) von Chauvin was the head, and here he received an ovation from
all the operators, several hundred in number, who were seated at their
instruments in what was then the largest operating-room in the world.
Another incident of his visit to Berlin I shall give in the words of Mr.
Prime:--
"Not to recount the many tributes of esteem and respect paid him by Dr.
Siemens, and other gentlemen eminent in the specialty of telegraphy, one
other unexpected compliment may be mentioned. The Professor was presented
to the accomplished General Director of the Posts of the North German
Bund, Privy Councillor von Phillipsborn, in whose department the
telegraph had been comprised before Prussia became so great and the
centre of a powerful confederation.
"At the time of their visit the Director was so engaged, and that, too,
in another part of the Post-Amt, that the porter said it was useless to
trouble him with the cards. The names had not been long sent up, however,
before the Director himself came hurriedly down the corridor into the
antechamber, and, scarcely waiting for the hastiest of introductions,
enthusiastically grasped both the Professor's hands in his own, asking
whether he had 'the honor of speaking to Dr. Morse,' or, as he pronounced
it 'Morzey.'
"When, after a brief conversation, Mr. Morse rose to go, the Director
said that he had just left a conference over a new post and telegraph
treaty in negotiation between Belgium and the Bund, and that it would
afford him great pleasure to be permitted to present his guest to the
assembled gentlemen, including the Belgian Envoy and the Belgian
Postmaster-General. There followed, accordingly, a formal presentation
with an introductory address by the Director, who, in excellent English,
thanked Mr. Morse in the name of Prussia and of all Germany for his great
services, and speeches by the principal persons present--the Belgian
envoy, Baron de Nothomb, very felicitously complimenting the Professor in
French.
"Succeeding the hand-shaking the Director spoke again, and, in reply, Mr.
Morse gratefully acknowledged the courtesy shown to him, adding: 'It is
very gratifying to me to hear you say that the Telegraph has been and is
a means of promoting peace among men. Believe me, gentlemen, my remaining
days shall be devoted to this great object.'...
"The Director then led his visitors into a small, cosily furnished room,
saying as they entered: 'Here I have so often thought of you, Mr. Morse,
but I never thought I should have the honor of receiving you in my own
private room.'
"After they were seated the host, tapping upon a small table, continued:
'Over this passed the important telegrams of the war of 1866.' Then,
approaching a large telegraph map on the wall, he added: 'Upon this you
can see how invaluable was the telegraph in the war. Here,'--pointing
with the forefinger of his right hand,--'here the Crown Prince came down
through Silesia. This,' indicating with the other forefinger a passage
through Bohemia, 'was the line of march of Prince Friedrich Carl. From
this station the Crown Prince telegraphed Prince Friedrich Carl, always
over Berlin, "Where are you?" The answer from this station reached him,
also over Berlin. The Austrians were here,' placing the thumb on the map
below and between the two fingers. 'The next day Prince Friedrich Carl
comes here,'--the left forefinger joined the thumb,--' and telegraphs the
fact, always over Berlin, to the Crown Prince, who hurries forward here.'
The forefinger of the right hand slipped quickly under the thumb as if to
pinch something, and the narrator looked up significantly.
"Perhaps the patriotic Director thought of the July afternoon when,
eagerly listening at the little mahogany-topped table, over which passed
so many momentous messages, he learned that the royal cousins had
effected a junction at Königgrätz, a junction that decided the fate of
Germany and secured Prussia its present proud position, a junction which
but for his modest visitor's invention, the telegraph, 'always over
Berlin,' would have been impossible."
Returning to Paris with his family, he spent some months at the Hôtel de
la Place du Palais Royal, principally in collecting all the data
necessary to the completion of his report, which had been much delayed
owing to the dilatoriness of those to whom he had applied for facts and
statistics. On April 14, 1868, he says in a letter to the Honorable John
Thompson: "Pleasant as has been our European visit, with its advantages
in certain branches of education, our hearts yearn for our American home.
We can appreciate, I hope, the good in European countries, be grateful
for European hospitality, and yet be thorough Americans, as we all
profess to be notwithstanding the display of so many defects which tend
to disgrace us in the eyes of the world."
On May 18 he writes to Senator Michel Chevalier: "And now, my dear sir,
farewell. I leave beautiful Paris the day after to-morrow for my home on
the other side of the Atlantic, more deeply impressed than ever with the
grandeur of France, and the liberality and hospitality of her courteous
people, so kindly manifested to me and mine. I leave Paris with many
regrets, for my age admonishes me that, in all probability, I shall never
again visit Europe."
Sailing from Havre on the St. Laurent, on May 22, he and his family
reached, without untoward incident, the home on the Hudson, and on June
21 he writes to his son Arthur, who had remained abroad with his tutor:--
"You see by the date where we all are. Once more I am seated at my table
in the half octagon study under the south verandah. Never did the Grove
look more charming. Its general features the same, but the growth of the
trees and shrubbery greatly increased. Faithful Thomas Devoy has proved
himself to be a truly honest and efficient overseer. The whole farm is in
fine condition....
"On Thursday last I was much gratified with Mr. Leslie's letter from
Copenhagen, with his account of your reception by the King of Denmark.
How gratifying to me that the portrait of Thorwaldsen has given such
pleasure to the king, and that he regards it as the best likeness of the
great sculptor."
The story of Morse's presentation to the King of Denmark of the portrait,
painted in Rome in 1831, has already been told in the first volume of
this work. The King, as we learn from the above quotation, was greatly
pleased with it, and in token of his gratification raised Morse to the
rank of Knight Commander of the Dannebrog, the rank of Knight having been
already conferred on the inventor by the King's predecessor on the
throne.
In another letter to Colonel Leslie, of November 2, 1868, brief reference
is made to matters political:--
"To-morrow is the important day for deciding our next four years' rulers.
I am glad our Continental brethren cannot read our newspapers of the
present day, otherwise they must infer that our choice of rulers is made
from a class more fitted for the state's prison than the state thrones,
and elevation to a scaffold were more suited to the characters of the
individual candidates than elevation to office. But in a few days matters
will calm down, and the business of the nation will assume its wonted
aspect.
"I have not engaged in this warfare. As a citizen I have my own views,
and give my vote on general principles, but am prepared to learn that my
vote is on the defeated side. I presume that Grant will be the president,
and I shall defer to the decision like a peaceable citizen. The day after
to-morrow you will know as well as we shall the probable result. The
Telegraph is telling upon the world, and its effect upon human affairs is
yet but faintly appreciated."
In this letter he also speaks of the death of his youngest brother,
Richard C. Morse, who died at Kissingen on September 22, 1868, and in a
letter to his son Arthur, of October 11, he again refers to it, and adds:
"It is a sad blow to all of us but particularly to the large circle of
his children. Your two uncles and your father were a three-fold cord,
strongly united in affection. It is now sundered. The youngest is taken
first, and we that remain must soon follow him in the natural course of
things."
Farther on in this letter he says: "I attended the funeral of Mr. L---- a
few weeks ago. I am told that he died of a broken heart from the conduct
of his graceless son Frank, and I can easily understand that the course
he has pursued, and his drunken habits, may have killed his father with
as much certainty as if he had shot him. Children have little conception
of the effect of their conduct upon their parents. They never know fully
these anxieties until they are parents themselves."
But his skies were not all grey, for in addition to his satisfaction in
being once more at home in his own beloved country, and in his quiet
retreat on the Hudson, he was soon to be the recipient of a signal mark
of respect and esteem by his own countrymen, which proved that this
prophet was not without honor even in his own country.
NEW YORK, November 30th, 1868.
PROFESSOR S.F.B. MORSE, LL.D.
Sir,--Many of your countrymen and numerous personal friends desire to
give definite expression to the fact that this country is in full accord
with European nations in acknowledging your title to the position of
father of Modern Telegraphy, and at the same time in a fitting manner to
welcome you to your home.
They, therefore, request that you will name a day on which you will favor
them with your company at a public banquet.
With great respect we remain,
Very truly your friends.
Here follow the names of practically every man of prominence in New York
at that time.
Morse replied on December 4:--
To the Hon. Hamilton Fish, Hon. John T. Hoffman, Hon. Wm. Dennison, Hon.
A.G. Curtin, Hon. Wm. E. Dodge, Peter Cooper, Esq., Daniel Huntington,
Esq., Wm. Orton, Esq., A.A. Low, Esq., James Brown, Esq., Cyrus W. Field,
Esq., John J. Cisco, Esq., and others.
Gentlemen,--I have received your flattering request of the 30th November,
proposing the compliment of a public banquet to me, and asking me to
appoint a day on which it would be convenient for me to meet you.
Did your proposal intend simply a personal compliment I should feel no
hesitation in thanking you cordially for this evidence of your personal
regard, while I declined your proffered honor; but I cannot fail to
perceive that there is a paramount patriotic duty connected with your
proposal which forbids me to decline your invitation.
In accepting it, therefore, I would name (in view of some personal
arrangements) Wednesday the 30th inst. as the day which would be most
agreeable to me.
Accept, Gentlemen, the assurance of the respect of Your obedient servant,
Samuel F.B. Morse.
The banquet was given at Delmonico's, which was then on the corner of
Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, and was presided over by Chief
Justice Salmon P. Chase, who had been the leading counsel _against_ Morse
in his first great lawsuit, but who now cheerfully acknowledged that to
Morse and America the great invention of the telegraph was due. About two
hundred men sat down at the tables, among them some of the most eminent
in the country. Morse sat at the right of Chief Justice Chase, and Sir
Edward Thornton, British Ambassador, on his left. When the time for
speechmaking came, Cyrus Field read letters from President Andrew
Johnson; from General Grant, President-elect; from Speaker Colfax,
Admiral Farragut, and many others. He also read a telegram from Governor
Alexander H. Bullock of Massachusetts: "Massachusetts honors her two
sons--Franklin and Morse. The one conducted the lightning safely from the
sky; the other conducts it beneath the ocean from continent to continent.
The one tamed the lightning; the other makes it minister to human wants
and human progress."
From London came another message:--
"CYRUS W. FIELD, New York. The members of the joint committee of the
Anglo-American and Atlantic Telegraph Companies hear with pleasure of the
banquet to be given this evening to Professor Morse, and desire to greet
that distinguished telegraphist, and wish him all the compliments of the
season."
Mr. Field added: "This telegram was sent from London at four o'clock this
afternoon, and was delivered into the hands of your committee at 12.50."
This, naturally, elicited much applause and laughter.
Speeches then followed by other men prominent in various walks of life.
Sir Edward Thornton said that he "had great satisfaction in being able to
contribute his mite of that admiration and esteem for Professor Morse
which must be felt by all for so great a benefactor of his fellow
creatures and of posterity."
Chief Justice Chase introduced the guest of the evening in the following
graceful words:--
"Many shining names will at once occur to any one at all familiar with
the history of the Telegraph. Among them I can pause to mention only
those of Volta, the Italian, to whose discoveries the battery is due;
Oersted, the Dane, who first discovered the magnetic properties of the
electric current; Ampere and Arago, the Frenchmen, who prosecuted still
further and most successfully similar researches; then Sturgeon, the
Englishman, who may be said to have made the first electro-magnet; next,
and not least illustrious among these illustrious men, our countryman
Henry, who first showed the practicability of producing electro-magnetic
effects by means of the galvanic current at distances infinitely great;
and finally Steinheil, the German, who, after the invention of the
Telegraph in all its material parts was complete, taught, in 1837, the
use of the ground as part of the circuit. These are some of those
searchers for truth whose names will be long held in grateful memory, and
not among the least of their titles to gratitude and remembrance will be
the discoveries which contributed to the possibility of the modern
Telegraph.
"But these discoveries only made the Telegraph possible. They offered the
brilliant opportunity. There was needed a man to bring into being the new
art and the new interest to which they pointed, and it is the
providential distinction and splendid honor of the eminent American, who
is our guest to-night, that, happily prepared by previous acquirements
and pursuits, he was quick to seize the opportunity and give to the world
the first recording Telegraph.
"Fortunate man! thus to link his name forever with the greatest wonder
and the greatest benefit of the age! [great applause]... I give you 'Our
guest, Professor S.F.B. Morse, the man of science who explored the laws
of nature, wrested electricity from her embrace, and made it a missionary
in the cause of human progress.'"
As the venerable inventor rose from his chair, overcome with profound
emotion which was almost too great to be controlled, the whole assembly
rose with him, and cheer after cheer resounded through the hall for many
minutes. When at last quiet was restored, he addressed the company at
length, giving a resumé of his struggles and paying tribute to those who
had befriended and assisted him in his time of need--to Amos Kendall, who
sat at the board with him and whose name called forth more cheers, to
Alfred Vail, to Leonard Gale, and, in the largeness of his heart, to
F.O.J. Smith. It will not be necessary to give his remarks in full, as
the history of the invention has already been given in detail in the
course of this work, but his concluding remarks are worthy of record:--
"In casting my eyes around I am most agreeably greeted by faces that
carry me back in memory to the days of my art struggles in this city, the
early days of the National Academy of Design.
"Brothers (for you are yet brothers), if I left your ranks you well know
it cost me a pang. I did not leave you until I saw you well established
and entering on that career of prosperity due to your own just
appreciation of the important duties belonging to your profession. You
have an institution which now holds and, if true to yourselves, will
continue to hold a high position in the estimation of this appreciative
community. If I have stepped aside from Art to tread what seems another
path, there is a good precedent for it in the lives of artists. Science
and Art are not opposed. Leonardo da Vinci could find congenial
relaxation in scientific researches and invention, and our own Fulton was
a painter whose scientific studies resulted in steam navigation. It may
not be generally known that the important invention of the _percussion
cap_ is due to the scientific recreations of the English painter Shaw.
"But I must not detain you from more instructive speech. One word only in
closing. I have claimed for America the origination of the modern
Telegraph System of the world. Impartial history, I think, will support
that claim. Do not misunderstand me as disparaging or disregarding the
labors and ingenious modifications of others in various countries
employed in the same field of invention. Gladly, did time permit, would I
descant upon their great and varied merits. Yet in tracing the birth and
pedigree of the modern Telegraph, 'American' is not the highest term of
the series that connects the past with the present; there is at least one
higher term, the highest of all, which cannot and must not be ignored. If
not a sparrow falls to the ground without a definite purpose in the plans
of infinite wisdom, can the creation of an instrumentality so vitally
affecting the interests of the whole human race have an origin less
humble than the Father of every good and perfect gift?
"I am sure I have the sympathy of such an assembly as is here gathered
if, in all humility and in the sincerity of a grateful heart, I use the
words of inspiration in ascribing honor and praise to Him to whom first
of all and most of all it is preëminently due. 'Not unto us, not unto us,
but to God be all the glory.' Not what hath man, but 'What hath God
wrought?'"
More applause followed as Morse took his seat, and other speeches were
made by such men as Professor Goldwin Smith, the Honorable William M.
Evarts, A.A. Low, William Cullen Bryant, William Orton, David Dudley
Field, the Honorable William E. Dodge, Sir Hugh Allan, Daniel Huntington,
and Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania.
While many of these speeches were most eloquent and appropriate, I shall
quote from only one, giving as an excuse the words of James D. Reid in
his excellent work "The Telegraph in America": "As Mr. Huntington's
address contains some special thoughts showing the relationship of the
painter to invention, and is, besides, a most affectionate and
interesting tribute to his beloved master, Mr. Morse, it is deemed no
discourtesy to the other distinguished speakers to give it nearly
entire."
I shall, however, omit some portions which Mr. Reid included.
"In fact, however, every studio is more or less a laboratory. The painter
is a chemist delving into the secrets of pigments, varnishes, mixtures of
tints and mysterious preparations of grounds and overlaying of colors;
occult arts by which the inward light is made to gleam from the canvas,
and the warm flesh to glow and palpitate.
"The studio of my beloved master, in whose honor we have met to-night,
was indeed a laboratory. Vigorous, life-like portraits, poetic and
historic groups, occasionally grew upon his easel; but there were many
hours--yes, days--when absorbed in study among galvanic batteries and
mysterious lines of wires, he seemed to us like an alchemist of the
middle ages in search of the philosopher's stone.
"I can never forget the occasion when he called his pupils together to
witness one of the first, if not the first, successful experiment with
the electric telegraph. It was in the winter of 1835-36. I can see now
that rude instrument, constructed with an old stretching-frame, a wooden
clock, a home-made battery and the wire stretched many times around the
walls of the studio. With eager interest we gathered about it as our
master explained its operation while, with a click, click, the pencil, by
a succession of dots and lines, recorded the message in cypher. The idea
was born. The words circled that upper chamber as they do now the globe.
"But we had little faith. To us it seemed the dream of enthusiasm. We
grieved to see the sketch upon the canvas untouched. We longed to see him
again calling into life events in our country's history. But it was not
to be; God's purposes were being accomplished, and now the world is
witness to his triumph. Yet the love of art still lives in some inner
corner of his heart, and I know he can never enter the studio of a
painter and see the artist silently bringing from the canvas forms of
life and beauty, but he feels a tender twinge, as one who catches a
glimpse of the beautiful girl he loved in his youth whom another has
snatched away.
"Finally, my dear master and father in art, allow me in this moment of
your triumph in the field of discovery, to greet you in the name of your
brother artists with 'All hail.' As an artist you might have spent life
worthily in turning God's blessed daylight into sweet hues of rainbow
colors, and into breathing forms for the delight and consolation of men,
but it has been His will that you should train the lightnings, the sharp
arrows of his anger, into the swift yet gentle messengers of Peace and
Love."
Morse's wife and his daughter and other ladies had been present during
the speeches, but they began to take their leave after Mr. Huntington's
address, although the toastmaster arose to announce the last toast, which
was "The Ladies." So he said: "This is the most inspiring theme of all,
but the theme itself seems to be vanishing from us. Indeed [after a
pause], has already vanished. [After another pause and a glance around
the room.] And the gentleman who was to have responded seems also to have
vanished with his theme. I may assume, therefore, that the duties of the
evening are performed, and its enjoyments are at an end."
The unsought honor of this public banquet, in his own country, organized
by the most eminent men of the day, calling forth eulogies of him in the
public press of the whole world, was justly esteemed by Morse as one of
the crowning events of his long career; but an even greater honor was
still in store for him, which will be described in due season.
The early months of 1869 were almost entirely devoted to his report as
Commissioner, which was finally completed and sent to the Department of
State in the latter part of March. In this work he received great
assistance from Professor W.P. Blake, who was "In charge of publication,"
and who writes to him on March 29: "I have had only a short time to
glance at it as it was delivered towards the close of the day, but I am
most impressed by the amount of labor and care you have so evidently
bestowed upon it."
Professor Blake wrote another letter on August 21, which I am tempted to
give almost in its entirety:--
"I feel it to be my duty to write to you upon another point regarding
your report, upon which I know that you are sensitive, but, as I think
you will see that my motives are good, and that I sincerely express them,
I believe you will not be offended with me although my views and opinions
may not coincide exactly with yours. I allude to the mention which you
make of some of the eminent physicists who have contributed by their
discoveries and experiments to our knowledge of the phenomena of
electro-magnetism.
"On page 9 of the manuscript you observe: 'The application of the
electro-magnet, the invention of Arago and Sturgeon (first combined and
employed by Morse in the construction of the generic telegraph) to the
purposes also of the semaphore, etc.'
"Frankly, I am pained not to see the name of Henry there associated with
those of Arago and Sturgeon, for it is known and generally conceded among
men of science that his researches and experiments and the results which
he reached were of radical importance and value, and that they deservedly
rank with those of Ampere, Arago and Sturgeon.
"I am aware that, by some unfortunate combination of circumstances, the
personal relations of yourself and Professor Henry are not pleasant. I
deplore this, and it would be an intense satisfaction to me if I could be
the humble means of bringing about a harmonious and honorable adjustment
of the differences which separate you. I write this without conference
with Professor Henry or his friends. I do it impartially, first, in the
line of my duty as editor (but not now officially); second, as a lover of
science; third, with a patriotic desire to secure as much as justly can
be for the scientific reputation of the country; and fourth, with a
desire to promote harmony between all who are concerned in increasing and
disseminating knowledge, and particularly between such sincere lovers of
truth and justice as I believe both yourself and Professor Henry to be.
"I do not find that Professor Henry anywhere makes a claim which trenches
upon your claim of first using the electro-magnet for writing or printing
at a distance--the telegraph as distinguished from the semaphore. This he
cannot claim, for he acknowledges it to be yours. You, on the other hand,
do not claim the semaphoric use of electricity. I therefore do not see
any obstacle to an honorable adjustment of the differences which separate
you, and which, perhaps, make you disinclined to freely associate
Professor Henry's name with those of other promoters of electrical
science.
"Your report presents a fitting opportunity to effect this result. A
magnanimous recognition by you of Professor Henry's important
contributions to the science of electro-magnetism appears to me to be all
that is necessary. They can be most appropriately and gracefully
acknowledged in your report, and you will gain rather than lose by so
doing. Such action on your part would do more than anything else could to
secure for you the good will of all men of science, and to hasten a
universal and generous accord of all the credit for your great gift to
civilization that you can properly desire.
"Now, my dear sir, with this frank statement of my views on this point, I
accept your invitation, and will go to see you at your house to talk with
you upon this point and others, perhaps more agreeable, but if, after
this expression of my inclinations, you will not deem me a welcome guest,
telegraph me not to come--I will not take it unkindly."
To this Morse replied on August 23: "Your most acceptable letter, with
the tone and spirit of which I am most gratified, is just received, for
which accept my thanks. I shall be most happy to see you and freely to
communicate with you on the subject mentioned, and with the sincere
desire of a satisfactory result."
The visit was paid, but the details of the conversation have not been
preserved. However, we find in Morse's report, on page 10, the following:
"In 1825, Mr. Sturgeon, of England, made the first electro-magnet in the
horseshoe form by loosely winding a piece of iron wire with a spiral of
copper wire. In the United States, as early as 1831, the experimental
researches of Professor Joseph Henry were of great importance in
advancing the science of electro-magnetism. He may be said to have
carried the electro-magnet, in its lifting powers, to its greatest
perfection. Reflecting upon the principle of Professor Schweigger's
galvanometer, he constructed magnets in which great power could be
developed by a very small galvanic element. His published paper in 1831
shows that he experimented with wires of different lengths, and he noted
the amount of magnetism which could be induced through them at various
lengths by means of batteries composed of a single element, and also of
many elements. He states that the magnetic action of 'a current from a
trough composed of many pairs is at least not sensibly diminished by
passing through a long wire,' and he incidentally noted the bearing of
this fact upon the project of an electro-magnetic telegraph [semaphore?].
"In more recent papers, first published in 1857, it appears that
Professor Henry demonstrated before his pupils the practicability of
ringing a bell, by means of electro-magnetism, at a distance."
Whether Professor Blake was satisfied with this change from the original
manuscript is not recorded. Morse evidently thought that he had made the
_amende honorable_, but Henry, coldly proud man that he was, still held
aloof from a reconciliation, for I have been informed that he even
refused to be present at the memorial services held in Washington after
the death of Morse.
In a letter of May 10, 1869, to Dr. Leonard Gale, some interesting facts
concerning the reading by sound are given:--
"The fact that the lever action of the earliest instrument of 1835 by its
click gave the sound of the numerals, as embodied in the original type,
is well known, nor is there anything so remarkable in that result....
When you first saw the instrument in 1836 this was so obvious that it
scarcely excited more than a passing remark, but, after the adaptation of
the dot and space, with the addition of the line or dash, in forming the
alphabetic signs (which, as well as I can remember, was about the same
date, late in 1835 or early in 1836) then I noticed that the different
letters had each their own individual sounds, and could also be
distinguished from each other by the sound. The fact did not then appear
to me to be of any great importance, seeming to be more curious than
useful, yet, in reflecting upon it, it seemed desirable to secure this
result by specifying it in my letters patent, lest it might be used as an
_evasion_ in indicating my novel alphabet without recording it. Hence the
_sounds_ as well as the imprinted signs were specified in my letters
patent.
"As to the time when these sounds were _practically_ used, I am unable to
give a precise date. I have a distinct recollection of one case, and
proximately the date of it. The time of the incident was soon after the
line was extended from Philadelphia to Washington, having a way station
at Wilmington, Delaware. The Washington office was in the old
post-office, in the room above it. I was in the operating room. The
instruments were for a moment silent. I was standing at some distance
near the fireplace conversing with Mr. Washington, the operator, who was
by my side. Presently one of the instruments commenced writing and Mr.
Washington listened and smiled. I asked him why he smiled. 'Oh!' said he,
'that is Zantzinger of the Philadelphia office, but he is operating from
Wilmington.' 'How do you know that?' 'Oh! I know his touch, but I must
ask him why he is in Wilmington.' He then went to the instrument and
telegraphed to Zantzinger at Wilmington, and the reply was that he had
been sent from Philadelphia to regulate the relay magnet for the
Wilmington operator, who was inexperienced in operating....
"I give this instance, not because it was the _first_, but because it is
one which I had specially treasured in my memory and frequently related
as illustrative of the practicality of reading by _sound_ as well as by
the written record. This must have occurred about the year 1846."
A serious accident befell the aged inventor, now seventy-nine years old,
in July, 1869. He slipped on the stairs of his country house and fell
with all his weight on his left leg, which was broken in two places. This
mishap confined him to his bed for three months, and many feared that,
owing to his advanced age, it would be fatal. But, thanks to his vigorous
constitution and his temperate life, he recovered completely. He bore
this affliction with Christian fortitude. In a letter to his brother
Sidney, of August 14, he says: "The healing process in my leg is very
slow. The doctor, who has just left me, condemns me to a fortnight more
of close confinement. I have other troubles, for they come not singly,
but all is for the best."
Troubles, indeed, came not singly, for, in addition to sorrows of a
domestic nature, his friends one by one were taken from him by death, and
on November 12, 1869, he writes to William Stickney, Esq., son-in-law of
Amos Kendall:--
"Although prepared by recent notices in the papers to expect the sad
news, which a telegram this moment received announces to me, of the death
of my excellent, long-tried friend Mr. Kendall, I confess that the
intelligence has come with a shock which has quite unnerved me. I feel
the loss as of a _father_ rather than of a brother in age, for he was one
in whom I confided as a father, so sure was I of affectionate and sound
advice....
"I need not tell you how deeply I feel this sad bereavement. I am truly
and severely bereaved in the loss of such a friend, a friend, indeed,
upon whose faithfulness and unswerving integrity I have ever reposed with
perfect confidence, a confidence which has never been betrayed, and a
friend to whose energy and skill, in the conduct of the agency which I
had confided to him, I owe (under God) the comparative comfort which a
kind Providence has permitted me to enjoy in my advanced age."
In the following year he was called upon to mourn the death of still
another of his good friends, for, on August 24, 1870, George Wood died
very suddenly at Saratoga.
While much of sadness and sorrow clouded the evening of the life of this
truly great man, the sun, ere it sank to rest, tinged the clouds with a
glory seldom vouchsafed to a mortal, for he was to see a statue erected
to him while he was yet living. Of many men it has been said that--
"Wanting bread they receive only a stone, and not even that until long
after they have been starved to death." It was Morse's good fortune not
only to see the child of his brain grow to a sturdy manhood, but to be
honored during his lifetime to a truly remarkable degree.
The project of a memorial of some sort to the Inventor of the Telegraph
was first broached by Robert B. Hoover, manager of the Western Union
Telegraph office, Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. The idea once started
spread with the rapidity of the electric fluid itself, and, under the
able management of James D. Reid, a fund was raised, partly by dollar
subscriptions largely made by telegraph operators all over the country,
including Canada, and it was decided that the testimonial should take the
form of a bronze statue to be erected in Central Park, New York. Byron M.
Pickett was chosen as the sculptor, and the Park Commission readily
granted permission to place the statue in the park.
It was at first hoped that the unveiling might take place on the 27th of
April, 1871, Morse's eightieth birthday; but unavoidable delays arose,
and it was not until the 10th of June that everything was in readiness.
It was a perfect June day and the hundreds of telegraphers from all parts
of the country, with their families, spent the forenoon in a steamboat
excursion around the city. In the afternoon crowds flocked to the park
where, near what is now called the "Inventor's Gate," the statue stood in
the angle between two platforms for the invited guests. Morse himself
refused to attend the ceremonies of the unveiling of his counterfeit
presentment, as being too great a strain on his innate modesty. Some
persons and some papers said that he was present, but, as Mr. James D.
Reid says in his "Telegraph in America," "Mr. Morse was incapable of such
an indelicacy.... Men of refinement and modesty would justly have
marvelled had they seen him in such a place."
At about four o'clock the Governor of New York, John T. Hoffman,
delivered the opening address, saying, in the course of his speech: "In
our day a new era has dawned. Again, for the second time in the history
of the world, the power of language is increased by human agency. Thanks
to Samuel F.B. Morse men speak to one another now, though separated by
the width of the earth, with the lightning's speed and as if standing
face to face. If the inventor of the alphabet be deserving of the highest
honors, so is he whose great achievement marks this epoch in the history
of language--the inventor of the Electric Telegraph. We intend, so far as
in us lies, that the men who come after us shall be at no loss to
discover his name for want of recorded testimony."
Governor Claflin, of Massachusetts, and William Orton, president of the
Western Union Telegraph Company, then drew aside the drapery amidst the
cheers and applause of the multitude, while the Governor's Island band
played the "Star-Spangled Banner."
William Cullen Bryant, who was an early friend of the inventor, then
presented the statue to the city in an eloquent address, from which I
shall quote the following words:--
"It may be said, I know, that the civilized world is already full of
memorials which speak the merit of our friend and the grandeur and
utility of his invention. Every telegraphic station is such a memorial.
Every message sent from one of these stations to another may be counted
among the honors paid to his name. Every telegraphic wire strung from
post to post, as it hums in the wind, murmurs his eulogy. Every sheaf of
wires laid down in the deep sea, occupying the bottom of soundless
abysses to which human sight has never penetrated, and carrying the
electric pulse, charged with the burden of human thought, from continent
to continent, from the Old World to the New, is a testimonial to his
greatness.... The Latin inscription in the church of St. Paul's in
London, referring to Sir Christopher Wren, its architect,--'If you would
behold his monument, look around you,'--may be applied in a far more
comprehensive sense to our friend, since the great globe itself has
become his monument."
The Mayor of New York, A. Oakey Hall, accepted the statue in a short
speech, and, after a prayer by the Reverend Stephen H. Tyng, D.D., the
assembled multitude joined in singing the doxology, and the ceremonies at
the park were ended.
But other honors still awaited the venerable inventor, for, on the
evening of that day, the old Academy of Music on Fourteenth Street was
packed with a dense throng gathered together to listen to eulogies on
this benefactor of his race, and to hear him bid farewell to his children
of the Telegraph. A table was placed in the centre of the stage on which
was the original instrument used on the first line from Washington to
Baltimore. This was connected with all the lines of telegraph extending
to all parts of the world. The Honorable William Orton presided, and,
after the Reverend Howard Crosby had opened the ceremonies with prayer,
speeches were delivered by Mr. Orton, Dr. George B. Loring, of Salem, and
the Reverend Dr. George W. Samson.
At nine o'clock Mr. Orton announced that all lines were clear for the
farewell message of the inventor to his children; that this message would
be flashed to thousands of waiting operators all over the world, and that
answers would be received during the course of the evening. The pleasant
task of sending the message had been delegated to Miss Sadie E. Cornwell,
a skilful young operator of attractive personality, and Morse himself was
to manipulate the key which sent his name, in the dots and dashes of his
own alphabet, over the wires.
The vast audience was hushed into absolute silence as Miss Cornwell
clicked off the message which Morse had composed for the occasion:
"Greeting and thanks to the Telegraph fraternity throughout the world.
Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men."
As Mr. Orton escorted Morse to the table a tremendous burst of applause
broke out, but was silenced by a gesture from the presiding officer, and
again the great audience was still. Slowly the inventor spelled out the
letters of his name, the click of the instrument being clearly heard in
every part of the house, and as clearly understood by the hundreds of
telegraphers present, so that without waiting for the final dot, which
typified the letter e, the whole vast assembly rose amid deafening cheers
and the waving of handkerchiefs.
It was an inspiring moment, and the venerable man was almost overcome by
his emotions, and sat for some time with his head buried in his hands,
striving to regain his self-control.
When the excitement had somewhat subsided, Mr. Orton said: "Thus the
Father of the Telegraph bids farewell to his children."
The current was then switched to an instrument behind the scenes, and
answers came pouring in, first from near-by towns and cities, and then
from New Orleans, Quebec, San Francisco, Halifax, Havana, and finally
from Hongkong, Bombay, and Singapore.
Mr. Reid has given a detailed account of these messages in his "Telegraph
in America," but I shall not pause to reproduce them here; neither shall
I quote from the eloquent speeches which followed, delivered by General
N.P. Banks, the Reverend H.M. Gallagher, G.K. Walcott, and James D. Reid.
After Miss Antoinette Sterling had sung "Auld Lang Syne," to the great
delight of the audience, who recalled her several times, Chief Justice
Charles P. Daly introduced Professor Morse in an appropriate address.
As the white-haired inventor, in whose honor this great demonstration had
been organized, stepped forward to deliver his, valedictory, he was
greeted with another round of cheering and applause. At first almost
overcome by emotion, he soon recovered his self-control, and he read his
address in a clear, resonant voice which carried to every part of the
house. The address was a long one, and as most of it is but a
recapitulation of what has been already given, I shall only quote from it
in part:--
"Friends and children of the telegraph,--When I was solicited to be
present this evening, in compliance with the wishes of those who, with
such zeal and success, responded to the suggestion of one of your number
that a commemorative statue should be erected in our unrivaled Park, and
which has this day been placed in position and unveiled, I hesitated to
comply. Not that I did not feel a wish in person to return to you my
heartfelt thanks for this unique proof of your personal regard, but truly
from a fear that I could use no terms which would adequately express my
appreciation of your kindness. Whatever I say must fall short of
expressing the grateful feelings or conflicting emotions which agitate me
on an occasion so unexampled in the history of invention. Gladly would I
have shrunk from this public demonstration were it not that my absence
to-night, under the circumstances, might be construed into an apathy
which I do not feel, and which your overpowering kindness would justly
rebuke....
"You have chosen to impersonate in my humble effigy an invention which,
cradled upon the ocean, had its birth in an American ship. It was nursed
and cherished not so much from personal as from patriotic motives.
Forecasting its future, even at its birth, my most powerful stimulus to
perseverance through all the perils and trials of its early days--and
they were neither few nor insignificant--was the thought that it must
inevitably be world-wide in its application, and, moreover, that it would
everywhere be hailed as a grateful American gift to the nations. It is in
this aspect of the present occasion that I look upon your proceedings as
intended, not so much as homage to an individual, as to the invention,
'whose lines [from America] have gone out through all the earth, and
their words to the end of the world.'
"In the carrying-out of any plan of improvement, however grand or
feasible, no single individual could possibly accomplish it without the
aid of others. We are none of us so powerful that we can dispense with
the assistance, in various departments of the work, of those whose
experience and knowledge must supply the needed aid of their expertness.
It is not sufficient that a brilliant project be proposed, that its modes
of accomplishment are foreseen and properly devised; there are, in every
part of the enterprise, other minds and other agencies to be consulted
for information and counsel to perfect the whole plan. The Chief Justice,
in delivering the decision of the Supreme Court, says: 'It can make no
difference whether he [the inventor] derives his information from books
or from conversation with men skilled in the science.' And: 'The fact
that Morse sought and obtained the necessary information and counsel from
the best sources, and acted upon it, neither impairs his rights as an
inventor nor detracts from his merits.'
"The inventor must seek and employ the skilled mechanician in his
workshop to put the invention into practical form, and for this purpose
some pecuniary means are required as well as mechanical skill. Both these
were at hand. Alfred Vail, of Morristown, New Jersey, with his father and
brother, came to the help of the unclothed infant, and with their funds
and mechanical skill put it into a condition to appear before the
Congress of the nation. To these New Jersey friends is due the first
important aid in the progress of the invention. Aided also by the talent
and scientific skill of Professor Gale, my esteemed colleague in the
University, the Telegraph appeared in Washington in 1838, a suppliant for
the means to demonstrate its power. To the Honorable F.O.J. Smith, then
chairman of the House Committee of Commerce, belongs the credit of a just
appreciation of the new invention, and of a zealous advocacy of an
experimental essay, and the inditing of an admirably written report in
its favor, signed by every member of the committee.... To Ezra Cornell,
whose noble benefactions to his state and the country have placed his
name by the side of Cooper and Peabody high on the roll of public
benefactors, is due the credit of early and effective aid in the
superintendence and erection of the first public line of telegraph ever
established."
After paying tribute to the names of Amos Kendall, Cyrus Field, Volta,
Oersted, Arago, Schweigger, Gauss and Weber, Steinheil, Daniell, Grove,
Cooke, Dana, Henry, and others, he continued:--
"There is not a name I have mentioned, and many whom I have not
mentioned, whose career in science or experience in mechanical and
engineering and nautical tactics, or in financial practice, might not be
the theme of volumes rather than of brief mention in an ephemeral
address.
"To-night you have before you a sublime proof of the grand progress of
the Telegraph in its march round the globe. It is but a few days since
that our veritable antipodes became telegraphically united to us. We can
speak to and receive an answer in a few seconds of time from Hongkong in
China, where ten o'clock to-night here is ten o'clock in the day there,
and it is, perhaps, a debatable question whether their ten o'clock is ten
to-day or ten to-morrow. China and New York are in interlocutory
communication. We know the fact, but can imagination realize the fact?
"But I must not further trespass on your patience at this late hour. I
cannot close without the expression of my cordial thanks to my
long-known, long-tried and honored friend Reid, whose unwearied labors
early contributed so effectively to the establishment of telegraph lines,
and who, in a special manner as chairman of your Memorial Fund, has so
faithfully, and successfully, and admirably carried to completion your
flattering design. To the eminent Governors of this state and the state
of Massachusetts, who have given to this demonstration their honored
presence; to my excellent friend the distinguished orator of the day; to
the Mayor and city authorities of New York; to the Park Commissioners; to
the officers and managers of the various, and even rival, telegraph
companies, who have so cordially united on this occasion; to the numerous
citizens, ladies and gentlemen; and, though last not least, to every one
of my large and increasing family of telegraph children who have honored
me with the proud title of Father, I tender my cordial thanks."