If everything were now as it was in 1791, what a queer place this
world of ours would be to us!
A hundred years ago!
Suppose we imagine ourselves living in the year 1800.
The railroads then were very few and poor.
"Fulton's Folly," the first steamboat, had not yet frightened the
sailors in New York Harbor, with its long line of black smoke.
Lighting by means of gas was yet unknown.
Electric lights were not even dreamed of.
Even kerosene, which we think makes so poor a light, was then
unused.
So there are many, many things, common and useful to us now, which
were unknown to the world in 1800.
You have heard of the giant, Steam.
There is yet another giant which God has placed in the world for
man's use.
This is Electricity.
Is it not strange that this great power should have been so long
unused in the world?
Boys and girls can understand how useful this power now is.
So you will be interested in knowing something of the man who helped
to introduce to the world this great giant, electricity.
The baby who was given this long name, Samuel Finley Breese Morse,
was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
The date of his birth was April 27, 1791.
He was called Samuel Finley for his great-grandfather.
His mother's name, as a girl, was Elizabeth Breese.
You will see that he won fame enough to cover each and every one of
these names.
Finley Morse had, as he grew older, two brothers younger than
himself.
Their names were Sidney E. Morse, and Richard Cary Morse.
Finley was sent first to an old lady's school.
He was but four years old when he started.
The school was very near his home.