[Illustration: MORSE’S FIRST TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENT]
“Mother has just had a telegram from Grandmother that she’s on
her way to visit us,” said the boy named Billy. “I’m strong for
Grandmother and I’m going to train to meet her.”
“We’re all _fond_ of Grandmother,” corrected Big Sister, “and
we’re all going to the train to meet her. Who brought the
telegram?”
“Nobody brought it,” said the boy named Billy. “When it got to
town it just hopped off the telegraph wires and hopped on the
telephone wire and came right out here. That’s got magic beaten a
mile I’ll say. Whoever invented the telegraph system anyhow?”
“Oh, you with your ‘who inventeds’!” said Big Sister. “Why don’t
you study up such things yourself?”
“I can read it afterwards,” said the boy named Billy, “but when
Somebody tells it to me that makes a story of it. Please, who did
invent the Telegraph?”
“Samuel F. B. Morse did,” said Somebody. “He was born at
Charlestown, Massachusetts, April 27th, 1791, and lived until
April 2nd, 1872. He was a portrait painter, and student of
chemistry, and went to London to study painting under Benjamin
West, where he made such progress that when he returned to
America he was given a commission to paint a full length portrait
of LaFayette.”
“LaFayette was some hero and worth painting,” said the boy named
Billy, “but when do we come to the telegraph?”
“Right now,” smiled Somebody. “The idea of electricity had been
talked of for a long time, and while Mr. Morse was away on one
of his trips to England it was found by some experimenting that
electricity could be conveyed by means of wire over distances.
“A gentleman whom Mr. Morse met on ship board told him of these
experiments and it brought to his mind the old belief held by
Benjamin Franklin that intelligence some time would be conveyed
by electricity, a belief which he had always shared. He went to
work to perfect an instrument and a code for the system which he
had in mind, with the result that when the boat landed his idea
was ready to present.”
“He struck before the iron was hot, didn’t he?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” said Somebody, “but it was two
long years after that before the system was completed and in
working order. And it took quite some persuasion also to get
other people to believe in it, but finally Congress voted him
thirty thousand dollars to help him along with his project and so
he won out.
“Where, before, it had taken months and years to get word from or
to distant places, it could now be done almost instantly. Samuel
Morse’s life was one long record of courage, integrity, patience
and faith.”
“Bob White and I are fixing up a wireless on the roof of our
garage,” said the boy named Billy. “It’s two hours before
Grandmother’s train pulls in. Don’t forget to call me, and many
thanks, Somebody!”