Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-04-04
OBITUARY.



We yesterday briefly adverted to thl
life Of this second Franklin, who died Il
New York on Tuesday night. To day
from the columns Of the New Yorl
World, we are able more fully to particu
lsrizs the leading events of his life. Sam
1el Finley Brease Morse was the first sol
Of the Rev. JsHedish Morse, not unknown
in our literature e. q writer on geography
He was born In ChaElestown, Masssohu
setts, April q, 1871. BE graduated a
Yale in 1910. Bis tastes led him to thI
hne arts, and his fstherawss finally In
duoed to second hia aspirations to be al
artist. The year after graduating he wen
% London to study painting under Ben
iAmin West. While there he became
quite intimate with O. r. Leslie
They agreed 70 paint each Others
portraits as q first attempt IL
London. Mr.. Morse made som
progress in his art, exhibiting IN
I7Is at the Royal Academy his "DyiDG
Hercules" This picture merited higf
praise. A plaster model which he had
constructed to aid him In painting wa
also shown, and the Adelphi gold
medal. Shortly after he returned tC
America. He came unto his W Of
Boston and Boston knew him not. HS
therefore betook himself to New Hsmp'
shire, where he eked out q living by
painting portraits st fifteen dollars 8
head, In Charleston, South Carolinss he
rsaped a more bOuntiful harvest, but in
1922 he took up his residence in New
YORK. The corporation authorized him
to paint the portrait Of Lafayette, when
that general was on q visit to this coun-
try. In this city, in 1924, he, with SONS
other artists, organized a drawing s~ssocis-
ton, which was ths basis on which the
National Academy of Design YVES erected
In 1896. Mr.. Morse was the first
president, holding the Office for six
teen years. In 1923 he returned to
Europe and remained there for three
Year,, His return to America in 1882
must be forever memorable, for in that
year, while returning from Hsvre in the
packetship SuIly, he first laid the foun-
dalton of his great invention, While in
college his attention had been carefully
directed to chemistry and other branches
of natural philosophy. On board the
Sully a discussion of recent discovery in
electric magnetism took place, and in the
course Of it an observation was made
which planted in the mind Of Morse the
seeds of his great invention. Before he
left the ship he had mapped out the rough
plan of q telegrsphic system, including
sven 3 writing telegraph. His original
Idea was to pass a strip Of paper saturated
with q chemical preparation which would
be deoomposed when brought in con-
with the wire along which
.hs electric current was passing,
md thus form an alphabet by marks
In width and number. With this
des in his brain he steadily followed his
profession after his return to New York, /
levoting his leisure to his scientific pro-
oct. In 1885 no completed his first spps-
stus, an extremely rude one, IS may be
imposed, sufficient to enable him to COM
nunieats with a person half a mile dis
snt, but not capable of receiving an
Dswer back from the opposite extremity.
1888 this instrument was shown in sue
operation. This WAS in its Tudest
nd elementary form the weIl-known
Gorse instrument, in which the paper
7ss indented by a needle. Legislators, it
) unnecessary to say, do not look with
much favor on inventors, and Morse
lund his proposition for aid submitted
1873 to Congress received very coolly,
Is then went to Englsnd and was there
sfused 3 patent, In France he obtained
6reUet d~'inVenhOR.
While in Paris, in 1859, Professor Morse
acquainted with NJ, Daguerrs,
rho was making his Grst attempts a.
photography. Professor Morse found tins
!, sympathizs with him in his work, and
become deeply Interested In it. From
copy Of Dsguerrs's work on his system,
which were the drawings Of the neoes-
apparatus, Professor Morse con-
the first dsguerreotype instru-
.snt inside n America. With this he
.sde 8 view Of the Church of the Mes {
ah, on Broadway, taken from 6 back {
indow In the New York City Univer- {
~, and this was the first photograph !
ken In this country. s
On his return to America he wa indie !
In trying to persuade Congress :
enable him to practically test his in :
at last, when all hope was
sndoned, It allotted him thirty thou {
nd dollars on March 4 1916, "st the
hour Of the expiring session." 8
1874 he had constructed the line from I
sshIngtOn to Baltimore, and ssnt over :
wires the first message, "Whst has !
ID wrought" within sixteen years 9
arly forty thousand miles Of wire were a
full working order. CuriouEly enough, h
1887 two other inventors had discovered 9
Of Observation-Disclosures, in &
~invsnting the interchangeable b
Itrument, and Steurabisl, In Bavaria, 9
.lstrUcting s recording telegraph, which, y
viewer, was sf two complex 8 character l
ooms into general use. Honors poured !,
on Morse. Yale honOred her academic q
by enrolling him among her doctors h
Iaw. The Sultan Of Turkey sent him q b
mond decoration. The King Of Prus- Of
gave him & gold medal Of merit, set In Of
snuf-box. Tbs rslers of Wur- d
1burg and Austria were not behind. 81
ID. By France he was made a chevs- "a u
Of the Legion Of Honor, and by Den -
TX q knight Of the Dannebrog. In 1858 n
bella the Catholic sent him the Cross Of hi
knights commander Of the order 10
Ich bears her name. In 1857 the repre- Ia
of ten countries which had been te
eftted by his lsbors, assembled in sc
is and voted him q grant of four hun ~
4 Thousand francs. In London and ~
Is grand dinners were given to him. 80
frat submarine cables were laid by q
across New York hRrbor In 1912, In
achievement which was rewarded ne
the American Institute with its So
medal, In 1913 Mr.. Morse nrst in
the subject Of the Atlantic tsle- M
h. His claim to his share In the in tie
ion Of the telegraph has been bitterly ~
ested In and mi Of the public courts. be
merit appears not TO rest on the dis In
ny Of the principles Of the telegraph, ba
on the adaptation of already sscer- str
ID principles TO tbs work be under seV
TO perform. The latest events In the ser
ic Life Of MI. Morse were his recent
st the inauguration of Frank
statue in Printing House Square, !
some time previously his presence at =
unwilling OF his own statue In Gem n;
Park, and at the grand demonstration NJ
h took place in the evening ct the sev
Iemy Of Music, when congratulations