The semi-weekly Republican. (St. Francisville, La.) 1872-1872, 1872-04-12

It's. Ills f)tClule IAeIIttu HlSu
praise. A plaster model which he
had constructed to aid him in paint
ing, was also shown, and won the
Adelphi gold medal. Shortly after
his return to America, he went to
New Hampshire, where he eaked
out a living by painting portraits at
SIS q head. In Charleston. S. c.,
he reapcd a moro beautiful harvest,
but in 1922 he took up his residence
in New York. The corporation au-
thorized him to paint the portrait of
Lafayette, when that general was on
visit to this country. In New York
in 1924, he, with some other artists,
organized q drawing association:s|
which was the basis ON which the
National Academy Of Design was
erected in 1926. Nv. Morse was its
first president, holding the Office for
sixteen years. In 1929 he returned
to Europe and remained there for
three years. His return to America
in 1882 must be forever memorable,
for in that year, while returning from
Havre in the packet ship Sully, he
first laid the foundation OF his great
invention. While in college his at
tention had been carefully directed
to chemistry and other branches Of
natural philosophy. On board the
sully discussion of recent discov-
cries in electric magnetism took place,
and in the course fit an observation
was made which planted in the mind
of Morse the seeds Of his great in
vention. Before be left the ship he
mapped out the rough plan Of u
telegraphic system, including even a
writing telegraph. His original idea
was to pass strip Of paper satura-
ted with q chemical preparation,
which would be decomposed when
brought i'll connection with the wire
along which the electric current was
passing, and thus form an alphabet
by marks varying in width and num-
Der. With idea in his brain he
steadily followed his profession after
his return to New York, devoting his
leisure to scientific project In 1885
he completed his first apparatus, an
extremely rude one as may be sup
posed, sufficient to enable him to
communicate with person half a
mile distant, but not capable of re-
ceiving an answer back from the OPP
poslte eXlrelnlty.
In 1886 this instrument was shown
in successful operation. This was in
its rudest and elementary form, the
well-known Morse instrument, in
which the paper was indented by q
needle. Morse applied to Congress
for aid to carry out bis plans, but
did not meet with any encourage
ment. This was during the session
of 1878. He then went to Eng
land and was there refused patent.
In France he obtained breyct din
vention. On his return to America
he was indcfatigable in trying to per-
suade Congress to enable him to
practically test his invention. At
last, when all hope was abandoned,
it allotted him 100000 Oh March 4,
1913, at the midnight hour of the
expiring session" In 1914 he had
constructed the line between WASH
ington and Baltimore, and sent over
its wires the first message. What
had God wrought" Within sixteen
years nearly 100000 miles of wire
were in full working order. Curious
ly enough, in 1887 two other inven-
tors had discovered system of tele-
graphy- Wheatstone, in England,
inventing the interchangeable i'll
strunent, and Steurbiel, in Bavaria,
constructing q recording telegraph,
which, however was of too complex
a character to come into general use.
Honors poured in on Morse. Yale
honored her academic roll by enroll
ing him among her doctors of law.
The Sultan Of Turkey sent him a
diamond decoration. The King of