American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-04-27
Professor MOrse's Home Life.

WHAT glory must the revelation Of
the great Beyond be to soul SO rare an6
lofty as that of Professor Morse 1t wa:
indeed most heartening to meet one or
earth whose reward was so sweet and full
and l went back to that sunny April day
when in his beautiful home, surrounded
by his charming and brilliant family,
saw the best and brightest in the lane
come to do the great man honor on his
eightieth Birthday feast of gladness
where not only gathered the bright cir
cles of which he had long been the hon
ored center, but in spirit all the world
seemed to have come. Congratulations
from the hundreds, who had become next
door neighbors through his genius, poured
in electrically and as l watched the
strong, gentle face welcoming all with
such genuine cordiality, felt that serene
and rich old age was the most beautiful
of blessings. Professor Morse was never
weary of telling how his conception of
the telegraph seemed to have been
divinely sent to him. After watching
the phosphorescent sparkle of the waves
from the deck of steamer, one lovely
summer evening, when he was returning
to America from his second tour in
Europe, he retired to sleep-tO dream"
out the whole plan of the telegraph. He
has always declared that it was a real
vision; at least before morning he rose,
and wrote down the idea as it had been
presented to his mind, and with all his
experiments, with all his earnest struggle
to bring his discovery before the world,
he never gained a clearer conception of
his method than was revealed to him
by an inspiration that was surely divine.
How the life of Professor Morse tells the
world that if man follows truly in the
path opened out to him, there will be sent
the work which it was intended he should
do from the beginning. One cannot but
realize this, looking at the stiff, carefully
executed portrait painted by the young
artist, which hangs in his old room, over
the table whereon is placed the model OF
the first electrical telegraphic apparatus
The early struggle for success was very
painful, but through all Professor Morse
maintained the same steady, trustful
cheer, and the tender words of Lowell
"To H. w. L." will apply to him:
Some suck up poison from a sorrows core,
As naught but night shade grew upon earth g
Love turned all his to hearts ease and the more
Fate tried HE bastion-. she but forced the door
Leading to sweetcr manhood and more sound.
The home life of the greatest should be
always most sacred; but when in that
home are found new proofs of rich char
acter, is it unloving to tell the world of
the sweet harmony? Wherever one saw
tue lace VI fIOIcSSOT one
was always certain to find near by the
sweet. Madonna-1ike face of his wife, who
turned ever to him with deepest love and
most reverent gratitude. Without the
gift of hearing or of speech, her hus-
band, through tenderest patience, had
taught her to comprehend what others
said by watching the motions of the
mouth, and at last this fair woman gained
a power of speech which she herself
could not hear. Except from little sin
gularity of intonatiOn, a stranger would
not suspect that the voice was purely
mechanical, and the flashing intelligence
in the mobile face was alwaysa quick in
terpreter of every thought. With most
devoted care the great chainer of cleo
tricity taught the woman he loved to
speak and to understand There was
never more sweet and happy home than
the one where the queen
Kept up something unheard,
To make Gods Heaven more sweet and strange
beautiful life is richer Inheritance
for memory than any accomplishment of
genius or talent. and so in the rounded,
wholesome, sublime beauty of the char
acter of the man so widely honored, so
sincerely mourned in these early April
DAYS, we have more to thank God for
than in all that his intellect, divinely in
spired, did for the world-Cor. Chicago
Ecening Journa.