Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1872-04-06
DEATH or pnor. moRsE.

Samuel Finley Breeze Morse was
born in CIErIestown, Mass, April ~,
1871. lie was the son Of Jedediah
Morse, %. d., the great geographer,
whose name ~ familiar to every Amer
lean schooiboy. Young Morse gradu-
ated at Yale in 1870 and in 1871 went
to England to study painting under the
tuition of Washington Allston and
Benjamin West. While there he be-
came quite intimate with &. II. Leslie.
they agreed TO paint eacL others por-
trait ms first attempt in London. Mr..
Morte made some progress in his art,
exhibiting in 1913 at the Royal Acad-
envy his Dying Hercules" This pic
ture merited high praise. A plaster
model VIII oh he bg,l constructed was
also shown and won the Adelphi gold
medal. Shortly after he returned to
America. He came INTO his own of
Boston and Boston knew him not. He
therefore betook himself to New
Hampshire, where ne cked out living
by painting portraits at fifteen dollars
a head. In Charleston, S. C., he reap
ed 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 visit to
this country. in 1924, he, with some
other artists, organized a drawing as
ISOLATION, which was the basis on
which the National Academy of De-
sign was erected in 1926. DR. Morse
was the 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 mem
orable, for in that year, while returning
from Havre in ship Sully, he 6rst laid
the foundation of the great invention
which has immortalized his name and
placed it beside those of Franklin and
Newton and Stevenson. On return
ing to New York he followed his pro-
fession, devoting his leisure hours to
pcrfeeting his invention of telegraphy.
In 1885 he completed his first appa-
ratus, and with it transmitted mes.
sage half mile. In 1887 8 he applied
for aid to Congress, but was refused
it. In England he met with nc
better success. In France he obtained
Jrecct dSnrention. On his return to
America he was indefatigable in try.
ing to persuade Congress to enable
him to practically test his invention
At last, when all hope was abandoned
it allotted him thirty thousand dollars
on March 4, 1913, lat the midnight
hour of the expiring session" In
1874 he had constructed the line be-
tween Washington and Baltimore, and
sent over its wires the first message
What had God wrought" Within
sixteen years nearly 10000 miles OF
wire were in full working order. Curl
ously enough, in 1887 two other invent.
ors had discovered a system of tele-
graphy-Weatstone in England, in
venting the DETECTING needle instru-
ment. Steurbiel, in Bavaria, con.
structing a recording telegraph, which
however, was of two complex char
actcr to come into general use. Hon
ors poured in on Morse. Yale hon.
orcd her academic roll by enrolling
him among her doctors of law. The
Sultan Of Turkey sent him diamond
decoration. The King of Prussii
gave him gold medal of merit
set in a massive snuff box. The rulers
of Wurtemberg and Austria were no
behindhand BY France he was mad,
a chevalier of the Legion of Honor
and by Denmark Knight ofthe Dan
nebrog. In 1853 Isabella the Catho
lie sent him the cross of the knights
commander of the order which bears
her name. In 1857 the Representatives
of ten countries which had been ben
efittcd by his labors assembled in Parii
and voted him grant of 100000
francs. In London and Paris dinner.
were given to him. The first subma
rine cables were laid by Morse acros,
New York harbor in 1912, an achieve
ment which was rewarded by thu
American institute with its gold medal
In 1913 Mr.. Morse first preached the
project of the Atlantic telegraph. Hi
claim to his share in the invention o
the telegraph has been bitterly con
tested in and out of the public courts
His merit appears to rest not on tho
discovery Of the principles of the tele
graph, but on the adaptation of alread,
ascertaincd principles to the work he
undertook to perform.