The sun., 1906-01-13
MORSE STATUE FOR MUSEUM
DUTCHESS co. SOCIETY PRESENTS
ITAT ANNUAL DINNER.
Work OF . French Sculptor Unearthed In
Liverpool and Brought Here-Dihers
From Other Likenesscs OF Telegraph
Inventor, but Pronounced Lfelike.

Digging around in the second hand shops
Of Liverpool last year ourio dealer OF
New York found bronze statuette OF
Samuel F. B. Morse. inventor OF the
telegraph. 1t differed from any other Ike
ness Of Morse which he had ever seen.
The Liverpool man said that he had
bought 1t at the dispersal sale OF the effects
Of a deceased nobleman, and that It had
lain In his cellar for twenty-five years.
The New York man bought 1t and brought
1t home.
This year Charles A. Fowler bought 1t,
and because Morse was once an honoreo
resident Of Dutchess county he presented
1t to the Dutchess County Society. The
society in turn has passed 1t on to the
Metropolitan Museum OF Art The pre-
sentation took place last night at the an
n,ia banquet OF the society. Sir Caspar
Purdon Clarke received the statue on be-
half Of the museum.
The statuette, which stood on the
speakers table, Ia Of about the size and
artistic merit Of Rogers group. Prof.
Morse is standing beside table bearing
model of the first clumsy telegraph re-
cever He has drawn out length OF the
tape on which the early machine registered
dots and dashes, and isinsPecting it, The
dress ia that of the middle nineteenth CEN
tury. and from evidences on the statue
itself Sir Caspar pronounced " the worK
Of French ptor done in the time when
all Europe houored Morse. AS an artlstlo
find. it will never take rank with the Venus
of Milo, hut it Is pronounced an eKceilen'
likeness Of Prof, Morse and an accurate
model of hi. instrument.
Major Frederick II. Il. Ebstein. L. >. A.,
hist orian Of the society, made the formal
presentation. He told at length of Morse's
early career as painter. Of his invention,
of the early struggle for recognition, he
dwelt on the time when Morse, after the
telegraph had proved its worth by flashing
to Washington the news that Henry Clay
was nominated, offered the whole thing to
the United States Government for $)OC,OD.
-But our legislators, then. "a now he
said. 'couldn't see any material advan-
tage."
Major Ebstein was OF the opinion that
the statue is one given away by Cyrus w.
Field at the time when the Atlantic cable
was opened in Engla nd.
Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke, In receiving
the st tatuo, said
A curious coincidence leads me 10 the
mention Of certain things Of which ! might
not otherwise speak. Among the pioneers
OF electrical science was my own father. lie
died when | was twelve; and later when l
inquired into his position in science. had to
have recourse to American literature. |
found there that he was the first man to devise
Q practical d ynanlo.
There had been inventors with IDEAS on
tho telegraph before the time of Morse lie
saw what the others could not see the need
of practical alphabet so no devised the long
and short dot. He took himself from olectri-
cal science into the higher regions OF imag'ns-
tion.
The statue in Central Park is not so true as
this one. although it. is a better work OF art.
This one Is absolutely true. II shows Morse.
the man Of good. strong. practical nina
believe that the unnamed sculptor was
Frenchnan. In the coat he wears the button
of all officer of the French Legion of Honor.
This will be placed with o,lr small collection
OF egraph instruments until the tiIne "heh
New York builds n scientific museum.
have a confession to make. once exam
ined your vassar College in Dutchess county
and pronounced II too ars'ocratic for me.
had to decide on n colleG" where number OF
young women who had won scholarships
might be sent. | was to examine Nassar.
Wellesley and Smith. ] saw Nassar. and
stopped at Wellesley. l decided that You
couldn't beat II. l lOunu Hoou, HHdN'' 'ideS'
working people there. Vassar was too arsto-
cratic.
j. Leonard yarick, president and toast
master called attention to the fact that
Prof. Morse's grandson has just been elected
football captain at Yale. He introduced
the Rev James E. Freeman. Episcopalian,
of Yonkers. DR.. Freeman proved himself
a Jolly parson with many Quip and jest
Here are some of his stories:
They were operating on Hebrew for
appendicitis. He insisted on having a
"But why" they asked, do you want
rabbi? This is not dangerous operation
NO" be said, but want to he opened
with prayer
They persuaded an old Quaker woman to
attend an Episcopal service, She. said it
appealed to her aesthetic sense, but she
didn't like the vestments OF the choir boys
When asked to explain. she said she pre-,
ferred them in coats and pants, as God
This is about baptism. The mother
was in hurry, was in hurry. ] read
of the service:
sDost thou, in the name of the child. re;
nounce the devil and all his works." and
I stopped for an answer. on, yes SIR,
said she, Il recommend EN- all