New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-03


his paiadtss and With notes and d'as5sir' Gear;
ing on The ,"venSSn c, nc ''''ra! uoGshton
Midfn COMPANY
Il was a fortunate thought Of Mr..
Morse 70 divide the biography OF his
illustrious father into two practically
equal volumes. one Of which should deal
with his career as an artist and the
other with his career as an inventor
The latter is, OF course, immeasurably
the more important. Mcritouous as
was Samuel Morses work as a painter
and as a teacher OF art, the world could
have spared e without lrrcparaole dep
rivation. while the world without ms
system of telegrnphy is now scarce y 70
be imagined. Yet there was much Of
permanent significance IN Morse.s arts
tic career. as a revelation OF the man
himself in all the majesty and beauty
OF his soul; and there was also this
most interesting reminder that an
idealistic artist can also be a practical
man Of affairs.
1t is interesting 20 be reminded Of
the purpose with which Morse hrst
turned q part Of his attention 10 me-
chanicai invention. He devised a pump,
a fire engine and q machine for pro
ducing exact replicas of marble statues
years before he invented the telegraph
none Of them proved profitably success
ful. He had however, no heart IN
these. as he had afterward in the tele-
graph. They were intended as mere
pot-boilers. He hoped by means Of
them TO earn a competence, so that as
an artist he would be free from pecu-
mary cares and could give TO his paint
inc his whole attention. Whether 1t
would have been well for the world 70
have those inventions succeed IS an IN
teresting question. We cannot compla-
Gently think Of Morse settling down as
a painter and professor, living COM
fortably on the royalties from a patent
pump, and leaving II 20 others at some
later time 20 give 20 the world the
telegraph Better is il 20 think OF has
time OF pr'vat.on as an unpaid pro-
fessor and penniless artist. getting $40
from Strother 20 save himself from
actual starvation. while he was perfect
ing the invention which was TO revolu-
tionize the world.
The letters and diaries which are
freely quoted in these volumes are or
great charm, as revelations Of mind
which in childhood was singularly ma
ture and in ripe manhood renamed IN
stinct with the ingenious freshness
and spontaneity Of youth. Here ana
there one finds limitations of the great
achievement Of his life long years be-
fore he consciously anticipated Il. Al
twenty years of age, for example, he
wrote i'm London: IT wish that in an
instant could communicate the in
formation, but three thousand miles
are not passed over in an instant. IL
was apparently a random thought, for
at thai time no suggestion had been
made by any one-unless by Puck and
Ariel-of the possibility Of instantane-
Gus communication over vast distances,
vet il is quite believable that it sub
consciously chung in his mind until 1t
attained full realization.
It is, unfortunately, impossible, even
at this distance, 70 think OF the lnVen-
ton of the electric telegraph without
recalling the controversies which ragged
over the original credit for 1t, and the
attempts which were made TO deny TO
Morse the immortality which he fairly
won. Three other names, all entitled
70 high honor, have been put forward
as those of the real inventors, from
the fruits Of whose labors Morse IN
worthilv profted. This biography was
not. Of course, written as special
plea in behalf Of his credit as the real
inventor, or, indeed, as any contribu-
+ion whatever 70 the old controversy.
There was no need that il should be,
for the dispute is now dead and
Morse's fame is secure. Yet it is Of
great and inspiring interest 70 note
how completely the simple narrative
of the mans life vindicates him
against all the aspersions Of envy,
malice and misapprehension. That
Wheatstone invented telegraph Is in
disputable But il was essentially diff
ferent from Morse's; there was nothing
IN common between them but the
transmission Of an electric current
over a long wire, and when the two
were put 10 the test of practically
Morse's was adopted and Wheatstone's
was not. That Henry made electrical
discoveries and inventions Of immense
Importance is also indisputable, as II
Is also that Morse made use of some