Samuel F. Morse (1791-1872)

Samuel Morse is, of course, best known for his invention of the telegraph, which was the most significant advancement in the area of communications since writing was developed.

Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts on April 27, 1791. He was the son of Jedediah Morse (1761-1826) who was famous in his own right as an American educator and geographer. In fact, he is known as the "Father of American Geography." Certainly young Samuel was raised in a home that valued education, but he was also raised in a godly home. In 1799, Jedediah Morse said, "In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief, or the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom..." He went on to say, "Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican form of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them."

As a young man, Samuel was educated at Phillips Academy in Andover and then Yale College (now Yale University). Given the fact that his fame came in the area of science and technology, it is interesting that a career as an artist was the original plan for his life. After graduating from Yale, he studied painting in London and became a successful portrait painter and sculptor. He returned to America in 1832, having been appointed Professor of Painting and Sculpture at the University of the City of New York. He was also the founder and President for twenty years of the National Academy of Design.

It was on the return voyage from England that perhaps the idea for the telegraph was born. Morse overheard a conversation about electromagnets and applied that to an idea for an apparatus that transmitted an electric pulse. Morse's apparatus, which sent the first public telegram in 1844, resembled a simple electric switch. It allowed current to pass for a prescribed length of time and then shut it off, all at the pressure of a finger. The original Morse receiver had an electromagnetically controlled pencil that made marks on paper tape moving over a clockwork-operated cylinder. The marks varied with the duration of the electric current passing through the wires of the electric magnet and took the written form of dots and dashes.

There were some hurdles to overcome in the practical development of Morse's invention. Originally, signals could be transmitted successfully for only about 20 miles. Beyond that distance the signals grew too weak to be recorded. This would have made the telegraph unfeasible if an operator had to be stationed every 20 miles to relay messages. Morse then developed a relay device that could be attached to the telegraph line 20 miles from the signal station to repeat signals automatically and send them on.

In 1843 the U.S. Congress appropriated $30,000 for Morse to construct an experimental telegraph line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland. The line was successfully installed, and on May 24, 1844, Morse sent the first message: "What hath God wrought!" (Numbers 23:23). A friend chose the words, but they perfectly fitted Morse's religious convictions. Morse took the first money he received from his invention ($47) and gave it for the work of the church.

Morse went on to invent a code for use in his telegraph instrument, and this "Morse Code" is perhaps why his name is commonly known today. He also spent a considerable amount of time defending his claim to the invention of the telegraph. Ultimately however, the courts decided in his favor. In 1847 Morse bought Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and built there an Italianate mansion. This is now a Morse museum, and annually hosts the Poughkeepsie Amateur Radio Society for its Morse Day. In old age Morse became philanthropic.
Although people today think of Morse code for use in long distance radio-telegraphy, land lines were in common use until the late 1800's. The rise of the telegraph coincided with the rise of the railroads, and together these two industries virtually transformed America. The telegraph also became important to the military; first used in the Crimean War in 1854, but became widely used in the Civil War.

Proving the scripture, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," Samuel Morse remained faithful his entire life. Four years before he died, he gave this strong testimony of his faith: "The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God's remedy for fallen man are more appreciated, and the future is illuminated with hope and joy."

It is certainly evident that Samuel Morse fits into the long and distinguished line of scientists who believed in God, and pursued science as an extension of their faith.

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