the age of invention-第19节

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ttle　patronage。

I　paid　my　fifty　dollars　for　one…quarter's　instruction。　Morse　was　a　faithful　teacher　and　took　as　much　interest　in　our　progress　as　more　indeed　thanwe　did　ourselves。　But　he　was　very　poor。　I　remember　that；　when　my　second　quarter's　pay　was　due；　my　remittance　did　not　come　as　expected；　and　one　day　the　professor　came　in　and　said；　courteously：　〃Well　Strother；　my　boy；　how　are　we　off　for　money？〃

〃Why　professor；〃　I　answered；　〃I　am　sorry　to　say　that　I　have　been　disappointed；　but　I　expect　a　remittance　next　week。〃

〃Next　week；〃　he　repeated　sadly；　〃I　shall　be　dead　by　that　time。〃

〃Dead；　sir？〃

〃Yes；　dead　by　starvation。〃

I　was　distressed　and　astonished。　I　said　hurriedly：

〃Would　ten　dollars　be　of　any　service？〃

〃Ten　dollars　would　save　my　life。　That　is　all　it　would　do。〃

I　paid　the　money；　all　that　I　had；　and　we　dined　together。　It　was　a　modest　meal；　but　good；　and　after　he　had　finished；　he　said：

〃This　is　my　first　meal　for　twenty…four　hours。　Strother；　don't　be　an　artist。　It　means　beggary。　Your　life　depends　upon　people　who　know　nothing　of　your　art　and　care　nothing　for　you。　A　house　dog　lives　better；　and　the　very　sensitiveness　that　stimulates　an　artist　to　work　keeps　him　alive　to　suffering。〃*

*　Prime；　p。　424。


In　1835　Morse　received　an　appointment　to　the　teaching　staff　of　New　York　University　and　moved　his　workshop　to　a　room　in　the　University　building　in　Washington　Square。　〃There；〃　says　his　biographer*；　〃he　wrought　through　the　year　1836；　probably　the　darkest　and　longest　year　of　his　life；　giving　lessons　to　pupils　in　the　art　of　painting　while　his　mind　was　in　the　throes　of　the　great　invention。〃　In　that　year　he　took　into　his　confidence　one　of　his　colleagues　in　the　University；　Leonard　D。　Gale；　who　assisted　him　greatly；　in　improving　the　apparatus；　while　the　inventor　himself　formulated　the　rudiments　of　the　telegraphic　alphabet；　or　Morse　Code；　as　it　is　known　today。　At　length　all　was　ready　for　a　test　and　the　message　flashed　from　transmitter　to　receiver。　The　telegraph　was　born；　though　only　an　infant　as　yet。　〃Yes；　that　room　of　the　University　was　the　birthplace　of　the　Recording　Telegraph；〃　said　Morse　years　later。　On　September　2；　1837；　a　successful　experiment　was　made　with　seventeen　hundred　feet　of　copper　wire　coiled　around　the　room；　in　the　presence　of　Alfred　Vail；　a　student；　whose　family　owned　the　Speedwell　Iron　Works；　at　Morristown；　New　Jersey；　and　who　at　once　took　an　interest　in　the　invention　and　persuaded　his　father；　Judge　Stephen　Vail；　to　advance　money　for　experiments。　Morse　filed　a　petition　for　a　patent　in　October　and　admitted　his　colleague　Gale；　as　well　as　Alfred　Vail；　to　partnership。　Experiments　followed　at　the　Vail　shops；　all　the　partners　working　day　and　night　in　their　enthusiasm。　The　apparatus　was　then　brought　to　New　York　and　gentlemen　of　the　city　were　invited　to　the　University　to　see　it　work　before　it　left　for　Washington。　The　visitors　were　requested　to　write　dispatches；　and　the　words　were　sent　round　a　three…mile　coil　of　wire　and　read　at　the　other　end　of　the　room　by　one　who　had　no　prior　knowledge　of　the　message。

*　Prime；　p。　311。


In　February；　1838；　Morse　set　out　for　Washington　with　his　apparatus；　and　stopped　at　Philadelphia　on　the　invitation　of　the　Franklin　Institute　to　give　a　demonstration　to　a　committee　of　that　body。　Arrived　at　Washington；　he　presented　to　Congress　a　petition；　asking　for　an　appropriation　to　enable　him　to　build　an　experimental　line。　The　question　of　the　appropriation　was　referred　to　the　Committee　on　Commerce；　who　reported　favorably；　and　Morse　then　returned　to　New　York　to　prepare　to　go　abroad；　as　it　was　necessary　for　his　rights　that　his　invention　should　be　patented　in　European　countries　before　publication　in　the　United　States。

Morse　sailed　in　May；　1838；　and　returned　to　New　York　by　the　steamship　Great　Western　in　April；　1839。　His　journey　had　not　been　very　successful。　He　had　found　London　in　the　excitement　of　the　ceremonies　of　the　coronation　of　Queen　Victoria；　and　the　British　Attorney…General　had　refused　him　a　patent　on　the　ground　that　American　newspapers　had　published　his　invention；　making　it　public　property。　In　France　he　had　done　better。　But　the　most　interesting　result　of　the　journey　was　something　not　related　to　the　telegraph　at　all。　In　Paris　he　had　met　Daguerre；　the　celebrated　Frenchman　who　had　discovered　a　process　of　making　pictures　by　sunlight；　and　Daguerre　had　given　Morse　the　secret。　This　led　to　the　first　pictures　taken　by　sunlight　in　the　United　States　and　to　the　first　photographs　of　the　human　face　taken　anywhere。　Daguerre　had　never　attempted　to　photograph　living　objects　and　did　not　think　it　could　be　done；　as　rigidity　of　position　was　required　for　a　long　exposure。　Morse；　however；　and　his　associate；　John　W。　Draper；　were　very　soon　taking　portraits　successfully。

Meanwhile　the　affairs　of　the　telegraph　at　Washington　had　not　prospered。　Congress　had　done　nothing　towards　the　grant　which　Morse　had　requested；　notwithstanding　the　favorable　report　of　its　committee；　and　Morse　was　in　desperate　straits　for　money　even　to　live　on。　He　appealed　to　the　Vails　to　assist　him　further；　but　they　could　not；　since　the　panic　of　1837　had　impaired　their　resources。　He　earned　small　sums　from　his　daguerreotypes　and　his　teaching。

By　December；　1842；　Morse　was　in　funds　again；　sufficiently；　at　least；　to　enable　him　to　go　to　Washington　for　another　appeal　to　Congress。　And　at　last；　on　February　23；　1843；　a　bill　appropriating　thirty　thousand　dollars　to　lay　the　wires　between　Washington　and　Baltimore　passed　the　House　by　a　majority　of　six。　Trembling　with　anxiety；　Morse　sat　in　the　gallery　of　the　House　while　the　vote　was　taken　and　listened　to　the　irreverent　badinage　of　Congressmen　as　they　discussed　his　bill。　One　member　proposed　an　amendment　to　set　aside　half　the　amount　for　experiments　in　mesmerism；　another　suggested　that　the　Millerites　should　have　a　part　of　the　money；　and　so　on；　however；　they　passed　the　bill。　And　that　night　Morse　wrote：　〃The　long　agony　is　over。〃

But　the　agony　was　not　over。　The　bill　had　yet　to　pass　the　Senate。　The　last　day　of　the　expiring　session　of　Congress　arrived；　March　3；　1843；　and　the　Senate　had　not　reached　the　bill。　Says　Morse's　biographer：

In　the　gallery　of　the　Senate　Professor　Morse　had　sat　all　the　last　day　and　evening　of　the　session。　At　midnight　the　session　would　close。　Assured　by　his　friends　that　there　was　no　possibility　of　the　bill　being　reached；　he　left　the　Capitol　and　retired　to　his　room　at　the　hotel；　dispirited；　and　well…nigh　broken…hearted。　As　he　came　down　to　breakfast　the　next　morning；　a　young　lady　entered；　and；　coming　toward　him　with　a　smile；　exclaimed：

〃I　have　come　to　congratulate　you！〃

〃For　what；　my　dear　friend？〃　asked　the　professor；　of　the　young　lady；　who　was　Miss　Annie　G。　Ellsworth；　daughter　of　his　friend　the　Commissioner　of　Patents。

〃On　the　passage　of　your　bill。〃

The　professor　assured　her　it　was　not　possible；　as　he　remained　in　the　Senate…Chamber　until　nearly　midnight；　and　it　was　not　reached。　She　then　informed　him　that　her　father　was　present　until　the　close；　and；　in　the　last　moments　of　the　session；　the　bill　was　passed　without　debate　or　revision。　Professor　Morse　was　overcome　by　the　intelligence；　so　joyful　and　unexpected；　and　gave　at　the　moment　to　his　young　friend；　the　bearer　of　these　good　tidings；　the　promise　that　she　should　send　the　first　message　over　the　first　line　of　telegraph　that　was　opened。*

*Prime；　p。　465。


Morse　and　his　partners*　then　proceeded　to　the　construction　of　the　forty…mile　line　of　wire　between　Baltimore　and　Washington。　At　this　point　Ezra　Cornell；　afterwards　a　famous　builder　of　telegraphs　and　founder　of　Cornell　University；　first　appears　in　history　as　a　young　man　of　thirty…six。　Cornell　invented　a　machine　to　lay　pipe　underground　to　contain　the　wires　and　he　was　employed　to　carry　out　the　work　of　construction。　The　work　was　commenced　at　Baltimore　and　was　continued　until　experiment　proved　that　the　underground　method　would　not　do；　and　it　was　decided　to　string　the　wires　on　poles。　Much　time　had　been　lost；　but　once　the　system　of　poles　was　adopted　the　work　progressed　rapidly；　and　by　May；　1844；　the　line　was　completed。　On　the　twenty…fourth　of　that　month　Morse　sat　before　his　instrument　in　the　room　of　the　Supreme　Court　at　Washington。　His　friend　Miss　Ellsworth　handed　him　the　message　which　she　had　chosen：　〃WHAT　HATH　GOD　WROUGHT！〃　Morse　flashed　it　to　Vail　forty　miles　away　in　Baltimore；　and　Vail　instantly　flashed　back　the　same　momentous　words；　〃WHAT　HATH　GOD　WROUGHT！〃

*　The　property　in　the　invention　was　divided　into　sixteen　shares　（the　partnership　having　been　formed　in　1838）　of　which　Morse　held　9；　Francis　O。　J。　Smith　4；　Alfred　Vail　2；　Leonard　D。　Gale　2。　In　patents　to　be　obtained　in　foreign　countries；　Morse　was　to　hold　8　shares；　Smith　5；　Vail　2；　Gale　1。　Smith　had　been　a　member　of　Congress　and　Chairman　of　the　Committee　on　Commerce。　He　was　admitted　to　the　partnership　in　consideration　of　his　assisting　Morse　to　arouse　the　interest　of　European　Governments。


Two　days　later　the　Democratic　National　Convention　met　in　Baltimore　to　nominate　a　President　and　Vice…President。　The　leaders　of　the　Convention　desired　to　nominate　Senator　Silas　Wright　of　New　York；　who　was　then　in　Washington；　as　running　mate　to　James　K。　Polk；　but　they　must　know　first　whether　Wright　would　consent　to　run　as　Vice…Pre