ll see, by and by, that it is a good date to remember.

People knew almost nothing about speed in traveling.

In that year the longest railroad was in the southern part of the
United States.

It was one hundred thirty-five miles long.

The next longer was in England.

It was thirty miles long.

The next was in Massachusetts.

It was ten miles long.

The mails were carried in coaches.

On the first day of October, 1832, Mr. Morse sailed for America.

The name of this ship was the "Sully."

The passengers were much interested in some things which had lately
been found out about electricity.

People had long known that lightning and electricity were the same.

Signals had been made with electricity.

But the thought which came to Mr. Morse had never entered the mind
of man before.

He could think of nothing but a telegraph.

He thought night and day.

He seemed to see the end from the beginning.

As he sat upon the deck of the ship after dinner, he drew out a
little note book.

He began his plan in this little book.

From the beginning he said, "If a message will go ten miles without
dropping, I can make it go around the globe."

And he said this again and again during the years that came after.

Sleep forsook him.

But one morning at the breakfast table he announced his plan.

He showed it to the passengers.

And five years after, when the model was built, it was found to be
like the one shown that morning on board the ship "Sully."

"The steed called Lightning (say the Fates)
Was tamed in the United States;
'Twas Franklin's hand that caught the horse,
'Twas harnessed by Professor Morse."

Upon landing in America a long struggle began.

For twelve long years, Mr. Morse worked to get people to notice his
invention.

[Illustration: DIAGRAM SHOWING THE MORSE ALPHABET AND
ARRANGEMENT OF THE TELEGRAPH LINE.]

It would take much money to construct a real telegraph.

But money Mr. Morse did not have.

He had three motherless children to provide for.

He lived in a room in a fifth story of a building belonging to his
brothers.

This room was his study, studio, bed chamber, parlor, kitchen,
drawing room and work shop.

On one side of the room was his cot bed.

On the other were his tools.

He brought his simple food to his room at night.

This he did, that no one might see how little he had to eat.

He often gave lessons in painting.

One pupil did not pay