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NTERESTING Bits oF MasToR Y. —* is SOON AS THE TELEGRAPH AcT OF 1843 BECAME LAW MORSE AND> HIS PAQTNER VAIL BEGAN THE CON- STRUCTION OF AN EXPERIMENTAL TELEGRAPH LINE 40 MILES LONG FROM WASHINGTON TO BALTIMORE- AT THE SUGGESTION oF EZRA CoRNELL,ONE OF MORSES ASSISTANTS,, IT WAS FINALLY DECIDED TO'STRING: .. THE WIRES ONTALL POLES BESIDE THE HIGHWAY. Twouvs LATER THE Teu:c:wu HAD A CHANCE T0 DEMONSTRATE ITS USEFULNESS - THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IN BALTIMORE NOMINATED SENATOR WRIGHT FOR VICE PRESIDENT. VAIL WIRED THE NEWS TO I MORSE, WHO NOTFIED SENATOR WRIGHT. Beauty ContESTS PusLic BEAUTY CONTESTS A ORIGINATED IN ANCIENT — GREECE,BUT ONLY YOUNG MEN COMPETED. THERE WAS NO INSULATED WIRE IN THOSE DAYS, BUT AFTER MANY TESTS MORSE DECIDED TO USE MILLINERS WIRE, THE KIND USED To MAKE THE FRAMES Foa LADIES HATS. - IN MAY, 1844, THE LINE WAS COM- PLETED. ON MAY 24™ AN EXCITE[> GROUP GATHERED INTHE CAPITOL- K\"fl-fi WASHINGTON END OF THE thE. AT THE APPOINTED TIME {MORSE TOOK HIS PLACE AT THE TELEGRA INAFEW MINUTES VAIL RECEIVED WORD FROM MORSE AT THE CAPITOL THAT SENATOR WRIGHT DECLINED THE NOMINATION: THE COMVENTION WAS ASTONISHED .-To GET THE SENATOR'S REPLY SO QUICKLY. - To 0BTAIN THE REQUIRED LENGTH OF WIRE THE TELEGRAPH BUILDERS HAD TO (;10 FROM ONE NOTION STORE 76 ANOCTHER AND Buy ALL THE MILLINER'S WIRE: THAT couLD BE FOUND. Teue To HIS PROMISE, MORSE LET ANNIE ELLSWORTH ‘SEND THE FIRST MESSAGE . SHE CHOSE THE SINGULAR- LY APPROPRIATE QUOTATION FROM THE BIBLE “"WHAT HATH GOD> WROUGHT " O BE THE FIRST WORDS FLASHEP OVER THE WIRE . MANY OF THE DELEGATES CouLD NOT BELIEVE THAT THESE MESSAGES HAD ACTUALLY BEEN EXCHANGED OVERQTHE WIRE,AND A COMMITTEE WAS SENT TO WASHINGTON ey mAm TO VERIFY THEM, ————— BLue Laws —- THE FAMOoULS "BLUE LAWS" PASSED BY THE PURITANS OF THE NEW - HAVEN COLONY WERE PRINTED ON BLUE PAPER ,HENCE THEIR NAME-. HERE ARE TWO OF THE LAWS — " NO ONE SHALL TRAVEL ,COOK, SWEER, MAKE BEDS OR SHAVE ON SLINDAY. "NO ONE SHALL EAT MINCE PIES, DANCE ,PLAY CARDS,OR PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT OF MUSIC EXCEPT THE DRUM, TRUMPET AND JEWS-HARP' - MORSE FIRST TRIED RUNNING THE WIRES THROUGH PIPES LNDERGROUND, THIS METHOD WAS DISCARDED WHEN IT WAS FOUND THAT MOST OF THE- ELECTRIC CURRENT ESCAPED INTO THE GROUND. MORSE CLICKED OFF THE MESSAGE To VAIL IN BALTIMORE. THEN VAIL FLASHED THE MESSAGE BACK. TO WASHINGTON TO SHOW THAT HE HAD RECEIVED IT CORRECTLY. A NEW MILESTONE IN COMMUNICATION Tue COMM!'T‘I’EE RETURNED ‘l’g BALTIMORE THE NEXT DAY TO REPORT THAT THE TELEGRAPH HAD "SPOKEN" THE TRUTH. (Copyright, 1930, by J. Carroll Mansfield) To B8 ConNuED.