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Show When King George Received fhe Big News from America Samuel Morse, inventor of the electric telegraph, had only one ambition as a young man and that was to become an artist. He studied stud-ied under Washington Allston, then the greatest painter in the United States, and with Allston went to London in 1811. There he met Benjamin West who, although an American, was president of the Royal academy, and a great favorite fa-vorite with the king, who later made him Sir Benjamin West. West was actually at work on a portrait of the king when the latter lat-ter was handed the Declaration of Independence. Morse heard the piquant story from West himself, says Ernest Greenwood in "From Amber to Amperes." Here it is as related by Morse: Turning to the picture of the king, Sir Benjamin West said: "Do you see that picture, Mr. Morse? Well, sir, the king was sitting for me when the box containing the American Declaration Declara-tion of Independence was .handed to him." "Indeed!" I answered, "and what appeared to be the emotion of the king? What did he say?" "Well, sir," said West, "he made a reply characteristic of the goodness of his heart," or words to that effect. " 'Well,' he said, 'if they can be happier undsr the government they have chosen, then under mine, I shall be happy!' hap-py!' " Morse stayed four years in England Eng-land where he achieved considerable consider-able success as a portrait painter. Then returning to his native country, coun-try, he afterwards became president presi-dent of the national academy and an eminently successful painter, his sitters becoming so numerous that he was unable to meet and fill all of his orders. It was during dur-ing his return voyage to America in 1832, following a second visit to Europe, that Morse got his conception con-ception of the telegraph. Twelve years later May 24, 1844 he gave a public demonstration of his invention, sending a message from Washington to Baltimore. The rest is well known history. Kansas City Star. |