of a telegraphic instrument, thus anticipating Steinheil in the matter of a recording telegraph. In October, 1837, Professor Morse entered his first caveat for an American electro-magnetic telegraph, claiming that his first thought upon the subject of a magnetic telegraph was on his passage across the Atlantic in 1832. On September 7, 1837, "A New American Invention" was referred to in the public prints, and at the same time a certain writer claimed that this invention by Professor Morse was only a repetition of a French invention. To this Professor Morse replied, that if it were true that his method of communicating intelligence by means of the electro-magnetism had been previously invented, and if he could be assured of that fact, he would be the last to attempt to detract from the honor of the real inventor, or of his country. Professor Morse's claims to the invention of the electro-magnetic recording telegraph were, of course, recognized and sustained, and after several years' delay, Congress on February 23, 1843, passed an act making an appropriation for the construction of a telegraph line from Washington to Baltimore. This line was completed on May 24, 1844, and on the next day, Saturday, the batteries were charged and the telegraph put in operation, conveying intelligence between the Capitol and the Pratt Street Depot in Baltimore. The first message, according to many writers, was sent from the Capitol to Baltimore by a young lady named Miss Annie Ellsworth, to whom Professor Morse was at the time ardently devoted, a granddaughter of the famous Governor Ellsworth, of Massachusetts, and whose father at the time was Commissioner of Patents. This first message was in these words: "What hath God wrought?" At 11:30 A. M., the question was asked from Baltimore: "What is the news in Washington?" and almost instantaneously the answer was flashed back: "Van Buren stock is rising." Sixteen persons witnessed the experiment in the Capitol. This was May 25. On the 27th, the working of this wonderful instrument won universal admiration from all who were fortunate enough to be spectators. Messages passed between Baltimore and Washington at intervals during each hour throughout the day. At 1:40 P. M., information was received in the Capitol building of the nomination of James Carroll for Governor of Maryland; a few moments later came the news of the nomination by acclamation, by the Tyler Convention, of John Tyler for President of the United States, and also of a speech of more than two hours in length by Benjamin F. Butler, in favor of the majority rule in the convention. On Wednesday, the 29th, the telegraphic news from Baltimore caused great excitement at the north end of the Capitol building, in that it announced on that day the nomination of James K. Polk, “a subaltern," for the Presidency, by the Democratic Convention. This announcement was of so surprising a nature, and the telegraph was of so recent introduction, that neither the announcement nor the telegraph was believed; and in order to ascertain the truth, two special messengers were dispatched by railroad to Baltimore, but of course the result of their mission was only to confirm the telegraphic announcement. Among the many reasons given by different persons for the continuance of the seat of government at the city of Washington, was that of the invention of the Morse telegraph. In locating the seat of government, one of the requisites was centrality, and Mr. Madison remarked that "if there could be any means of instantaneously promulgating the laws throughout the country, the center would be of less consequence." This means was supplied by the electric telegraph, and hence it was inferred by some that the seat of government would never be removed. On Monday, April 5, 1847, connection was made between Baltimore and Alexandria by means of the telegraph passing through Washington. In the summer of 1846, the first attempt was made to determine longitude by means of the telegraph. A line of wire was extended from the General Post Office in Washington to the Naval Observatory, and another was carried from the High School observatory in Philadelphia to the main Baltimore line. Still another wire was carried from the Jersey City telegraph office to the Presbyterian church. The observations at Washington were made under the direction of Mr. Sears C. Walker; those at Philadelphia, under Professor Kendall, and those at Jersey City, under Professor Loomis. Each observer had at his command a good clock and a transit instrument for regulating it with precision. The signal used in determining the difference of longitude of these three places was the click of a magnet. Signals were exchanged between Washington and Philadelphia, October 10, 1846, but none were obtained for Jersey City. On August 3, 1847, the experiments were resumed upon the following plan: Commencing at Jersey City at 10:00 P. M., the operator strikes a key, and simultaneously a click is heard at each of the three places. The observer at each place recorded the time of the click, each by his own clock. Ten seconds afterward, the same sign is repeated, and so on for twenty signals. The series of signals was then repeated for Washington and Philadelphia, and from these sixty signals, averaged up, the difference of time was obtained with almost perfect accuracy. The difference of time thus obtained between Jersey City and Philadelphia was four minutes and thirty seconds. On February 9, 1848, a paragraph in the London correspondence of some American paper noticed the fact that the electric telegraph had begun its work in England, the price charged for sending one hundred words from London to Liverpool, a distance of two hundred and twenty miles, being £5, while at the same time, in this country, the rate charged for sending a telegram of one hundred words from Washington to New York, a distance of two hundred and twenty-five miles, was only $5. The Associated Press and the United Press both have offices in Washington, as well as all of the leading newspapers in the country, many of which have private telegraph wires. CHAPTER XIV. EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. Early Schools-John McLeod - Lancasterian School - Private Schools - Colored Schools - Public Schools of Washington- Georgetown College-Columbian University— Howard University - National University-The Catholic University of America American University - Gonzaga College-Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb-St. John's College-The Academy of the Holy Cross-St. Cecilia's Academy -The Spencerian Business College-Glen Echo Chautauqua - National Bureau of Education - Norwood Institute - Wood's Commercial College-Wayland Seminary - The Ivy Institute-Mount Vernon Seminary - Columbia College of Commerce Libraries in Washington. PREVIOUS to the establishment of the public-school system in the city of Washington, there were here, as in all other towns and cities of the United States, numerous private schools, and these were as various in their characters as were the teachers who established them. It is manifestly impracticable to present a detailed history of every one of these private schools, and it is altogether probable that such a detailed history would be far from acceptable if practicable; hence, the history of private education in the city of Washington, as given in this volume, will be found to be more illustrative than exhaustive. The Columbian Academy, of Georgetown, was one of the first of these private schools. It was in existence as early as 1803, and was then under the care of Rev. David Wiley, and had been for some years. In 1803, there were seventy-five pupils in attendance, but the building was capable of accommodating one hundred. The studies pursued were the common branches and the learned languages. A Young Ladies' Academy was opened, July 16, 1806, by Mrs. Reagan, in a commodious house on F Street, between Captain James Hoban's and Josiah W. King's. The branches taught were tambouring, embroidery, open work, marking, all kinds of plain sewing, filigree, painting, waxwork, French, music, dancing, reading, and writing. Young ladies could also be accommodated with board. Hugh Maguire, then late a professor in St. John's College, Maryland, where he had been employed for eleven years, and a teacher of twenty-three years' experience, opened an academy near the Seven Buildings, in August, 1807. In this academy, he taught Latin, Greek, mathematics, geography, bookkeeping, etc., for $40 per annum; English grammar, reading, writing, and arithmetic, for $24 per annum. At first, he had as an assistant Samuel Cantwell. After teaching this school a short time, he was selected principal of the public academy, and in a year established a school at Bladensburg, which failed of support. He therefore returned to Georgetown, and opened a school near the Union Tavern, on the 6th of January, 1812. In this school he taught Latin, Greek, and the common English branches. Some time afterward, he removed his school to commodious apartments in the rear of Congress Hall, and again associated with himself, in the teaching of the common English branches, Mr. Simon Cantwell, who had taught with him before, and who was highly approved of in the neighboring county of Prince George, for capacity and industry in his scholastic duties for the then past thirty years. A school was opened in 1802, by the Rev. A. T. McCormick, on Capitol Hill, in which he taught the common branches and the higher mathematics. Rev. Mr. McCormick kept on with this school until 1819, in February of which year he was succeeded by P. Edwards, under whom the instruction was almost completely changed. Francis Donnelly opened a school on Monday, May 30, 1803, in a building then lately occupied as an auction store, near the West Market. Mr. Donnelly taught spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, bookkeeping, history, and geography. About the same time, a new school was opened by J. Sewell, on North F Street, in a room then lately occupied by Mr. Coates, opposite the Little Hotel. For teaching English grammar, writing, etc., he charged $4 per quarter; for common arithmetic, $5 per quarter; for merchants' accounts, geography, algebra, mensuration, surveying, plaiu navigation, astronomy, and the other branches of mathematics, and the principles of mechanics, $8 per quarter. Madam du Cherray, a French lady, then lately arrived from Moscow, Russia, where for several years she had been at the head of one of the most reputable academies in that city, under the immediate protection of his Majesty, Alexander the First, Emperor of all the Russias, opened an establishment similar to the one she had taught in Moscow, in the year 1808, in which she received both boarders and day pupils. In her academy, she taught English, French, history, geography, mythology, writing, arithmetic, embroidery, all sorts of needlework, drawing, music, and dancing. She also taught miniature portrait painting. |