A Critique of Communication at the Centennial of the Telegraph

The historical influence of S. F. B. Morse, American inventor of the telegraph, upon present-day life is attributed to the fundamental soundness of his work, to his being first in the field of applied electricity, and to his recognition of the social forces reacting to his invention. He is credited with having inspired a technological following who laid the foundations of electrical and radio engineering and education. The paper appraises the effect of electrical communication upon world peace, and poses the question of engineering responsibility in the postwar world.