Professor Morse's Divine Inspiration for the Telegraph

“The writer of this note had the honor of dining with Prof. Morse several years ago. The old gentleman was in a genial mood and conversed very freely. The writer asked him this question—‘Professor, how was the idea of talking by electricity suggested to you—was it the result of study and thought, or of a sudden inspiration?’ His reply, so remarkable that it will not soon be forgotten, was, ‘I think the idea was an inspiration.’ The Professor then went on to explain that he had been for some time in a state of great mental depression, and that the idea came to him as a sudden flash of light, which he felt was from a higher source than his own mind. He spoke of it with a reverence that was very impressive, and which showed that he felt he had been an instrument in the hands of a higher power. This incident is a striking illustration of the truth of the principle taught by President Brigham Young, that all true intelligence, and all the great discoveries and inventions that have blessed mankind, have proceeded from God, and that the men who have been the instruments in bringing them forth have been inspired by Him to do so, whether they have been conscious of it or not.”

— Anonymous writer, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star