spite
of the other cares which weighed him down, he could not resist the
temptation to indulge in humor when the occasion offered. This humor is
tinged with sarcasm in a letter of July 13, 1861, to Mr. A.B. Griswold,
his wife's brother, a prominent citizen of New Orleans. After assuring
him of his undiminished affection, he adds:--

"And now see what a risk I have run by saying thus much, for, according
to modern application of the definition of _treason_, it would not be
difficult to prove me a traitor, and therefore amenable to the halter.

"For instance--treason is giving aid and comfort to the enemy; everybody
south of a certain geographical line is an enemy; you live south of that
line, ergo you are an enemy; I send you my love, you being an enemy; this
gives you _comfort_; ergo, I have given comfort to the enemy; ergo, I am
a traitor; ergo, I must be hanged."

As the war progressed he continued to express himself in forcible
language against what he called the "twin heresies"--abolitionism and
secession. He had done his best to avert the war. He describes his
efforts in a letter of April 2, 1862, to Mr. George L. Douglas, of
Louisville, Kentucky, who at that time was prominently connected with the
Southern lines of the telegraph, and who had loyally done all in his
power to safeguard Morse's interests in those lines:--

"You are correct in saying, in your answer as garnishee, that I have been
an active and decided friend of Peace. In the early stages of the
troubles, when the Southern Commissioners were in Washington, I devoted
my time and influence and property, subscribing and paying in the outset
five hundred dollars, to set on foot measures for preserving peace
honorable to all parties. The attack on Fort Sumter struck down all these
efforts (so far as my associates were concerned), but I was not
personally discouraged, and I again addressed myself to the work of the
Peacemaker, determining to visit _personally_ both sections of the
country, the Government at Washington, and the Government of the
Confederates at Richmond, to ascertain if there were, by possibility, any
means of averting war. And when, from physical inability and age, I was
unable to undertake the duty personally, I defrayed from my own pocket
the expenses of a friend in his performance of the same duties for me,
who actually visited both Washington and Richmond and conferred with the
Presidents and chiefs of each section on the subject. Tru