John G. Morse from Albany, New York Train Depot 1903 *

John G. Morse, Albany, New York 1903

In the autumn of 1903, Albany stood as a vibrant center of commerce and transportation along the banks of the Hudson River. Union Station, where John G. Morse penned his note, was a hub of activity, pulsating with the constant shuffle of travelers embarking on journeys both near and far. The city itself was a testament to industrial progress, with its streets bustling with horse-drawn carriages, the clang of streetcars, and the occasional roar of an early automobile.

For John, passing through Albany was a common occurrence, a transient stop amidst his travels. The city, with its familiar sights and sounds, offered a brief respite—a pause in his journey before he continued his ventures across the railway networks of the country. The station served as a crossroads, connecting him to different corners of the nation, each journey an opportunity for business and exploration.

Union Station 1904 Albany, New York

For John and Julie, separations were customary. His frequent travels for work made his absence expected, though not less missed. The postcard was a simple glimpse into their life, a reminder of his whereabouts, and a reassurance of his thoughts reaching her, even in his absence. 

This postcard is dated October 6, 1903 and sent to his wife, Julie, in Salem, Mass., addressed as Mrs. John G. Morse. The postmark is of interest: BOS. & ALBANY, RPO (Boston & Albany Railway Post Office). It reads:

Albany October 6, 1903

My dear Julie,

Had a fine sleep. The engine broke down before we started and it was 11.35 before we got under way. (xxx) just getting in now at 6.30 only ten minutes late. Still very foggy. Hope you will get this tonight.

With Love,

Your own,

John

Robert Francis Scharff to Edward S. Morse 1918 Postcard

Irish National Museum in Dublin

The intricate script and ornate strokes on this postcard, reminiscent of a bygone era, posed quite a challenge for me to decode. After spending a considerable amount of time, I'm delighted to say that I've successfully deciphered all the words! The most challenging part was the sender's signature, as it wasn't integrated into the sentence structure, making it extremely difficult to decipher.

This postcard dated 1918 was sent by Robert Francis Scharff to Edward S. Morse with a return address of Irish National Museum in Dublin. "O.H.M.S." stands for "On His/Her Majesty's Service." It's an indication that the correspondence or item is official and sent or used in the course of government or official business. This marking was commonly used on envelopes, letters, or postcards to signify that the contents were related to governmental or official matters.

The letter is addressed to Prof. Edward S. Morse / Salem / Mass / U.S.A. It reads:

Dear Prof. Morse,

I am very grateful to you for kindly sending me reprints of two very interesting articles which show that you are just as keen and active as you were when I had the pleasure of meeting you at your hospitable house in Salem about 7 or 8 years ago. Your idea as published in this Sunday Herald is quite a novel one and appears to me very good. 

Yours truly, 

R. F. Scharff

ROBERT FRANCIS SCHARFF:

ROBERT FRANCIS SCHARFF

His tenure at the Irish National Museum in Dublin was transformative, shaping both the institution and the understanding of Ireland's natural heritage. He significantly expanded the museum's collections, particularly in herpetology, enhancing scientific knowledge about the country's reptiles and amphibians.

His advocacy for local biodiversity was evident through public engagements, exhibitions, and publications, fostering appreciation and conservation awareness among the Irish populace. Scharff's leadership cultivated an environment of collaboration among scientists from diverse fields, enriching the museum's interdisciplinary research endeavors.

Moreover, his efforts to make science accessible to the public bridged the gap between academia and the community, leaving a lasting impact on scientific literacy and conservation awareness in Ireland. Scharff's holistic approach to research, education, and preservation solidified his legacy as a pivotal figure in advancing both the museum's role and public understanding of Ireland's natural history.

THE POSTCARD:

The content of this postcard revolves around two articles Morse sent to Schaff, though without specific titles mentioned by Schaff. Consequently, my attempts were confined to mere speculation. Dated 1918, my online searches aimed to uncover articles possibly featured in the Sunday Herald, presumed to be special editions of the Boston Herald, exclusive to 1917 and 1918. Regrettably, my pursuit ended in a dead end.

I pursued an alternative approach, scouring through Morse's writings of that period. I suspect that the articles on fireflies, originally published in SCIENCE, might have been reprinted in the aforementioned Sunday Herald. Below, you'll find the full text of these "articles" as published in SCIENCE.

FIREFLIES FLASHING IN UNISON (SCIENCE Feb. 4, 1916):

February 4, 1916 SCIENCE

FIFTY years ago in Gorham, Maine, while walking along the road I passed an open field and noticed to my astonishment hundreds of fireflies flashing in perfect unison. I watched this curious sight for some time and the synchronism of the flashing was unbroken. Many times after I have watched these luminous insects, hoping to see a repetition of this phenomenon, but the flashes in every instance were intermittent. Since that time I have read about these insects in various books without meeting any allusion to this peculiar behavior. At last I have found a confirmation of my early observations. In Nature of December 9, page 414, is the report of an interesting paper read before the South London Entomological and Natural History Society by K. G. Blair entitled "Luminous Insects " in which reference is made to the remarkable synchronism of the flashes in certain European species of fireflies. The explanation offered as to the cause of this behavior seemed to me inadequate. One often notices in the stridulation of the Grillide the perfect time the insects keep in their concerts and it seems likely that the same impulse must animate these flashing beetles, and the light emitted could be more easily followed than the sound. The following is an extract from Mr. Blair's paper:

Apart from its principal function in securing the proper mating of the sexes, the light seems also to be largely used, at any rate by the males, for purposes of display. Where the powers of luminosity are largely developed in this sex the emission of the light is usually of an intermittent flashing type. It has been noticed in various parts of the world that these flashing males tend to congregate in large companies, and that all the individuals of one of these gatherings will flash in concert. All the fireflies around one tree or group of trees, for instance, will flash together, while those around a neighboring tree will be pulsating to a different time. This feature has been observed of a European species of Luciola (though Mr. Main and myself were unable to detect anything of the sort with L. italica at Lugano), of an Indian lampyrid genus not stated, and of the genus Aspidosoma in South America. The American species of Photinus and Photuris do not seem to possess the habit.

The exact reason of this flashing in concert, or the method by which it is brought about, have not been ascertained. It has been suggested that the light is not really intermittent in character, but merely appears so owing to its being alternately masked and exhibited by movements of the creature's body, and that a slight puff of wind might perhaps affect all the members of a company and cause them all to conceal their lights at once. Though this explanation of the intermittent character of the light applies well enough to Pyrophorus, an insect we shall shortly consider, it is certainly not applicable to these Lampyride. It is true the light is not absolutely extinguished between the flashes, but it is so diminished as to become practically dark; moreover the flashing in unison is too regular to be caused by chance puffs of wind. A more probable explanation of the phenomenon is that each flash exhausts the battery, as it were, and a period of recuperation is required before another flash can be emitted. It is then conceivable that the flash of a leader might act as a stimulus to the discharge of their flashes by the other members of the group, and so bring about the flashing concert by the whole company.

FIREFLIES FLASHING IN UNISON (SCIENCE Sept. 15, 1916):

In Science of February 4, 1916, page 169, I recorded for the first time an observation made fifty years ago of a large number of fireflies flashing in perfect unison. I have been on the lookout ever since that time for a confirmation of my observations, consulting every book on entomology and watching the fireflies ever since for the recurrence of this phenomenon without success. In Nature for December 9, 1915, is recorded a paper by W. Q. Blair, Esq., entitled "Luminous Insects" in which reference is made to the remarkable synchronism of the flashes in certain species of European fireflies. A somewhat extended extract is given from Mr. Blair's address. A copy of this paper was sent to my friend Professor E. B. Poulton, of Oxford, and in return he has sent me a proof sheet from a book he is editing entitled " A Naturalist in Borneo " by B. Shelford, who died a few years ago, a former assistant of Professor Poulton. I am taking the liberty of presenting an extract from this advanced page: 

On the opposite bank was a small tree growing close to the water's edge, which was covered with thousands of fire-flies, small beetles of the family Lampyridse; and I observed that the light emitted by these little creatures pulsated in a regular synchronous rhythm, so that at one moment the tree would be one blaze of light, whilst at another the light would be dim and uncertain. This concerted action of thousands of insects is very remarkable and not easy of explanation. 

Another instance of it was mentioned by Cox; certain ants that are found very frequently proceeding in columns' along the floor of the jungle, when alarmed, knock their heads against the leaves or dead sticks which they happen to be traversing; every member of a community makes the necessary movement at the same time, and as the movements are rapid a distinct loud rattling sound is heard. In this ease the action is probably a danger-signal, and we can understand — theoretically at any rate — how it was brought about. But the value to the species of the rhythmic-light pulsation of the fire-flies is not obvious, and as it is doubtful if the emission of phosphorescent light is under the control of the insect, or is merely a simple automatic process of metabolism, its synchronism is a most puzzling fact. 

Dr. Hermon 0. Bumpus wrote me that some years ago in riding from Falmouth to Woods Hole his attention was arrested by noticing in a field along the road a large number of fireflies flashing synchronously. 

FIREFLIES FLASHING IN UNISON (SCIENCE JULY 26, 1918):

JULY 26, 1918

In SCIENCE for February 4, 1916, I published a short note entitled "Fireflies Flashing in Unison" in which I gave my own observations with confirmatory notes of K. G. Blair regarding a European species. This note led to a discussion in the pages of SCIENCE in which various views were expressed; one writer throwing doubt on the correctness of my observations, another suggesting that I was deceived and the effect psychological, an other that it was the result of coincidence and still another giving confirmatory evidence of the phenomenon in question.

In SCIENCE for September 15, 1916, I was able through the courtesy of Professor E. B. Poulton of Oxford, to note the advanced pages of a book entitled, "A Naturalist in Borneo," by Mr. S. Shelford, an old student of Professor Poulton. Mr. Shelford describes vividly the synchronous flashing of fireflies he observed in Borneo. In SCIENCE for October 27, 1916, Mr. F. Alex. McDermott, who has made a special study of the light emission of American Lampyridæ,  has found no periodicity in the phenomenon. In SCIENCE for November 17, 1916, Mr. H. A. Allard says:

The synchronal flashing of fireflies appears to be a very rare phenomenon in North America. So rarely does it seem to occur that one may consider himself fortunate if he has observed the phenomenon once in a lifetime. His observations were made at Oxford, Mass. A heavy thunder storm had passed over followed by a profound calm, the air was very warm and humid; thousands of these insects were sailing low over the ground flashing incessantly as far as the eye could see. After a while a most remarkable synchronism in the flashing appeared to take place, giving one the impression of alternating waves of illumination and darkness in the distance. Though Mr. Allard had given great attention to the flashing of fireflies since these observations were made twelve years before he had never since observed this phenomenon.

In SCIENCE for September 28 , 1917, Mr. Frank C. Gates, of Carthage College, from experiments made on two specimens in a tent with a flashlight and observations made in the Philippines concludes that the synchronism in the flashing of a group of fireflies is accidental and of very rare occurrence.

Mr. Olaf O. Nylander of Caribou, Me., to whom I sent a copy of my firefly article, in a letter dated October 8 , 1916, says that a number of years ago, while walking from Caribou Mills to his home, he noticed in a small clearing the greatest assembly of fireflies that he had ever seen; the ground and stumps were fairly aglow. The flashes were not perhaps as regular as an army officer would like to see in regimental drills but were so rhythmic that any one would take note of their action. He also observed that the air was very damp at the time.

In The Scientific American of January 19, 1918 , Mr. John V Purssell, of Washington, D. C., records that "In the town of Cotabato, Island of Mindanao, P. I., a few years ago, there were two trees about the size of apple trees, and perhaps a hundred feet apart, and every evening these were filled with fire flies which flashed in synchronism, first one tree lighting up and then the other. There must have been several thousand insects in each tree, yet the synchronism was so perfect that rarely or never did a single firefly flash at the wrong time."

"To the best of my recollection the illuminated period lasted about two or three seconds and the dark period perhaps twice that long . I can positively vouch for the accuracy of the foregoing for it seemed so strange, and produced so beautiful an effect that I thought it one of the most remark able things in the Philippines, and it made a deep impression on me."

Allard in Oxford , Mass.; Olaf O. Nylander in northern Maine and John C. Purssell in Mindanao, Philippine Islands, are I think quite sufficient to establish the fact that these insects do at times flash in unison. The rarity of the occurrence is a mystery.

In this connection a coincidence might explain a well-known occurrence in a small group of individuals  as at a dinner party when they all cease talking for an appreciable time, but would not explain the quiet pause which one sometimes observes in a large dining hall containing hundreds of diners. I discovered the cause of this phenomenon some years ago. While dining with a number of friends at the Parker House the guests at a neighboring table had been noisy, even boisterous, doubtless we had been somewhat noisy too. The neighboring table suddenly became quiet and we stopped talking to see if the noisy ones had gone, but they were still there, other tables looked about for the pause and this hush spread rapidly through the hall. Dear old Dr. Virchow had often observed this pause and thought my explanation correct. He also told me that it was a saying in his country that when this hush occurred an angel was passing through the room, also that a lieutenant was paying his debts! So in regard to fireflies a dozen or more might flash for awhile in unison as a coincidence, but when thousands are observed to flash in unison no doctrine of probability or chance can account for it.

CONCLUSION: 

If those 'articles' referred to another subject matter and had nothing to do with fireflies, I spent the last two full days for nothing. But discovering something new about fireflies made the research a lot of fun! After all, that's what counts!

John Gavit Morse Postcard From South Station - Boston Dec 26, 1900 *

John Gavit Morse Postcard Boston Dec 26, 1900

This postcard was sent from South Station Boston on December 26, 1900 and reached its destination town of Salem, Mass. on the same day to Julie, John's wife.. The preprinted return address is "Inspection Department of the Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Co's, 31 Milk Street, Boston," where John worked. He writes:

South Station (Boston), Dec 26, 1900

My dear Julie,

Here I am again as I was about every week in November (at least once a week). Train was on time and car not stalled across the city so I am in ample time for the train. Only two days this time. Hope you had a merry Christmas. 

Your own, 

John

This postcard, sent from South Station Boston on December 26, 1900, swiftly traveled to its destination in Salem, Mass., addressed to Julie, John's wife. The preprinted return address, 'Inspection Department of the Factory Mutual Fire Insurance Co's, 31 Milk Street, Boston,' reflects John's workplace. In his succinct note, John conveys his routine visit, hinting at his frequent travels throughout November and now, again, after Christmas.

The message, seemingly casual, bears the weight of routine familiarity, a glimpse into their shared life. Yet, within its brevity lies a subtle mystery; John's whereabouts on Christmas Day remain undisclosed, leaving room for speculation. While the note lacks explicit details, its significance as a bridge connecting their worlds becomes apparent. It carries the unspoken assurance of his return, binding their lives together despite physical separation.

This hurriedly penned postcard, more than a mere update, serves as a lifeline between husband and wife. Through these brief lines, the warmth of their connection endures, transcending the distance and echoing the quiet resilience of their bond.

For John, South Station wasn't just a stop along his route; it was a stage where the dance of routine met the elegance of progress. The inauguration of South Station in 1899 marked a new chapter in the tale of Boston's bustling infrastructure. For John, whose professional duties often led him through its halls, this architectural marvel encapsulated the spirit of progress. The station's grandeur unfolded as one stepped inside—a vast concourse adorned with ornate columns, a cathedral-like ceiling stretching above, and natural light streaming through the expansive windows. The air buzzed with the energy of travelers embarking on journeys near and far.

In the heart of this architectural marvel, John witnessed a convergence of diverse lives and stories. Passengers hurried to catch trains bound for cities yet unseen, while others arrived, their faces reflecting the weariness or excitement of their journeys.

circa 1900 South Station, Boston, Mass.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, South Station was a symbol of modernity and efficiency, reflecting the advancements of the time. For someone like John, whose routine visits were integral to his professional duties, the station was a confluence of routine responsibilities and the grandeur of progress.

thumbprint

Note: There is a nicely formed thumbprint on the postcard (see red arrow). Could it be John's, Julie's, or the mail carrier/handler's? I guess we will never know!