It seems strange that a man of such a gentle, kindly disposition should have upheld the outworn institution of slavery, but he honestly believed, not only that it was ordained of God, but that it was calculated to benefit the enslaved race.  To Professor Christy, of Cincinnati, he gives, on September 12, his reasons for this belief:—­

“You have exposed in a masterly manner the fallacies of Abolitionism.  There is a complete coincidence of views between us.  My ‘Argument,’ which is nearly ready for the press, supports the same view of the necessity of slavery to the christianization and civilization of a barbarous race.  My argument for the benevolence of the relation of master and slave, drawn from the four relations ordained of God for the organization of the social system (the fourth being the servile relation, or the relation of master and slave) leads conclusively to the recognition of some great benevolent design in its establishment.

“But you have demonstrated in an unanswerable manner by your statistics this benevolent design, bringing out clearly, from the workings of his Providence, the absolute necessity of this relation in accomplishing his gracious designs towards even the lowest type of humanity.”

CHAPTER XXXVIII

FEBRUARY 26, 1864—­NOVEMBER 8, 1867

Sanitary Commission.—­Letter to Dr. Bellows.—­Letter on “loyalty.”—­His brother Richard upholds Lincoln.—­Letters of brotherly reproof.—­ Introduces McClellan at preelection parade.—­Lincoln reelected.—­Anxiety as to future of country.—­Unsuccessful effort to take up art again.—­ Letter to his sons.—­Gratification at rapid progress of telegraph.—­ Letter to George Wood on two great mysteries of life.—­Presents portrait of Allston to the National Academy of Design.—­Endows lectureship in Union Theological Seminary.—­Refuses to attend fifty-fifth reunion of his class.—­Statue to him proposed.—­Ezra Cornell’s benefaction.—­American Asiatic Society.—­Amalgamation of telegraph companies.—­Protest against stock manipulations.—­Approves of President Andrew Johnson.—­Sails with family for Europe.—­Paris Exposition of 1867.—­Descriptions of festivities.—­Cyrus W. Field.—­Incident in early life of Napoleon III—­ Made Honorary Commissioner to Exposition.—­Attempt on life of Czar.—­Ball at Hotel de Ville.—­Isle of Wight.—­England and Scotland.—­The “Sounder.”—­Returns to Paris.

All the differences of those terrible years of fratricidal strife, all the heart-burnings, the bitter animosities, the family divisions, have been smoothed over by the soothing hand of time.  I have neither the wish nor the ability to enter into a discussion of the rights and the wrongs of the causes underlying that now historic conflict, nor is it germane to such a work as this.  While Morse took a prominent part in the political movements of the time, while he was fearless and outspoken in his views, his name is not now associated historically