The “father of Japanese archaeology”

by James Nalley

Around 1850, a Portland-born young man, due to his constant restlessness and curiosity, had difficulty being confined to school classrooms. In fact, by the time he was 16 years of age, he had been expelled from every school that he attended. In one instance, his expulsion from Bridgton Academy was due to his obsession with drawing/carving on desks. However, after he attended Gould Academy in Bethel, he came under the influence of Nathaniel True, who saw his talent for drawing and nurtured his love for nature. Eventually, despite his lack of formal education, this young man became a renowned zoologist, archaeologist, and the “father of Japanese archaeology.”

Edward Sylvester Morse was born in Portland on June 18, 1838. Although he was the son of a Congregationalist deacon with strict Calvinist doctrines, his mother did not share such beliefs and encouraged Morse to pursue his studies in the sciences. However, as stated earlier, Morse was easily distracted in school. Surprisingly, by the age of 13, he had become fascinated with collecting and making detailed drawings of shells and snails. According to the article Edward Sylvester Morse: Dr. True’s Star Pupil (2002) by Stanley Russell Howe, “At the age of 16, Morse’s elder brother obtained employment for him as a draftsman for the Portland Company, which made steam engines for trains and ships, a subject far removed from what would become his obsession — zoology — but nonetheless, it developed Morse’s talent for making detailed drawings.” Through this position, Morse became “so adept at drawing that he could make different sketches with each hand or write Greek and Latin simultaneously.”

Despite his relatively well-paying job, Morse’s life changed after he arrived in Bethel at Gould Academy and met Nathaniel True, who immediately recognized his talent. As stated by Howe, “Dr. True and Morse soon formed a strong academic bond, the doctor giving this sometimes-wayward youth much latitude in roaming about the Bethel area hills and Androscoggin River valley in search of specimens for his natural history collection.” In September 1856, Morse discovered a minute snail on one of these trips. “This discovery launched him on the road to a career as a naturalist. In 1859, the Boston Society of Natural History pro- claimed Morse’s snail Tympanis morsei. For a precocious 20-year-old, this designation must have been a tremendous boost to his self-esteem.”

In the same year, Morse met renowned biologist Louis Agassiz at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, after which he studied marine biology and focused on conchology (i.e., the study of mollusk shells). Upon completing his studies, Morse served as Agassiz’s assistant in charge of conservation, documentation, and drawing collections of mollusks and brachiopods until 1862. As a side note, Morse attempted to enlist in Company A of the 25th Maine Infantry Regiment during the U.S. Civil War but was rejected due to a chronic tonsil infection. However, in 1863, Morse married Ellen Owen in Portland. They had two children, Edith Owen Morse and John Gould Morse (named after Morse’s Bridgton Academy classmate and lifelong friend John Mead Gould).

By the end of the U.S. Civil War, Morse had become successful in the field of zoology. He was even elected to the position of curator at the Portland Natural History Society. However, according to the article “Maine’s Remarkable Edward Sylvester Morse: Quintessential Naturalist” (1995) by Martin Scott, “In 1866, the Great Fire destroyed the buildings of the Society, along with much of Portland, and also the chance of a salaried position. Yet, an alternative opportunity arose with the Peabody Academy of Science in Salem, Massachusetts.” Morse then moved to Salem, which became his home for the remainder of his life.

In 1867, Morse, along with several of Agassiz’s former students, founded the scientific journal, The American Naturalist. This journal quickly became known for its high-quality illustrations, many of which were created by Morse himself. As stated in the biographical article Edward Sylvester Morse (1926) (cont. on page 36)

(cont. from page 35)

by J.S. Kingsley,

“Morse’s desire to bring natural history to a wider audience also led him to give lectures to a wide variety of audiences. His combination of broad knowledge, speaking skills, and ability to draw quickly on the blackboard with both hands made him a popular presenter.” Meanwhile, he continued his work on brachiopods and published a series of important papers between 1869 and 1873.

In 1872, Morse observed that mammals and reptiles with reduced fingers tend to lose them beginning from the sides, i.e., first the thumb and then the little finger. Eventually, researchers found that this was a general pattern in tetrapods, in which their digits were reduced in the same order to that proposed by Morse. This trend is currently known as Morse’s Law. In his quest for new specimens, Morse departed for Japan in 1877, after which he was offered a post as the first Professor of Zoology at Tokyo Imperial University. There, he recommended several fellow Americans (as foreign advisors) to support the modernization of Japan in the Meiji Era. At the same time, he established a marine biological laboratory at Enoshima, and discovered the Omori shell mound. The latter not only opened the study of archaeology and anthropology in Japan, but it also highlighted the cul- ture of prehistoric Japan.

Meanwhile, Morse gained interest in Japanese ceramics, eventually collecting more than 5,000 pieces. He returned to Japan numerous times over the next six years. According to Howe, “Morse’s association with Japan would be long remembered on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. For his work, Morse was decorated with the Order of the

Rising Sun, Third Class, by the Japanese Emperor, making him the first American to be so honored.”

After leaving Japan and traveling to Southeast Asia, Morse became President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1886 and continued to serve as the Director of the Peabody Academy of Science (currently the Peabody Essex Museum) in Salem until 1914. As stated by Howe, “In this position, Morse became a major national figure, which was recognized by his election to the presidency of the American Association of Museums.” Interestingly, in 1914, when a fire consumed the majority of Salem, Morse’s house was luckily spared. Howe wrote, “Two of his scientific associates rushed to assist him in saving his significant scientific collection but were surprised to find him sitting in his study learning to play a South Sea Island flute.”

On December 20, 1925, Morse died of a cerebral hemorrhage at his home and was buried at the Harmony Grove Cemetery in Salem. He was 87 years of age. As for his legacy, in addition to the respective collections under his name at the Peabody Essex Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Whyte Museum in Banff, Canada, he donated more than 10,000 books from his personal collection to Tokyo Imperial University. In fact, on learning that its library was destroyed by the 1923

Great Kanto Earthquake, Morse, in his will, ordered that his entire remaining collection of books be donated to the university.

However, as stated by Howe, the most interesting act was the following: “Ever the scientist, Morse had bequeathed his brain to the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, with the expectation that some anatomical factor of his ambidexterity might be discerned during an autopsy. Morse wrote his old comrade John Mead Gould reporting that the Institute had commissioned a special jar with his name upon it for storage of his brain when the time came.”