One of the great technical achievements that revolutionized the idea of time and space, opening a new era in the history of communication, is telegraphy. It is based on the transmission of electrical signals through a cable over long distances, allowing people to communicate instantly. The telegraph spread very quickly and a network of wires stretched around the world.
In 1837, the American painter and physicist Samuel Morse invented the first electromagnetic device for telegraphy, patented in 1840. To send messages by wire, Morse developed in 1838 a simple code of dots and dashes, which represented the letters of the alphabet, known as "Morse code ".
Both Morse code and the telegraph machine were improved over time, with the telegraph becoming the most widespread system of communication and information transmission for more than a century, until the advent of the Internet. The telegraph system consisted of a series of stations repeaters along the transmission line route. Each station had an operator who received and transmitted messages by telegraph. The Morse machine transmitted about 25 words per minute, which were recorded in code on a paper tape. The operator in charge of transmitting the message would decode it and write it on paper using a special typewriter.
In Bessarabia, the telegraph entered in 1860: on April 8, the Bender telegraph station began its activity, and on April 24, the one in Chisinau, following the construction of the first Odesa-Chisinau-Leova telegraph line. Currently, telegraph services have been discontinued. The only ones who still use coded communication are radio amateurs.
The Morse telegraph machine shown comes from the Osinoostrovsky electrotechnical plant, Soviet Union, and dates back to 1934. The exhibit was restored by Mihail Culașco.
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Bessarabian clergy actively provided moral and material support to the victims of war. It was created a clerical department to help the soldiers and their families. Each district elected a delegate to be part of a clerical group that would be subordinated to this department. The members if this group were sent to the front line if needed. The medical centers opened by the Bessarabian clergy treated wounded soldiers not only from Bessarabia, but also from the remote provinces of Russia and from Serbia. The clergy that was faithful to imperial authorities also helped to collect donations for the Russian army, which they regarded as Christ-loving. The departure of church choristers to the front line led to significant degradation of church music during that period.
Another important aspect is that the monasteries also supported charity activities initiated by the tsarist authorities. Thus, the money raised was sent to cover various needs of the front and monks were assigned to perform religious services. Some monasteries provided shelter for children whose parents have died or been wounded in battle. The February Revolution of 1917 had a significant effect on the activity of the Bessarabian clergy, whose members began to publish articles on the problems of Bessarabia. They offered options for a peaceful reorganization of state and church based on new principles of Orthodox Faith. However, the socialist ideas have gained many supporters among soldiers and the faithful who believed that a new society could be built through destruction and anarchy. This caused persecutions of the clergy and even assassinations. Some priests supported the national movement and the principles of freedom and democratization of the church. However, assessing the impact of the First World War to Bessarabia, it should be recognized that the clergy supported the imperial power and subordinated to political interests of Russia.
Silvia Scutaru
The activity of the Bessarabian school of church choristers (1889-1918)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Silvia Scutaru
Clergy’s requests during theeparchial congresses of 1917
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
One of the great technical achievements that revolutionized the idea of time and space, opening a new era in the history of communication, is telegraphy. It is based on the transmission of electrical signals through a cable over long distances, allowing people to communicate instantly...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.