New-York tribune., 1878-12-19

/
| over. Aud if 50 much at such great cost has been
gained who shall say that the gain has been too
| costly?
NOISES And NERCES
! writer in an English periodical has been DIS
| cussirg the suggestive topic OF "Ciyization and
! Noise" and the weekly papers have broken out
with chorus Of comments, which show how for
miiable question the uproar Of cities has become.
The writer's plea is, in brief, for the defence Of the
/ senses against annoying and hurtful Influences
which civilization has produced, often "A incl
denis of great pleasures and incalculahle
! benefits. II goes without saying that the
| ear. in this conflict with modern life,
J., the most dcfcucclcsS Of all the organs. The exc
can protect itself against unsightiv objects; the
nose can tight il own battles now and then, with
aid from its owner: but it would be difficult for
man to slur his ears, except perhaps, IN certain
| extreme cases. il lS the ear too that has the
! least compensation. There IS much more 10 de-
light the eve than tc it, even in the artificial
/ world ard while the life of "A nose, IN great
! metropolis is one Of many sore trials and some
/ times of real Affections the balance is al
/ most invariably the side of sweet
smells, or, what is better. of no smells at
/ all But-aas for the unfortunate car!-aimost oil
| sound. in a tlty are discOrdaut, including most Of
! the music which to the cultivated car must BE- the
worst sound of all. There s nothing musical IN the
harsh roar OF the streets, tn grinding OF ponderous
wheel, over llntv payemcnts the loud rattling and
/ crcakiug aud j'ugng of vehicles Of all ages and
| condition. of dccrcpitud', the clat'or of horses
| hoof. the cries OF drivers, nrwsboys and ped
! lcr- aud all the thoustud and one noises that
| make any large city of the present day more of a
Babel than Babel could possibly have been, seeing
that 1t lacked - many of the modern appliances for
/ ,y,Lir,y racket inpsp moi .pa never
10 br di,coraut until Mr.. Edison, say, inyents
| sort of a musical funnel winch shall gather up all
| the sounds OF the streets, and, rcauauglng their
! clashing waves shall pour into every house the
sparkling OF the last successful opera, on where
| there are families with an ear Tor sober music, The
orthodox hymn tunes with full assortment of the
doxologies.
Here is one PARTICULAR at least, in which civilizl
| ton can never improve upon nature. Most, if not
! all Of the sound, Of nature musical. The rust
ling Of breeze in the leaves of the forest is an
qu;sitc harmony; SO is the ripping of the brook.
! that to the sleeping woods all night slngcth
quiet tune" 80, too the tiny waterfall with its
drowsy monotone, and the grca; cataract with its
| thundcring roar. Even terrible storm may be de
scrled ~ a symphony for IN IT'S rudest and widest
moods nature seems Ueyrr to forget its first law of
! harmony.
! But in the artificial life OF cities all this is
! changed. Il those VITO have grown used 20 the din
! in the midst of which they were born and have
| lived all their lives VIII pause awhile aud analyZe
| the volume OF sound in any busy thOr0ughfaTe,
! they will bc amazed to find how many distinct
noises there are and may he led TO reflect that this
| inccssant bomharding OF the tympanum must affect
the nerves ANA the tempers, not to say the mental
health OF those vino dwell at the great centres of
| population. This is problem with which the
| apJ of fan
made little effort to deal. though il has engaged the
attention of learned societies, and is becoming a
subject Of scientific Investigation. Up to the pres
cnt day cities have been built and governed with
little regard to the possible sucrngs OF their III
habitants from this cause. Progress in the arts of
comfort and health can hardly tail to give us noise
| less paycments and lighter vehicles. with perhaps
different sort of horseshoe. Science may do much
| in the future, but government may do more
| now II is time the liberty of the many
WAS asserted over the license of the few.
If Is time unnecessary steamwhistlcs were
| choked and clocks that persist Ill ringing the
quarters all night mulficd. II is time the law
| laid It's heavy hand on that antquatcd specimen of
the milkman who still, in certain quarters OF this
citv, gives his Mohawk yell ut The area ratings.
lust that hour when exemplary scepers are taking
their most dcvout maps. II is time that party-walls
were ordered To be thicker, that we may not lie
,ompclled to listen all dav and almost all night to
| that industrious young lady next door who plays
all things alike, nothing well and everything loud.
! All kinds of pedcrs. licensed vcndcrs, and ''od
| clo'p men should have their mouths shut by
law. There is one oseutatOus person in this city
| engaged in the business of buying supcrannuated
hats who hi ght well be made the subject of special
act There is in the very heart of the city great
railroad depot. where hundreds of trains rush in aud
ont every day it will be strange if an advancing
civilization does not put both road and depot under
the ground together. There are other depots, also
IN the heart of the city, where the clatter of carts
and the loading and unloading Of freight
milk-cans, etc, make living almost impossible
| and sadly depreciate real estate. But all our
progress, in this city. has been toward an increase
of the general camor. About the only reform which
the friends of the ear have ever succeeded in OBJ
tanning has been to silonce the ragmans bells while
in three of the great avenues steam railroads have
been built in mid-ar, and trains run almost every
minute twenty hours out of the twenty-four.
Indeed, the tyranny often exercised over great
city is astonishing. Ii is not long since public
spirited citizen organized an agitation-think OF