Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-24
Numbering Sleep.

Editor of The Star:-I cordially concur In your
remarks in Fridays STAR on "Ihe sltep-ue-
troying noises kept up late at night" W neither
by "revivaI meetings or noisy boys In the
SiStreet schools who should be at home and In
their beds, or by men and women, LOUD takers
and utterers of horse-laughs, mixed with pro-
fame or other improper CALCULATIONS. All THESE,
by turns, and sometimes all these, together,
are heard along our streets up 70 nearly ND
night, to the great annoyance of weary. sick
and feeble orderly citizens who need quiet, that
they may obtain much needed sleep.
But there Is nightly annoyance, not In the
Streets but In some Of the back yards, equally
murderous OF the sleep Of the sick and weary
the yelping and bowling, and ceaseleS5 barking
Of dogs, confined there TO save paying tax on
them! The dying, even, have their last nights
of WEAKNESS and pain robbed Of rest by these
useless ours. Ii dogs are needed as watch dogs,
why not keep them In the house? In the yard,
they furnish no security; for their continual
barking-thieves or no thieve5-is no reliable
alarm-only a constant annoyance to neigh
bors. Is there no remedy? SUFFERER.
The enquiries made above are very much to
the point. They might be carried still further.
1t seems to be well established that the great
cause of physical collapse under our modern
civilization, especially to people who live In
cities, Is from nervous disease. The best pre-
yentive or remedy for this kind Of disease is
rest and refreshing sleep, after the worry aud
excitement of city work through the day; but
what chance Is there for this In the pandemo-
MUM Of noise that is kept up all night as Well
asal day In this city of Washington that, not be-
Ing commercial city, or railroad center, ought
to be the quietest city Of its size In the country
At night the roar OF street traffic and travel is
supplemented by the shouting, yelling, jump
Ing and stamping at various colored "revival"
demonstrations Of character that would be
all right at "bush meeting, out In the
country, but which are entirely out OF
place amidst the homes of crowded
apropos character are the ear piercing utteran-
ces OF the various street. exhorters, many of
them evidently OF unsouno mind, but all OF
whom, whether sane, crazy, idiosic or fanatic,
nave apparently full liberty to take C,heir stand
upon any street corner, and murder sleep D. the
hour for all within ear-shot. Then the sshooo.
Iums' and "street arabs are allowed full swing
10 neip In the work Of sleep-mnrder And when
al tneSe classes get too hoarse or exhausted tn
keep up the uproar, then the dogs take up the
nerve-shattering discord, and keep 1t ND until
daylight, when the street hucksterS relieve the
dogs, and commence that astonishing variety of
h1deous, uncouth, 1narticulate noises that not
only destroy all possibility OF sleep but which
leave the victim In state of nervous suspense
as 10 "nat new form OF yen viii jar upon his
ears next.
This is no overdrawn picture, as no doubt
hosts OF our readers can testify. The evil IA
universally felt and complained of, and it seems
70 be about time to agitate the question whether
cltzens have not the right to be protected from
the injury to health and temper, caused by this
loss OF rest and sleep. We keep up costly
Health office, and pay heavily for street clean.
ing, &C., but the money expended In this way
seems to go mainly to make things agreeable to
the senses of smell and sight. Is it not about
time that some consideration should be given to
the matter Of the destruction Of health involved
In the loss Of rest and sleep from the causes
above named? There is no good reason why
these evils should be tolerated day, or rather
night longer. The fact that they have existed
Is no reason why they should. 1t used to be
thought that there was no relief to be obtained
from the fre-cracker and gun-poWder
nuisance Christmas days (of all days in the
yearD, or from the tin-horn nuisance of the
street vendors, and we absolutely had District
attorney give an opinion that nothing could be
done with the latter, but when the police
undertook 1t they did abate both nuisances,
greatly to the relief Of the suffering public.
There is no reason why the Health authorities
and the police should not suppress bowling
dog upon any persons premises, just as
promptly as they would any other fragrant,
health destroying nuisance. And so In regard
to all the other sleep numbering nuisances.
Health considerations require 1t, and, 10 our
city especially, which we wish to make the at
tractive resort and residence Of people from all
quarters, the most ordinary business considera-
tons demand 1t.