New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-16
THE REIIN
sea in a fOl


racentlv bourht a new tower-clock. 1t struck
the hours and quarters with fine musical
tone. and it was the pride of the village: But
q fe,r erav-beaded farmers, who had dozod
for MANY wears in the shadow OF the old
meeting house, resented the CLOCK as an ihVa-
sion of their right of quiet. There was no
need of rousing people. The noise was q
public nuisance. The clock must go.
1t is the habit of great many people 10
declare that whatever disturbs them, whatever
interferes with their set habits, whatever It'll
tates their nerves, or stands In the way Oh
their convenience, is public nuisance, and
ouebt TO be abated by law. Factories, hand
organs, German bands, pianos, street cries.
clocks, railroads, milk wagons, PROFESSIONS
parrots tall buildings, dogs, cats, newsDoyS'
children's trumpets, and church bells, win
score of other things necessary or useiui OF
agreeable to some large part OF the popula-
ton. are denounced as nulsances by indl-
yiduals who are annoyed by them, and who
assume that what is unpleasant to them ls
or ouCht to be considered, an injury to the
community at large. If half the complaints
of "public nuisances were attended to, the
life of great city would be brought TO Il
sion. But when men gather together IN towns
they cannot regulate life just as they please !;
| they must often sacrifice their own pleasure
| and convenience to the pleasure and
| convenience of their neighbors, SIMPLY
because they cannot indulge their Own tastes
without an unjust restriction of another mans
liberty. The imaginary right of quiet, for
example. can never be maintained; although
the law imposes certain obviously reasonable
/ 81 t,oht IN naE "A
| little agitation has lately arisen in New
| York which reminds us OF the protest OF the
drowsy New England farmers. 1t is an aSita-
ton against church bells. For many centuries
the church bell has been so closely connected
with the public ceremonies OF religion that IL
has become almost like a part OF divine
worship. 1t is endeared to the Christian by a
hundred sacred associations, and to say moth
ing of its practical utility it has sentimental
value too great to be overlooked. To our
mind there is something unspeakably i'm
| pressiye in the hundreds of voices which peal
from the steepes, not merely as summons
| to the temple, but as memento OF hOly
things If they were hushed, the dead and
| silent Sunday would seem to fall upon the
CITY like a curse And we have no doubt that
to a vast majority of the population the bells
are precious, if not for their religious meaning,
then at least for their poetical suggestions
The sound has become so far part of oul
ordinary life that we never think about it
but there are few men in whom they do not
stir from time to time half conscious mem
cries of youth, and happiness, and
peace and friends. What poor
creature he must be who would put an
Injunction upon the bell which pealed for his
wedding and tolled for his dead child
There are some people, we know, to whom
bell means nothing but noise; and there are
some to whom bell on church is essentially
more disagreeable than a bell on factory
We believe that the conspicuous person In the
recent agitation is the same gentleman who
declared once in q public conference that
churches ought to be taxed for the support OF
the police because they were the cause Of riots
But the overwhelming sentiment of the COM
munity seems to be in favor of the bells, and SC
far no plausible reason has been adduced fol-
stopping them. The New-England clock is still
striking; and the bells Of New-York, we think
will go on ringing for many years.