Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-02-14
THE AMERICAN VOICE.


Shriil, Strident and Noisy.
Why is not as much attention paid
to the pleasure to be derived by way of
the ear as the eye? In this country we
treat the ear barbarously. The ear
gets the minimum of pleasure, and it
retorts by aggravating the nerves.
And SO it happens that much of the
'dlscomforts of our life come through
the ear What the foreigner most
notices in this country, until he
becomes, as we are. more or less
callous to it, is noise. We are
not simply pitched on a high key
nationally, but not discordant key
IL Is not a gayer or more animated
country than some others, but it is
noisier. Certainly we do not cultivate
harmony or moderation. To begin
with, the american voice" has an I'M
envlable reputation 1t is apt to be
-shrill. strident, high-pitched, IN
modulated. This quality adds an un-
necessary aggravation to social life. 1t
disorganiZes the nerves, and increases
the tendency to nervous prostration-
this and other unchecked noises. The
human voice ought to be a delight; ii
was meant to give musical pleasure.
There is no good reason why the
American voice should not give pleas
ure. The voices of uncultivated races
are often delightful. The negroes set
us a good example in agreeable tones.
That there is no radical i:.curable de-
feet in the American voice we know,
because we have had orators whose
tones were as musical as the organ and
the flute; there are communities where
we hear, for the most part, modulated
low and pleasing speech; and it is get
ting to be admitted that an American
singer is the peer of any in the
world But in general no care is
taken about the voice in speech.
Girls as well as boys are per-
mitted to make home discordant and
school babel of mere noise by the
most vulgar and rasping use of the
vocal organs. Mrs. Browning might
have written, with US in view, more
pathetic poem on the Cry of the Chill
dren." If children ought ever to be
whipped or, to put case more in con-
sonance with the tendency of the age.
if children ought ever to whip their
parents, the castigation should be
given for the harsh, piercing and dis
-cordant voice. It is idle to say that
this sort of voice is natural to them.
ANY voice can be cultivated to a de-
gree that it shall not be unpleasant
and this education should go on from
infancy in every home and every
school. 1t is matter of public inter
est for the public pleasure. Think
what tea party might be.
The voice is, however, only set to the
pitch Of the other noises. In all
thickly settled communities the ears
are split and outraged by the steam
whistle of the factories and the loco
motives. In the depths of the night
the startled sleeper has the veil of Sc
clusion torn away from him by the
scream of the whistles, the invalid's
excited nerves are worn to rags by the
barbarious pipe of the locomotive.
We skringe and suffer with only faint
protest 1t is only part of the uni
versal noise and hubub. Most of this
screaming of the steam-demon is abso-
lutely unnecessary in this day of clocks
and watches and guarded railway cross
ings. But if we must have the whistle,
why not invent one that is moderately
musical instead of being a torture?
This is a suggestion of quiet-loving
people, who find the noise of our Amer
lean life every day more intolerable.
Perhaps any abatement of it would not
suit the majority, who like to go tear
ing and whooping through the world.
1t is fortunate, considering our
voices, that we are not Moslems, for
then we should substitute for the
muzzin's melodious call to prayer a
harsh summons that would brighten
every sinner back into his bed, and
compel him to stop his ears against the
rasping invitation to devotion. But is
it altogether fortunate? For have we
not the church and other jangling
bells? These give out noise and nerve
shaking ciamor instead of melodi Gus
notes. There are very few bells
in the United States that are
agreeable to the ear. The foundries
seem to go on the idea that anything
in the shape of a bell will answer the
purpose, with little or no regard to its
lone. and we are called to church with
the same metallic anger that invites
US to a fire. The manufacturers are
probably Indifferent because the public
are Indifferent Their products are
mechanical, and only by chance mu-
steal. There is the need of art in the
making and ringing of a bell, as in the
making and playing of a piano. We
appear to be content with any mass OF
metal cast in the bell shape. and to let
ringer with the instinct of black
smith evoke its dissonance with a
sledge-hammer.-Ch Dudley War
ner. in Harper's Magazine.