Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-19
Tie Anti-Noise Crusade.

From the Boston Herald.
1t is seldom given to a magazine article
to elicit so general and sympathetic a re-
sponSe, and to be made the occasion of so
imposing a mass of discussion, as the one
written by DIR. ]. II. Girdner in the Sep
tember number of the North American Re-
view on The, Plague of City Noises" The
article has beer quoted and approvingly
commented on from one extremity of the
country to the other: it has furnished a
text for medical journals in England, and
has suggested caustic reflections to French
feuilletonists; it has gone the rounds of the
press in Germany and was last heard of as
the subject of elaborate and discriminat-
ing treatment by a newspaper In Buchar-
est. In short, DIR. Girdner seems to have
touched a chord that vibrates wherever
there are cities and civilization. 1t has
been suggested that he is out of sympathy
with this bustling age. which heralds its
progress with clang and ring and roar, and
various retreats have been named as emf
nently suitable for a man so acutely sensi-
tive to assaults on the organ of hearing.
But, on the whole, the crusade begun by
him has been heartily approved and an
awakening has taken place in regard to
the preventability of noise, which is in it
self a long step in advance.
1t would, obviously, be pity if so prom
Using a beginning should not lead to some
enduring results. The silenclng of Sem
ator Chandler's Concord steam whistle has
been cited as due, in part, at least, to DR..
GirdnerS demonstration of the iniquity of
such strident forms of din, but We have
heard of no other contribution to the de-
mand for more silence that can be even
remotely traced TO it. Plainly, the awak-
ened public sense of the fact that noise is
one of the most noNious of nuisances
needs organization and direction. Some.
body has suggested that magazine spe-
cially devoted to the repression of noise is
h fV1ar NI1n
alive, but it may be suggested that cause
is never greatly promoted by special or
ganshp. Rather does it become narrowed
down to propaganda of a few one-idead
fanatics when it ceases to occupy the broad
plane of general discussion. The preven-
ton of noise will not go far till it becomes
demand of the many, instead of the spe-
cialty of the few.
The doctors own idea is probably the
most practical one. He thinks that there
should be organized a society for the pre-
vention of noise in every state where pub
lie sentiment can be sufficiently aroused
to support it. 1t should have charter and
certain definite powers and responsibilities
conferred upon it by the legislature. 1t
should make a study of city noises. and
through Its own powers and by advice and
cooperation with the appropriate depart
ments suppress such noises as are unnec-
essary, and reduce those that are neces-
sary TO minimum of disturbance. There
is probably not much to be gained in a
movement of this kind from the applica-
tion of the principle of federation-each To-
cality having its own special conditions
but something might be accomplished by
facilitating an interchange of views, at
least. among the ant-noise societies. If
the reported dimensions of the doctors
daily mail since his article was published
may be taken as an indication, there must
be in all the great cities of the country
public opinion ripe for action on this sub
ject. Here in Boston we have certainly
enough of compelling cause to desire the
abatement of noise though most of us
may be more fortunately situated than
other populous communities in the ease
with which we can get away from it. That
consideration may make us less suscepti-
BILE to the urgency of DR.. Grdner's appeal
than the continually deafened denizens of
New York, but it should not make us less
sympathetic toward n movement manifest
ly in the interest of higher civilization.