Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-01-24
NUISANCES IN A CITY
HOW LAWS AND SCIENCE CAN ABATE
MANY OF THEM.
The Soft Coal, Garbage and Noise
Problenss - Chimes Instead of
Church Bells - How the Noise of
Traffic Could he Reduced.

Closely akin to the improvement of
the streets Is the abatement of certain
nuisances which are the natural out
growth Of lusty and unrestricted urban
life. While large constructive schemes
can only be carried out in the course
OF many years, vast improvement in
urban conditions can be achieved sim
ply by restrictive measures. First of
all naturally comes the question of
smoke. The problem is rather new for
some cities, because it is only of late
years that bituminous coal has been
used to an Objectionable extent Ten
years ago n fall of snow would lie
fresh and unsullied for weeks. Now it
becomes dingy almost Immediately, a
simple test of the change
There has been commendable pub
lie concern in the matter, and the
whole question has been thoroughly
debated, but the subject must not be
allowed to drop. The insidious advan-
ces of the soft coal nuisance must be
met as far as possible, with the hope
that mechanical science will before
long give a complete relief. In the
meantime there must be jealous
watch for any pollution of the air.
There are practical smoke consumers,
and the laws are adequate to the case.
1t is only necessary to see that they
are strictly enforced.
Another problem that the present
century must solve is that of river pol
luton. The time Is not ripe for action
yet, but it is not unlikely that in few
years an efficient and practical method
of destroying refuse of all kinds will
be available, and every city should be
prompt to adopt it. There is no ex-
cuse for making open sewers of our
rivers, and the reform is one to keep
constantly in view.
Sight and smell are not the only
senses that need to be propitiated. 1t
has been shown by medical science
that the nervous strain of city life is
in large measure, perhaps chiefly, due
to the distraction of city noises. Only
by an occasional flight to the ineffable
peace of the real country. where the
whr of the trolley is never heard and
the silence of eventide descends like
palpable thing, can the citizen appre-
cessant and multitudinous noise.
Now, much of this jangle is absolutely
preventable. and its survival is a bar
barism. The municipality can contrib
ute first of all by eliminating Intention
al noise which is disturbing to the peo-
pie.
In considering sounds that are to be
regulated rather than abolished one
naturally thinks of bells. There are
many who have detestation of bells
and would Offhand abolish the tradi-
tional Sunday morning peal and let
worshipers go by their clocks, as peo-
pie do when going to a concert or a
/ play. Now. it may be freely admitted
that the average church bell has no
tonal beauty to commend it to any ear.
/ 1t is harsh, clamorous and out of tune.
But really fine chime is quite another
| thing. No one who has heard the peal
from famous cathedral, say Antwerp,
or in some of the smaller Italian
towns, whose chimes Mrs. Meynell has
so beautifully described, can easily for
get the effect. Hardly any one thing
seems so well to give a city an atmos-
phere CO its own. The peculiar charm
of the bells hangs over the whole place
and is i1sepTable in memory.
We have more than enough bells. We
need to substitute quality for quantity.
Here is a need which well deserves
the attention of people who would do
well by their city. A first rate chime,
with the sweet mystery of softly voic-
ed and perfectly tuned bells, is cXpen-
sive and not easy to get, even with the
money in hand, but the possession Of
such treasure is enough to make any
city proud Let us in the meantime
Tighten the labors of our common, raul
ccus, workaday bells which disturb
and give no compensating pleasure.
More difficult and yet ultimately
feasible is the reduction of the noise Of
necessary traffic. Here paving is an
important factor in the problem, and
when there is an even choice between
two kinds of paving material, as brick
and wood or asphalt, the less noisy
should be chosen. Reasonable care can
do much to eliminate the most often
sive noise. For example, no teamster
has q moral right to drive through the
public streets with a rafting truck, ev-
cry individual piece of which makes
noise enough to wake the dead. 1t is
simple matter of mechanics to get rid
Of such shiftless noises, and the city
has right to insist that 1t should be
DONE while the noise of certain kinds
OF trucking, such as ironware, can be
dispensed with by careful packing. If
the noises Of wheeled traffic were re-
duced by half. as might easily be done.
the relief to people living in busy thor
oughfares would be immense.