Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-10-25
Effect of City Noises ON the Brain

A writer in the vossische Zeitung
Berlin asserts that summer vaca-
tion, spot at the seashore or I'm the
mountains is essentially a device to
escape from nerve exhaustion due
to city noise. Such an escape is a
necessity for both adult and child.
he continues; but while the adult
of strong nerves can counteract the
Injurious effect OF city noise by
spending a few weeks each year In
the country, a child requires a some
what longer change. Heretofore
this necessity of escape from noise
has not received much attention
from educators Of children, but now.
says the writer, advocates OF better
school hygiene "are asking why so
much care Is taken to spare the eyes
of pupils and so little is said of the
delicacy and sensibility OF their
ears?" We read further:
Usually the situation of a school
is such that the noises of the city
reach the pupils easily. fret their
ears and weaken their attention.
Interrupted by distraction, the
thought of the pupils is very often
melted to new and burdensome ef-
fort, and how irritating and OBJ
structlve this Is those know who
have cause to appreciate the urgent
importance OF concentration.
"The least result OF necessary
habitual resistance to the noises Is
that the ear Is dulled-that Is, the
noises that surround the resident OF
n great city constantly produce an
oscillation OF the mechanism OF the
ear that weakens the nerves that
connect the ear with consciousness
Therefore, the finer n brain Is
the more grossly It is disturbed IN
It's activity by purposeless impress
slons on the ear. The Roman law
recognized this fact, for II forbade a
coppersmith TO enter any street on
which a teacher lived.
"In regard to disturbance OF the
sense Of hearing this can be caused
for instance, by the intrusion of
foreign particles and bodies. by an
insufficient or unusual secretion OF
the wax Of the ear. by dangerous
agitation of the bones Of the skull
by blow or fall, and by the develop.
ment OF abnormal growths In the
cavities OF the nose, and frequent
aggressive sound. especially In the
city Educators have. therefore, an
incentive to give prompt and zeal.
ons attention 10 the care OF the ear
lamong pu for they must know
that the sense of hearing is of very
great Importance for mental develop.
ment, in its intellectual as well as
In it's temperamental phase In tho
intellectual phase II facilitates the
study of the language of sound, and
what would our temperamental life
be without the sensibility OF the ear?
Constantly the external world is in-
fiuencing our psychic being through |
the ear. Through sound the most
intimate feeling Is diyuged. Hence
the great effect of conversational
and forensic art and of music on the (
human temperament. In the intense
ness and quality OF its impressions a
dulled ear Is quite different from
the normal ear. Even sensibility Of
vision is diminished by deafness |
AS the ear has ceased 10 call atten-
tion to many things happening
around II, these naturally escape the 1
eye. The effect Of this on speech,
thought and conduct reveals the /
mental defect OF different persons
with more or less urgency A child
with dulled ears lives IN another
world. secludes itself, and the false
judgment 10 which II Is exposed is a
sinister abgtacle 10 the develop i
ment OF its character. A deaf child
is a prey TO misfortune as soon as II
enters the ordinary school, where u
must be a laggard and finally be ,
treated as a weakling. For such =
child relief may be conducted BY per-
sons who have studied thoroughly
the correct treatment OF aural de-
fects ana their effect on the daily
intellectual and temperamental life
OF the children afflicted with them"
Translated for the Literary Di-
gest. ]