The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-05

Us ! have much to do yet befors TIL
perfect. I can say, however. that
there Is no doubt that the noiseless
city Is close at hand.
You know a boiler shop Is as quiet
as a tomb to u deaf man. II there are
cncc. 1t Is like light. Our eyes dc.
tect certain kinds of light only. Many
kinds ~ light are absolute darkness to
us. For an example, an X.ray in Il
dark room is invisible and yet 1t will
photograph your bones on q plate.
II gives enough Of n certain kind Of
light to pass through a mans body.
With sound 1t is tho Same thing.
Our cars arc built to dctect certain
kinds Of sounds. air vibrations. If
these vibrations arc outside Of q cor.
tain limit OF suddcnness our ears can
not detect them. Again. II they arc
beyond a certain limit Of frequency
they arc silent to us. though they may
be so ntense as to be Of agony to u
cat or q bird.
Now. II I were simply to change
Voice as I am speaking to you now,
YOU would suddenly notice q silence,
although my lips would go on form
Ing the words. And this silence would
be only In your neighborhood. To the
man across the room my voice would
go on az usual. but to you there would
be no sound.
Absolute Silence.
This Is all coming. Just as sure as
fate. With general noises which
make life in our cities almost unbear-
haps. for those noises which pass
through the floor and up into our
brain through the bones Of our body.
This will always produce absolute sill
ence. which ! can imagine can be q
Very good thing"
There will be a sinister side to gen.
eral silencers just as there is to auto.
mobiles. railroads and new things lin
general. The lawbreaker will avail
himself. Of them just as he does every
new thing il he can. While a general
silencer will quiet a sick room so that
the Ill may have the blessings Of quiet
ana while it will make liVable PAGES
which now arc So noisy as to breed In.
sanity. yet It also will make possible
~silencinB of cries for help from
the distressed If the latter has no
means OF controlling the silencer.
the working Of Il general silencer
viii be exactly as the working Of a
lamp. When We want light we turn a
switch and set it everywhere within
influence of the lamp shade or re.
hector. When We want quiet we will
turn on the switch Of our silenccr and
get quiet everywhere within the radius
OF our reflector. My ~silencer will shed
silence. In other words, just as II
lamp now sheds light.
Hopes It VIII Be Blessinr.
This. the greatest work Of my life.
! hope. will be a blessing to my fel.
low men. When every noisy thing has
a silencing device attached to It Or
when we provide ourselves with a Sill
encer which will prevent objectionable
sounds from reaching lie. our world
will be more comfortable to live in.
Thtx is what Is all coming"
From some Of the things that Mr..
Maxim said and left unsaid it appears
the device probably will be based ON
the principle Of reflection of light hy
parabolic mirrors and will consist Of
an instrument which can be placed be-.
tween the source Of the noise and the
person affected by 1t. With such a
device as this 1t will be possible for
an invalid to sleep next door to a boil
err factory OF for a business man to
work in silence. although he is sur.
rounded by an army of noisy tyne.
writer's.