Evening star., 1914-12-04
Papers Dealing With Noises
and BiIIboards as Nuisances
Are Read at Sessions Today

Two papers that attracted much at
tention at today's sessions of the con-
vention of the American Civic Associa-
| ton at the New Willard Hotel dealt
with noises as public nuisances and
billboards as public nuisances.
Mrs. Imogen B. Oakley Of Philadel-
phia discussed the subject public
Health VS.. the Noise Nuisance" and
Jesse Lee Bennett, a Baltimore archl-
tect, who has made specially of the
study of the billboard question, told of
ordinances that have been passed for
the regulation of billboards in various
communities. Mrs. Oakley said, In
part:
"Apologists for noise say that those
who differ with them are nervous
cranks: that they imagine discomfort
when none exists; that they are the idle
rich who would not hear the noise II
they had something to keep their hands
and bodies busy.
| MY numerous suffering correspond
ents disprove the theory. They are not
the idle rich. they are the toiling poor;
they have more than enough to 90.
MANY of them never heard the Words
nervous invalid yet they say IT. they :,
that constant noise is undermining
their health, they are simply in accord
| with the best medical science. Dust
and noise, say our physicians ana SAM
tarians, are the two great evlis So. y, the the
| remotest corners of our homes bearing
| with it countless microscopic enemies
and noise because of it's destructive ell
| feet upon our nerves.
Ear Should Be Protected.
"The ear, logically, should receive the
| it is itself defenseless. We can use
deodorizers against foul smells' we can
close our eyes to offensive sights. but
| onr ears must remain open 10 the niost
offensiye sounds The ear, too, is the
shortest avenue to the brain. The edi-
| tor of the Journal Of Pediatrics asked
| as long ago as 1897: May 1t not be
| possible that much of our startling IN
| crease in insanity is due to the con-
| tinuous noise of our cities? May not
| the brain be affected by the ceaseiess
assaults through the earl
| "Habituation to noise may pe pos
sibIe to persons of exceptionally strong
| nerves and power of concentration. but
even though habituation be seemingly
| achieved, the work done under the IN
huence of noise Is lnferior d;ors 10 'ha' oohe
| Prof Sedgwick of Boston says on
this same subject of habituation that
| people in crowded cities are IN con
stynt state of nervous 1at,gue m net Ra ha the the
quiet of the country is PROOF Oh their
| pathological condition.
"But bad as are the nervous enects
of continuous noise, sudden ana inter
mittent noises are infinitely more to
| he dreaded Each loud and sudden
noise produces a distinct nerve shock,
and these shocks often repeated cause
eongs and the startling shrieks OF
street venders are more injurious to
the health than the continuous roar OF
railway trains. or the monotonous
whirr of machinery IN mills ana lac
tories.
Should War Against Noise.
According to the Philadelph.ae Medi-
cal Journal every physician and every
educated person should wage incessan Mt
war against unnecessary noises:
First Because it is certain they in
crease the sick rate by numbering
sleep.
Second Because they increase the
death rate by destroying the vital and
recuperative powers of the sick.
Third. Because they dull and brutal
ize the nervous system of those who
have to Withstand their pathogenic in
fluence.
the sensitive and cultured separate
themselves in their search for quiet
from the masses, thus serving to in
tensify the license of the noise makers
by lessening checks upon their crimes "
Fight Against signboards.
Mr.. Bennett said, in part:
I'm the past two years a great deal
has been accomplished in the fight
against signboards; more. indeed, than
the discouragement of some years ago
would have permitted US to hope
What has been accomplished is typi-
fed very excellently in the Cases of st
Louis and Milwaukee, and has been
not in the direction of abolition, but In
the direction of restriction and regula-
tion.
THE movement against outdoor ad-
vertising may well be considered q
manifestation Of the general conserya-
ton sentiment of recent years. It has
been an attempt to conserve our re-
sources of natural and municipal
beauty against the signboard, which sc
affects them. Probably the only good
thing that can be said for the sign
board Is that 1t is essentially American
"a proof of a most prodigally yigor-
Gus race which could have evolved OF
endured anything SO blatantly nerve
racking.
THE feeling against the signboard has
mt