Evening star., 1915-05-18
THE CONSERVATION OF
SLEEP.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

A new phase Of the campaign against
noise, which has been carried on in
many American cities during the past
FIVE years. Is the effort to suppress
early morning noises. The industrial
and commercial life of large cities
necessitates the employment of a con
siderable number of people during the
hours when the majority OF human
beings are supposed to be asleep.
Through carelessness and lack OF con-
sideration in many localities, the noise
has been permitted to assume such
proportions as to put sleep out OF the
question Much of this noise is avoid
able, and active measures toward its
abolishment are being taken in num-
ber OF cities.
Quiet morning committees. are
among the recent innovations in Wom-
ems clubs. The members of such
committees are taking notes OF the
morning noises in their vicinity with a
view to requesting municipal action to
lessen them. A number OF regulations
have already been passed as a result.
Mrs. Isaac T. Rice of New YORK. one OF
the founders of the Society for the
Suppression of Unnecessary Noise. is in
the habit of taking early morning
walks in order to study the sounds
which disturb the morning stiffness.
Through her influence a large number
of those heard in the vicinity of River
side drive have been abolished, lnclud-
ing many steamboat whistles: other
signals have been substituted FOR these
to a large degree. The Gazing OF
hucksters bells are among the other
nuisances which have been abolished.
The whistles OF shops and factories.
which In many places are sounded to
assemble the work
Shop Whistles ers, constitute an
acknowledged nui-
Under the Ban. sance. which is
rapidly being forbidden by city laws.
The fact that over FIVE million rail-
road men throughout the country are
able to get to their work without the
warning whistle. besides countless
other employees in various establish
ments. demonstrates the uselessness of
this early morning screech. which daily
assaults the ears OF people who want
| to sleep.
The educational committee Of the
women's club in a western city carried
the morning quiet idea into the pubic
schools recently. After little talk
upon the subject, the teacher asked the
children in one room to mention the
noises heard in their neighborhood oe-
for q o'clock In the morning A
surprisingly long list was handed IN,
showing that even young people. usual.
ly Indifferent to noises, are disturbed
by the morning medley.
The following are some of the com
ments by the youngsters:
THE groceryman across the street
opens his shutters with bang that
we can hear all the way up the block.
The breadman who comes on our
street calls to every dog as he passes.
He wakenS them up and then they
bark" When the iceman comes up on
our porch he slams the refrigerator
lid SO hard it always wakens up the
baby, and then gets us all awake" "
..The street cleaners talk SO loudly
to each other when they clean our
street that 1T wakens us before we
want to be awake" Some of the milk
they can. 1t may keep them from get
ting lonesome, but it wakens us up"
",rhe first street cars commence to run
around our corner at half-past 5. The
conductor always rings the bell lot
more than he does later in the day
,nd | don't think he needs to ring it It
ali" ..The children next door have a
bantam rooster. 1t is against the law
10 keep chickens, but they have this
for pet and it begins to crow every
Morning at daylight
Practically every large city has poul-
trv restrictions but they are apt to
be violated. espe-
n~aIs ri ;,,