The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-31
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
APPROPRIATIONS BUREAU
By FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director,
Washington, ID. c.
THE MODERN sERENADE.

l o'clock in the morning. The musical
young man in the front apartment
first floor, was entertaining a little
party with a spirited rendition of "A
Tear, Kiss, a Smile" keeping up the
while a sprightly line of small talk
over his left shoulder. There was also
present young lady with soprano
voice, who now and again burst inn
pulsively into song.
The man in the flat overhead, who
had to get up at six, stood it as long
as he could, and then stuck his head
out the window and roared cut 1t
out!" The timid chap in the nat
across the court only needed this en-
couragement to express his own feel@
ings, and promptly chimed in on the
protest. Still the musical one bravely
stood his ground, but when third
voice Joined the insurgents, he reluct-
antly quit and organized a game or
apartments settled at last to rest. But
not for long. At Z o'clock a. m.
hurdy-gurdy or street piano took up
it's position under thu window of the
musical young man and wrought
poetic retribution upon his erves.
There was nothing poetic about 1t eX-
cent the retribution, either. And the
Corsican bandit stuck to his post un-
til he got the nickel of blackmail for
which he was working.
This sort of thing, occurring in many
places every night, has led some
thoughtful ones to reflect upon the
blessings of music and how they might
be curtailed. There can be no ques-
ton but what music, which is fine
thing in its place is getting out of its
place. especially in crowded apart
ment houses The state of feeling OF
the average apartmnt dWeller was Wen
expressed by one young man who had
written and hung over his bed, in the
Tod in
age by a sampler bearing the legend
God Bless Our Happy Home the
following passionate litany:
Too Much Music.
From Photographs and grafa-
phones and grafonolas; from player
pianos and piano players and would
be piano players; from oboes. flutes
and the chromatic scale; from the
young man learning the cornet, and
the young lady learning the fiddle;
from harmonies, harmonious and hur-
dy gurdies; from The Girl From Utah,
Poor Butterfly, and A Tear, KISS, q
Smile-Good Lord Deliver U.s."
Scientists say that dust and noise
are the caose of a large part of mod
ern sickness, and since dust afflicts
chiefly those in certain industries,
large share of American ill-health and
especially of the famous American
nervousness, is due to noise. And be-
yond doubt among the leading noises
are those made by amateur musicians
and mechanical musical instruments.
Why their restriction has not been
more midely and seriously considered
why it has been left in private hands
instead of being made the subject of
municipal law, as it should be, are
questions difficult to answer.
No doubt one reason lies II the fact
that music, however much suffering it
may cause is also the bringer of much
! bnr &c IA
the making and selling of musical in
struments is a powerful industry, and
powerful industries have great influ-
ence. But the music nuisance is reach
ing a point where it should be miti-
gated, or it will produce reaction.
There is no longer room in our crowd
ed, nervous civilization for the unre-
stricted and unmerciful use of must
cal Instruments 1t is to the interest
of the music industry to see that mu-
sic is kept in its proper place.
The High Price of Silence.
Among the many necessities of life
which in recent years have climbed
beyond the reach of the majority,
quiet occupies an important place.
! The high price of silence has not re-
ceived the attention it deserves In
recent study of street noises, it was
reported that the poor were the great
est sufferers, and the street piano was
especially condemned. But the poor
are by no means the only or the chief
sufferers. There is not an apartment
dweller who does not suffer from lost
sleep and ruined temper at least once
in a while. Many have to regulate
their whole lives in accordance with
the noises that besiege their rest 1t
is only the family which can afford a
detached HON with a big yard that
achieves assured repose.
| The experience may be taken as
typical of young man whose modest
ambition it was to retire at ten and
rise at six-thirty in order to do some
mental work in the cool of the morn
| ing. He first tried a room in a Young
Mems Christian association. About
the third night he lay down to the
combined accomplishments of an asso-
citation band practicing on the floor
| below, a mandolin club on the same
floor, and a piano in the next room.
All of these noises continued until
after eleven. In an apartment house
the young man Jared no better. He
is now advertising for board on a
! farm.
/ Numerous plans, societies and NUM-
! cipal laws for the abatement of noises
have sprung up within the last few
years, but none of them have dealt
| specifically with music, and NEST of
| them seem to have deliberately evad-
subject. Thus Baltimore gained fame
/ by hiring a noise cop" who went
about wringing the necks of growing
ROSTERS, shutting up newsboys, max
| ing note of flat-wheeled cars. He
compiled a list of municipal noises
that ought to be stopped. Among
them are noted ''screechy phono-
graphs" and ''tunleless pianos" Why
limit the indictment thus? The best
graphophone in the world ten feet
from your head on the other side OF
a thin wall is no aid to slumber, nor
can you sleep to the efforts of a Pad
erewski any better than you can to
your neighbours daughter practicing
scales.
Regulating Expansion of JOY.
Many of these investigators seem
| to proceed blandly upon the assump-
ton that a musical noise is no nui-
sance at all They speak of making
automobile horns and trolley bells
| musical that bIara and ClaOS