Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-14
The Right To Quiet
nv Frederic j. Haskin

t,vnusht into a New York police court.
fhis was the complaint or FRANCIS
Newton and Childe Hassam, weii-Know"
arxasts AGAINST the midnight musicaies
or Mrs Richard 7. Wilson, Jr- PROM.
nupt society woman and sister y,
Mfr. Cornelius Vanderbilt. The arus,s
claimed that their sleep was repeatedly
,rt.,r,,nt.d hy loud and late music in
Mfvs. wilson's apartment, which is STU
atr., beneath tho apartment OF Mr.. Has
..r, and over that OF Mr.. Newton, In a
co-opcrntivrIy owned apartment house.
MIR. Wilson. appearing with sevcrai
mtsiishly gowncd friends as witnesses III
,<rrt presented the novel defense tha'
the artists could not have been gfea'is
disturhed because her music was not
c,,p,mon jazx but expensive orchestrai
melody. And the Judge agreed with her'
In other words, according to the oe-
cisaon of thi. magistrate. the New hork
apartm.nt house dweller has pracucais
no rcdress against superhuous hoise'
,l,, be fashionable and elegant noise.
though n last until three ana iour
oclock In the morning. Fortunately
hax.v.r. the word of this magistrate
\. not the last In the now widespread
,,.,,sa controversy. The Public heaitn
Ts.,artmcnt Of the city n the maj
authoritv on the question of noise ana
pr Copelaud. the commissioner. is
h,s, and vigilant protector of despair
inS noise victims.
When the Commissioner declares that
n noise is unnecessary and objection
able. th., noise is stopped. There ts no
argument about IL. no trial. no fracae
~ any sort. The Commissioner merely
sends his inspector around. and II the
warnings Of the inspector do not I'M
mediately produce a nienclng erect
militant steps are taken to enforce the
order. The authority Of the Commits
.lancr 4. unlimited I'm this matter. He
an close a house, or II necessary.
whole street. lie can cancel the license
~ a noisy cafe or noisy truck. He can
,one into your house and silence your
victrola.
Reggcr for Mercy.
rrhe Concentrating artists in the afore-
mentioned case apparently did not know
this. Instead Of appealing TO the power
ful Health Commissioner. they attempt
"a 10 establish their rights as American
,tttzeps 10 peaceful nocturnal slumber
according 20 methods suggested in tho
Constitution. They went 10 court. but
FIRST they sent notes of entreaty,
pnIit.ly -worded supplications for mercy.
40 Mrs. Wilson. IL was Impossible 10
call in the aid of the landlord. There
sas no landlord. The souse was CO.
up.ratively owned.
Before the musical dayr OF Mrs. VII
re,n. her apartment had been owned and
lived in by William Dean Ho~@is. who
never did anything more noisy than 10
use a typewriter Childe Hassam wore
nadoied heels in his apartment overhead
and moved his easeis about on rubber
artista or writer's living in the house
manned 60 have a late party, he notified
the superintendent. and the superin-
tendent informed the neighborr- The
nsighbors then planned their evenings
A,condingly; either they stayed az home
AID prepared To endure the noise, or
they went TO the club or to the theater
IL wHa a most satisfactory system. But
William Dean HovcIls died His apart
ment was secured BY the musical Mrs
Wilson and the Old, considcr1te regime
wxs ended.
when questioned concerning the VIII
son case. Commissioner Copeland has
heen non-committal. He refuses to
state how ne would have settled II, had
IL been referred TO him. inasmuch as
an OF his information had been obtained
frnm the published accounts in the
II one Of his own investigators. He
points out that many Of the complaints
against noise received by the Health
D,partment are unrcaeonable-thai
about one out OF every ten refers to
single noisy instance. and not to a whole
anrics Of them. Yet hi, attitude is dis
tinceiy sympathetic toward the anti
noise crusaders.
Anew York." he declares. "is fast be
epning a city Of neurotics because O
the unnecessary noise Of automobiles
elevated trains, large trucks and con
finual trafic. To say nothing of house
hold noises. We have the noisieSt cit,
70 the world.
The effect Of the noise on the nerv
ous system is as dangerous as any bod
IL disease. The vitality is lowered by
the constant wear and tear OF noise
The health OF the average person de
nrnds upon his or her vitality and powe1
20 throw of any disease. Nervous dis
orders are as hard. and sometimes hard
er. 10 combat than some psysical de
fex&.
Anti oise Society.
"A spciety has recently been formet
TO do away with unnecessary noisee-
grinding brakes. nerve-racking auto
mobile horns loud motors. and othel
uneane Of disturbing the much needed
outet and is a work / heartily en-
dprre In fact. ] believe tt essential u
the health OF the city.
While continuous noise is = very
great strain. sudden and intermftten
noises are much more dangerous to oul
nervous systems. according to data ac
ctirnulateo by the Anti-Noise Society, O
which DIR. Copeland speaks. Each
ioud and sudden noise" IL says. pro
euce. a distinct nerve shock and thes'
shocks often repeated cause \ loss o
nerve vitality. Immunity TO such noises
oAn never be attained. for the soun<
vNves OF the air. thrown into violen
anton by loud and sudden vibration
strike actual physical blows upon th'
Auditory nerve. and a constant success
skon of such blows inevitably Injuries ant
finally destroys the delicate mechanism
Of the ear. Bells, whistles, gongs Ant
th-a startling shriehs Of street vender1
ay therefore more injurious 70 In.
haalth than the continuous roar o.
elevated trains or the monotonous whil
of machinery"
Noise Is regarded as particularly
fAal 10 the person who does creativ,
work or any mental work which re
aulres deep concentration. Where
farmer or road builder or routine work
er could endure the intermittent soun,
81 blasting without marked effect, tn