The Alaska daily empire., 1922-08-10
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BY LASzLo SCHWARTZ

1t Is very interesting phenome-
non in iife,s that we are hardly ever
able to, afathom great problems to
their corr" unless some minor Incl
dent or Soul stirring event brings us
face to face, with the magnitude of
the problem. =
Them and only hen, do we begin
to "feel'' the significance of the ele-
ments involved, and their true rela-
ton to one another
And So had to come way up to
Juneau. in. order TO give my best
thoughts to. the Importance that
Noise and Music" play in our
scheme Of civilization The man
who set me a-thinking along these
lines never realized that while he
showed me about in those mammoth
dismantled pls nts sef the Thane mine,
and impressed me with the magni-
t,ide Of rthe TRAGEDY that was toll
by the huge steel and iron parts of
endless rows of machinery. which
now lay about helter SHELTER dis
Joined and SO pathetically helpless
and ussless. he set into motion this
tiny mental Ahisehlpe OF mine. AS
We stroileds thf1slsh the cement and
steel Knit .h,flf M. what was not so
long ag1tone stSle greatest living.
throbhing ,,accensk lshmcnts of scy
ence. and. 'aG ,ils s'snt on telling me
of thes day thGt lrough. the doom
of silende AMI eventually destruction
TO this tgrS'it achievement of man, It
began 70 d,w1 upon me- that I have
never syet. glve.l-, the best of my
( thoughts. 70 .tn,; fascinating subject
Of Noise and Music"
Noise May Be Music
began to realize that the thing
which Ito M sensitive and acute.y
trained Ears wa but noise. may have
been music 10 Ike ears Of those who
first dreaned olt this gians rlant.
then set to work, began creation.
set it. into ;mo;o to sing its roar
ing song de Heated to gold.
| After all. is this paradox, too, no.
but one of the millions OF proofs
OF theA on aness OF things? Where
IS onef to draw tae dividing line
etweea the hcises and music that
the outdoor rro 'Uees? When is the
| roar Of ni2aty. vet erfall or the
leafening, ietoua..ons of breaking
up glacier music ana when is it mo-?
One mornirg hS,ore The city awak-
sned from its 'i1ms?r I stood over
the grfat wl'eri Us in the very
heart OF .Spoka 7ti Willie gazing into
the raging wa4ors below began to
realize tha' 10 thing that seemed
but noise, dningly unbearable
noise but fe1v minutes ago. now
brought to me no eloquent message
lot a mother Singing. her tender lula.
by to the thousands of grown up and
wee ones who all become babes in
Itoyland while with the sandman.
Eternal Symphony
What Is 1T that has changed my
lconception' and appreciation OF what
| I heard, sfrom one antipode to its
very opposite? 1t seems to me. that
this PHYSICAL and spiritual summer
sault was accomplished simply
through my ability to hear the noise
OF the waterfall not as thing apart.
but as but one of the instruments
in natures symphony orchestra,
playing it's allotted part in the most
wonderful of all compositions, in
the Eternal symphony Of Nature,
composed purely of art for arts
sake. with no thought of critics
audiences and. if / may desecrate
these beautiful thought. pray allow
me to add-with no thought for the
box office:
Since leaving Spokane | have given
no further thought TO the subject.
until the other day while making nv
path across a deserted island where
the Indians buried their dead once
apon time, / discovered a huge
black crow sitting on top of rotting
totem pole.
He began to soliloquize. My first
impulse was 10 try out the accur-
acy OF my pitching powers with
well aimed stone. His screaming.
croakifg and what-not noise seemed |
TO shoe away the poetry of the no. |
mantle spot. The unholy gurgling
sounds he made seemed such un-
healthy discord In the wonderful
harmony which rose in the inspiring
silence that the virgin forest and