Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-04

The close packing of human beings
In cities would seem to require q whole
| new anproach to the matter OF
| tioughtfuiness in regard to others,
| AS urban noises increase in number
and variety, and as the trend OF the
age is toward sophistication. there
f, comes a new requirement Tor the con-
sideration of others by all Oh US.
| There was a time when 1T dldn
make much difference if ones neigh
Dor stayed up all night He was
| merely reading, or arguing religion
with a friend, and usually he was Tar
enough away to make his noise neg
Today all that is changed. Not only
has the price of real estate created a
closely packed situation, physically
and actually, but the strides OF mod
crn invention have brought ABOUT
masterpieces of noise making.
| In the forefront of these devices
must be placed the automobile and the
radio. Both can be operated with a
minimum of noise, but too often eacn
is handled in the one precise way 10
make it annoy as many persons as
Like the barking dog. neither the
automobile nor the radio Is to blame.
The old human factor is at fault; MOI
only pride of possession steps IN 70
make man toot his fancy autemopne
horn at am, but his pride IN Ile
power of his new radio set coHPsls
him-if he is of that temperamehG... 40
keep it running at full blast long al0eF
every other person in the neighoor-
hood has gone to bed.
X X 4
There are but two con~ 1eratlons IN
a whole city full OF noise alld manner
ence, not only to the rights OF others,
but to their peace, health and happl-
ness.
Lack of consideration of others has
a much mere hilrtful effect on inc
minds of men and women than upon
their ears 1t Is not the grating souna
made BIZ the deg left in the backyard,
but the impact of the listeners own
mind upen his entire disposition.
This may not be very scientlfic, bnt
it viii be understood by every one who
has been kept awake at night by
neighbours barking dog while the afere-
mentioned ncighbor drowned out the
barking of his four legged possession by
running his radio loud enough to sup
ply large concert hall with music.
It is not so much the actual noises
involved, as the Tuning and fretting in
which they put the sensitive. And let
1t be said that every one is sensitive
to something or other; what annoys
one will not annoy another, and so on.
"Why, never mind the noise" said
one head of a family. II stay up until
it is all over" Others. however, were
not in a situation which would enable
them to act in similar manner II they
had wished to, which they did not.
It was necessary for them to be at
work from two to three hours earlier
than the man who did not mind"
There is little question that il he had
suddenly been required TO change MS
reporting time he would have been as
keen as the next one for peace and quiet
in his neighborhood.
4 X
Such essentially selfish attitudes are
based on a lack of consideration for
others. and even more upon a lack of
realization of the conditions under
which people live today in great cities.
The noise question is being cons1d-
cred everywhere throughout the world,
but all the governmental and scientific
action in the world cannot take the
place Of common sense and elemental
decency.
One would like to say that the Gold
en- Rule, If applied, would take care
of the situation. The truth is, alas,
that people no more will follow the
Golden Rule in this regard than in any
other. That is why we. have police
regulations, which have been formu-
lated to take care OF people who will