Science: For Less Noise

Since human beings are creatures of infinite adaptability, they make themselves comfortable and thrive in torrid and frigid zones, on mountains and in prairies. Skillfully they adjust themselves to the slowness of farm life, to the speed of great cities. But medical authorities say that men do not adapt themselves to ceaseless din. In New York City recently an insistent band of noise-haters has tried to get the clamors of their metropolis abated. Last week loud Mayor Fiorello Henry LaGuardia headed those noise-haters and ordered his policemen to compel a measure of silence in Manhattan. Policemen gave particular heed to motor car horns, radios and cutouts, to motor truck clattering, to workmen, revelers and electioneers making loud talk after 11 p.m. Milkwagon horses, police horses were shod with rubber shoes. Apparently the rest of the vast community gave some heed. After a night of muffling had passed, sound engineers reported that the din of Times Square dropped from 72 decibels to 68 decibels, or 35% in volume of sound.*

By accomplishing that much Manhattan took the initiative of noise abatement for the entire country. This was something for Mayor LaGuardia to crow about. For raucous Times Square is less noisy than the noisiest areas of Chicago or Washington. On the other hand, Manhattan was only commencing what great foreign cities have already accomplished. After midnight no horn-blowing or other cacophony is permitted in Helsingfors, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo.

The initial success of the Manhattan campaign for less noise brought joy to Ernest Henry Peabody, 66, a combustion engineer. Because John D. Rockefeller Jr., a childhood friend, showed no interest, Mr. Peabody, whose business runs itself, spent $1,500 of his own money on antinoise propaganda, collected $700 from friends, hopes others will help out. He eventually got action out of the Mayor by giving a new name to an ineffectual League for Noise Abatement. The name which Mr. Peabody invented is the League for Less Noise. The old name got no results.

*The decibel is a varying unit of loudness. It represents the smallest difference in the level of sound which the ear can detect. The decibel difference between the rustle of leaves (8) and whispering (11) represents small intensities of sound. The decibel difference between a motor truck (77) and an elevated train (81) represents tremendous energy.