ively—petitioned for the engagement of large quantities of By Larator. cactoblastes to do battle with the enemy. Tt was explained Noise—that is the most fruit-that the good little insect lived ful subject of discussion in this for nothing but to make the life modern world. Yet, here agai lof the cactus miserable. The the complacent generation of idea of taking this blessing to day fondly imagines that it is a their bosoms—metaphorically—peculiar victim of discomfort to which its predecessors were not commended itself highly to the exposed. Did not the devoted worried people. They planned give the immigrant from followers of Aeneas have some Australia a royal welcome, in-little complaint about the noisy eluding, no doubt 'a mayoral tendencies of Aeolus—the divine address and, perhaps, a luncheon. ancestor of the founder of the Then trouble arose. gramophone? It is true that the origin of the word in English is alleged by the dictionaries to be It appeared that in the adjoin-doubtful and it must be coning territory, the inhabitants of fessed that English law handles which had "considerable power, it in a gingerly way. If English to say nothing of possessing a folk carried their personal law very superior army, the cactus with them, for example, they was not a nuisance. ' It was used would be able to insist in {to replace fences. It even che Shanghai that, under common led up the countryside with law, "freedom from noise is occasional blooms. it was most essential to the full enjoyment useful in discouraging thieves of a dwelling house." If that from raids on crops. That was enjoyment is damaged an action not all, A relentless scientist in for "nuisance"—surely a kindred the employment of the people of the second territory was unkind word—may ensue. But then the English law gets tied up with enough to make inquiries into the. decisions, So one judge has personal habits of the cactoaid that "a nuisance by noise, blasts, His report was shatter-supposing malice to be out of the ing. He agreed that it did not like cacti. But cacti did not like question is emphatically a matter of degree." That is not ithe spoke of it as "it," con-all: "the temptuous-like. And the cacti had good reason. The cactoceptional and unreasonable." So, as usual, the law is not helpful, blasts was the worst kind of It is obvious that cohorts of parasite, Whether it attended honking chauffeurs, legions of night-clubs and refused to sign radio fanatics, masses of cough-chits, whether it was a bad ing night watchmen, crowds of father and a faithless husband, chattering creek-dwellers could did not actually appear: the drive through those dicta as many coaches and hor they fects king. But aport suggested that, those de-
what was serio the tendency of the to And, looking at the matter prey on the trees. It might go for the cactus but it went for cairnly, even after a sleepless night, is it not to be admitted whole forests too. The country that "the energies of modern Jwhich employed it would be inventors are devoted to the merely in the position of the man elimination of noise? Motor-who finds that, if his chief run'on rubber, roads are servant prevents all others from
tering. hoofs, rumbling coach:
like velvet: cobble stones, cheating he more than counterbalances the plague of honesty es, postshorns ' are no. lon:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.