Show HAVANA A BABEL OF SOUND new yorker alleges that metropolis Metro polli iii 1 silent in comparison with the cuban city havana hatalla may not hold bold the nole nolta championship of the world but at least little old new york Is silent by DY comparison motors beyond computation tram cars that seem far more interested in producing clamor than speed bellowing venders benders or of everything vendible are but the background of an unbroken uproar that permeates every nook and cranny of 0 the city honest gionest hotel keepers tell you frankly that they can offer every comfort except quiet even in church you yon hear the tumult outside broken at rare intervals by the voice of the preacher it Is not simply the daytime uproar of business hours it increases steadily from nightfall until dawn in olden days the sereno with his dark lantern his pike pistol bunch of keys whistle and rope wandered through the streets calling out the time and the state of weather every halt half hour ills his efforts would be wasted nowadays the long seasoned inhabitants seem to have grown callous to the constant turbulence I 1 have yet to meet a newcomer who confesses to an unbroken hour of sleep if you move out to one of the pensions of vedado the household itself will keep you constantly reminded that you are still in havana the cubans seem to thrive on noise it if they are so unfortunate as to be denied their beloved din they lose no time thae in pro producing d net ng another from their own throats after a week in havana we took ferry across the harbor and strolled along the plain behind cabana fortress for some time we were aware of an indefinable sensation of strangeness amounting almost to discomfort we had covered a mile or more before we suddenly discovered disco dIscor ered that it was due to the unaccustomed tl sli lence ence century magazine |