The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-04-25

that in attempting to secure that
physical perfection, he had overdone
the matter, and by too great mus
cular efforts had induced heart
trouble. The instructions of the
examiners were to be very strict in
their examination, as physical i'm
perfections were regarded as the
cause of seventy per cent of the dis
missals from West Point. The fling
at DR.. Massey, couched in the above,
is hardly generous. The Doctors
connection with the board was i'm
polite, inasmuch as his son was a
candidate, and he should have asked
for the appointment of some one
else, in order to avoid the charge of
favoritism which would he sure to
follow in case of his sons success;
and yet we would be loathe to believe
he was governed liz his action by
any other motive than the good of
the service. The worst feature of
the case, is the exclusion of young
Benham, who, at the Monroeville
examination one year ago, stood
higher than young Massey. He, of
all others, should have been allowed
to compete, especially as the heart
trouble was not discovered until
second examination;) or the board
which rejected him should not have
been presided over by the father of
the successful candidate.
There is another reflection sug-
gested by this examination, which
will commend itself to the attention
of the people, and assist in demon
strating the wisdom or unwisdom of
these competitive examinations. An
opportunity was offered the young
men of the district TO compete for a
prize, which they all knew could not
be obtained if they were physically
disabled in any way. Seventeen as
sembled, and we might suppose them
to represent the best physical devel-
opments among the young men of
culture, which the district could send
forward. Fourteeraare rejected and
among them all but one of the young
men best qualified to. compete for
the prize. Is not this 3 sad COM
mentary on the physical condition
Of the generation just about enter
ing upon the active duties of life?
How many of those seventeen would
be able to do duty in the army if we
had another rebellion on hand?
What proportion of the rising gen.
Grafton would be fit for military ser
vice? II one only in six of those
whose physical condition ought to
be good is accepted, what proportion
of the whole population would be
rejected under the army regulations,
if the test at Clyde was q fair dem
onstration? Is it not time to do
something to secure a better physi-
cal condition? If the State, for its
own security, directs or provides for
the intellectual education of the.
children, should it not adopt a sys-
tenn of physical education which
will produce better results, and re-
quire its enforcement? We would
not have any one understand that
these questions carry with them any
reflection upon DR.. Massey, but on
ly that they are suggested by the
result at Clyde, and exhibit rather
unpromising condition of society, as
developed by the board of which he
was a member.
The assertion of the Star that
"Bruce Benham of this city was
ahead mentally, but was rejected
physically" is not in good taste
especially as the result shows very
differently. At the Monroeville ex-
animation, one year ago, young Ben
ham stood fourth and Massey sixth.
One year makes a difference. Ben
ham submitted two papers, on Arith-
metic and Geography, and was cred
tied by the examiners (Furness and
Laylin) with % in arithmetic and "a
p in geography-total 112. Massey
received in arithmetic IA, geography
S2-total 156-or A ahead Of Ben
ham. On the same two papers Bon
nell Of Fostoria, rejected physically
stood 152, OF 40 ahead Of Benham.
Had Benham continued as he was
advised to do by DR.. Entriken, he
could not have succeeded il he had
been perfect an both the other papers,
as young Massey was marked with
in Is of perfect In both, and wonld
have remained ahead the difference
between Al and Is. Whatever may
be said of the physical examination,
We are satisfied the intellectual was
conducted with a view to give the
prize TO the one whose work entitled
him to it.
Bible Revision.
We learn from recent publications
that the work of revising the Eng
lish version of the Old and New
Testaments is going on we'll The |
task has been pogtioned out among
the several eminent scholars engaged |
on both sides ofthe Atlantic accord