Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1917-03-23
COMPULSORY PHYSICAL TRAIN
E ING

Grand Rapids Herald Review: The
nation is filed at present with host
Of mistaken patriots who are working
for the adoption of military training
in the public schools. Their aims are
worthy but their methods are wrong
and would defeat the very object which
they are striving to attain.
Experience in the present war has
proved that drilling is the least i'm
portant attribute of a soldier. Men
who understand gasoline engines, who
can set up wireless outfit or field
telegraph set, who can bake bread and
concoct palatable soup, who can esti'
mate distances with geometrical pre-
cision, who can Withstand l0ng-contin'
ued physical strain and fatigue, men
who can weld iron, drive horses, repair
wagons, build brid ges, lay out roads
these are the men who give value to
an army. Little attention has been
paid to drilling in the training of the
millions of volunteers who compose the
British military force.
Yet the system of military training
which it is proposed to foist on our
public school system provides for moth
ing more than the teaching Of a few
military maneuvers. It is argued for
the system that it will build the boys
up physically. But physical training
experts agree that military drill has
little value in building up strong bod
les. There are other exercises to which
boys take more kindly that are dozen
times more effective.
Military training for boys under 10
is condemned by some Of the greatest
military experts in the world. Gen
eral Baden-Powell, British hero of the
Boer war, has coined the epigram
"drill a schoolboy and spoil SOL
der" Military drill for boys under
10 is also condemned by Major Gen
eral Wood, chief Of staff of the United
States army. Not one Of the nations
of Europe, including Germany, whose
military efficiency has astonished the
world, imposes drill OH boys in the
public schools.
Something, however, should be done
to increase the physical standard Of
our boys. Military drill won't do it.,
but system of compulsory physical
education and training will. Our boys
are entitled to begin their work in life
BE it that of business man, farmer,
teacher, soldier or what not
with a solid foundation of health.
Let these military drill enthusiasts turn
their attention toward the adoption Of
such system and they will prepare
better material for soldiers and better
material for all other occupations in
life in case the call to serve never
comes.
It is difficult to understand why our
public school system has so long ig-
nored the great fundamental of health.
Tt is imperative, Of course, for our
boys and girls to learn to read and
write and figure, but is Of greatest i'm
portance that they have strong, healthy
bodies and that they know how to
keep them strong and healthy.
Physical training and education in
the public schools should be made COM
pulsory and should be developed as
rapidly as possible to the same stand
ard of efficiency we have reached in
other branches Of education. Minneso-
ia should recognize physical education
as of greater Importance even than the
Of agricultural, or manual
training, or sewing and substitute the
work as these special courses are sub
sidized.
Physical training and education is
the greatest need in the educational
field tOdav