El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-07

HAVING emerged from war and turned our energies
"A away from destruction to construction, must
press upon ourselves that physical construction and
construction and mental developments are as important
industrial and business reconstruction and expansion
The progress Of every people is primarily conditioned
upon corporal efficiency il Is stated quite apty BY COM
missioner Of Indian affairs Cato Sells The greatest at
tainments Of civilization do spring from enfeebled
flesh and blood It the physical well the men
tai and moral decline that rendered both Greece and Rome
prey to more vigorous opponents
Maj Gen Enoch CroWder, director Of selecve service
for the department has in his possession appalling
figures showing millions Of called for examination
for army service and rejected because Of physical unfness
and Of hundreds Of thousands who got BY their local
boards but either rejected BY army physicians at the
environments placed IN branches Of service wherein their
izrmes did not render them unit for duty There was
another great class Of whose physical impersctons
were such that they could be corrected BY dmasters OF
medical corps.
On the mental side it is said that fourth Of the
seectve service could not read their orders write
home in English It is declared TO be fact that there
5sooooo people in the United States who cannot read
write any language and 100000 school age who
cannot read, write speak English
We make Americans, at any rate highly desira-
bic Aliens Of those whom give at least the rudi
uplifting influence character those who are cut off
from intercourse with best thought by the language
barrier Our free public school system for the aliens
o. school age pretty generally Most Of them get enough
education to benefit them materially. It is the adult
aliens who constitute the problem Constant encourage
ent aliens attend night schools and to read English
language newspapers however laborious that may be IN
the beginning offer the best Of lessenng heracy
md prompting education and Americanization. Many
Americans Of foreign origin got their knowledge Of English
from b-ngual Dictionaries English primers and Aner
newspapers, gradually attaining enough familiarity
with the language to write it and to carry converse
tons il II.
Il is not only the aliens have to reach With edusa-
ton There not only Indians but many whites Of
American ancestry Who Ihterate the foreigners
Army authorities astounded to find how many Amer
leans from remote places and even from cites and towns
were unable to read write They could COM
Hebrew Schools in the most elementary subjects
established IN al large camps and environments and
Of much real benefit Many soldier before the end Of
his training period wrote his family the first letters
he had ever indited.
Physical education must be as painstang and as thor
ough mind training If the sturdness Of the American
people IS not to be replaced BY deterioration The revea
tons Of the environments fully awakened the depart
msnt to that fact and everything possible done, BY
means Of development battahons for the partially unit
physical instructors in Al training camps and physical
drin distinct from military dr, to brVg the up
to the best possible
To the very utmost extent u school and cut Of school,
this work Of physical Improvement should carried On
Il time Of pezce It shoud be work Of improving bodies
BY physical drills and athletic sports but also BY hygen
sducatiou by the Of al possible looking to
the birth q sturdy children the prevention Of disease
and By the Of al means known to science TO cure
disease IN al grades Of society.
We must Be quick grasp the miraculous things done
prevent disease IN vast bodies Of We must ap
propats and practically apply the marvellous reduction Of
deaths from infectious conditions. We practice
cTupaiously the object lessons gwen BY military camps
IN al matters Of health precautions which have nan
suvered successfully against communicable disease
through the common essentials Of water air food clothing
sewage, exercise and incubation Typhoid typhus and
many germ diseases longer destructive than
II ensmy's guns and gas. These are negligible foes