Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-26
CONTINUED from First Page.)

ness. and with the thought in mind
not of sending them to fight q com
mon enemy, the German. upon for
eign soil. but of equipping them t
fight far more universal enemy
disease---on our own soil. we nigh,
work wonders with them, even IL WI
did nothing more than to give tc
every one of them that Information
OF which he obviously stands most In
need. ..
sr 4 4
IF we went further, giving all I:
brief. intensive training. according tc
the measure Of their fitness, or advis
Ing the unfit as to treatment (per'
haps informing their own local health
boards or physicians. so that at home
when they returned. they would fint
waiting to assist them an Informed
impulse) the results would mark the
start of new epoch
perhaps there may be another ma
ton which could do this. Perhaps
England could, or France; the pro-
gressive British dominions could, Per-
maps some nation other than ourselves
presently will do it. ...-
Eventually all nations will rerard
some such procedure as a prime es-
sential Of their national existence.
And believe American horse-sense.
American universal education and
American idealism will and ought to
DO 1t first, that, indeed, they might
ana ought to begin the doing Of It
now.
Get our boys, once a year. all Of
them, into such a place and such . .
situation that they may be scienti-
Fcaly and infinitely checked over, then
train the strong az strengthen the weak
among them. advise and help tho Ill
seeing to 1t that those whose condi-
ton imperils others arc segregated
TIN tho danger passes and that those
who can DO brought from unfitness to
economic and social usefulness
promptly are attended to with that in
mind, and our public health problem
VIII be very slight in the next gem
GRAFTON. while our social ana economic
problems practically will vanish.
what q goal to work toward! 1t il
one not actually difficult to reach. II
every man and woman who reads this
single article will start to work for
tho great end tomorrow morning and
urge, urge consistently and ceaseless-
~, forcing newspaper attention and
omctal notice. the thing win be as
good as done. It must be q national
movement. quite beyond the pale Of
politics. movement national In a
sense that none ever was before. It
ought to be drive and to secure ad-
vocates Of the healthiest nation in the
world should be an even easier thing
than to secure purchasers for war
bonds. - '-
Il have been watching the returning
boys. Many have known. have seen
hundreds that before tho war slouched
loosely. cigarettes dropping from the
corners Of their mouths, fiat chested,
und-shouldered, shutting. como back
from the camps Of over there straight,
fine. alert, strong-ready to be race
Euilders. ~ 80 "a
is it possible that we must go to
war In order to accomplish such a
necessary, such an obviously sensible
purpose? Have we not sufficient wis
dom to incline US toward the effort Of
working In our population an easy
transformation from average ill-health
to almost universal good health?
Must we have to organize to kill
men before We can see the need Of
saving men? Can we not get together.
working for salvation. upon any pre-
text save that Of working for destruc-
tionf
And no one need tell me that the
improvement which is notable in al.
most every boy discharged from our
military service is purely physical.
Look at the eyes Of those who have
como back and remember those Of
some Of them that went away. The
returning eyes are calm. clear, fear
less. fine. Some of those that went
away were bloodshot. shifting, even
furtive.
I'VE, have been making men. We
can do 1t in peace time as we'll as
whom war threatens. Ono Of my as
sociates came to me after tho boys
had been away little while and said:
Doctor. when those boys come back