Evening star., 1921-09-04

of education founded upon q sound
and rational psychological basis Re-
suits show that the academic board
has not only discharged a debt il
owed the academy and the service.
but also to the country at large, in
that 1t pointed the way to a saner,
broader and more effectual system of
national education. 1t is their firm
belief that the educational system
OF our schools and colleges through
out the country is predicated upon
false premise. and should be revised
along lines which will insure our ma
ton Its chiefest asset-a mentally,
morally and physically strong race
Ihat the cadets of West Point are
being trained for a special purpose
IN which physical fitness counts for
SO much that the methods applied
have no bearing on students edu-
Gated other than for military pur-
poses is refuted by the statistics of
the war. OF all the experiences gath
ered during the late emergency none
rs SO 1raught with dangerous conse-
quences to US. as nation, as the one
that brought US face to face With
.ne astonishing and humiliating fact
that the ratio of the physically unf;t
mas reached an alarming figure.
tnirey-nVe per centum Of the mill
tions th inducted into the service during
the war failed to pass the physical re
quirements and this despite fhs rae,
.nat draft standards of physical re.
quirements were far below those in
sisted upon Tor admission to the Pee
uiar Army. When it is considered thet
enls ratio of the physically unf1t is
Ihonneo III 70 our young men between
OF which under ordinary circumsts ncs.
nave every right to believe to he
sne very hover of our young man
nooo-the bulwark Of the nation in
times OF peril-the seriousness of the
~ ol..on confronting US can hardly
It is not within the province NJ this
article to search the reasons that are
responsible for this lamentabIe state
or anairs, when every third young
american OF lighting age is barred on
account Of physical unfitness from
Ienoerlng Re service to his government.
an general. however. this condition
can be attributed to the physical ner-
!ect OF the government and to that Of
the various states. So long aa the
statistics prove conclusively that the
physical and athletic education of our
youth Is being neglected for the men
TAI. continuation of this policy OF
neglect can lead to but one result
from the beginning the general gov
ernment and that of the various states
mas peen concerned with the intellec-
tual development of our youth. No
enort, however. has been made except
IN isolated cases to place the control
OF and the responsibility for their
physical training in tho hands OF
cenLraNxed government authority with
sumcient power to make Compulsory
Physfcai and athletic training man
datory In all schools and educational
istftutions throughout the country,
y =
TT 10 only through such a step as
this that the lamentable conditions
uncovered by the experiences of the
late war can be remedied. This state
ment is made with = full knowledge
of the argument advanced by educa-
tors against any proposition looking
toward the centralisation Of control Of
educational matters in the general
government. However, II any argu-
ment 10 required to meet those made
by the opponents Of this csntraliSa-
ton. they can be found fn the irrefut-
able statistics compiled BY the draft
boards, which proved conolusively that