The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-21
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Playing the Health Game.

Washington, D. c., suly 2o.-Curi-
Gus visitors from European shores
, who have compiled impressions" Of
their sojourns in the United States
from time to time have emphasized
among other things, the typical
Americans evident capacity 10:
making a game of everything. frou
the most frivolous and least I'M
portant of his pleasures to his mos
serious business and domestic
problems. 1t is in the spirit or
game that physical education auth
critics are trying to wipe ous -
high percentage of malnutritlon an
general physical unfitness among
school children. Charts, recording
the gain in weight of members o
the class, are compared each month
The development OF good habits II
likewise noted. The result OF sucf
comparison spreads from classroom
to schoolhouse, from building Il
county records, and then to the no
tice of state authorities, until it il
finally triumphantly summed in the
public eye via educational and other
periodicals.
Our schools have failed in ply
steal education more than in men
tai education. DR.. J. Mace Address
an authority on child hygiene, says
that probably from 20 to 80 per
cent of the children in the United
States are undernourished.
But" he adds, lit is possible t1
do away with malnutrition. One
| school in the middle west had "a
per cent of its children under
weight, but by hard work, at the
end of the year only per cent were
underweight."
| In states where children are re-
| Quired to be in a good condition Of
health before they are granted per
mission to go to work, it is no
| ticeable fact that both children and
parents become interested in the
practice of hygiene to meet the re
quiremnts of the law.
Although the movement for ply
steal education legislation has beer
most active during the past two
! years, the first state law requiring
it in the schools was passed On June
&c, 1915, by Illinois. Seven othc:
fore April, 1918. They were New
York. New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode
Island, California, Maryland AM
Delaware. At the present time NOR,
than half of the states have law
requiring that some phase of ply
steal education be taught in tn,
schools. The far and middle west
ern states have been most active il
this work, and the southern state
are accepting the idea with increas
| ing enthusiasm. The four Iates
/ states to join the ranks are Mis-
souri,, West Virginia, North Caro-
| lima and Massachusetts.
The states are all interested il
physical education" says DR.. Z
Dana Caulkins of the National Edu
| cation service, but we need tn
federal stimulus. Our greatest he'll
lies in the passage of the bill nov
| before congress which, among othe
things, provides for a $3.50 ffnan
| cial basis. That is, the federal gov
| eminent will give one dollar TO
physical education for each dolla
which the states will provide.
A TwOfOld Purpose.
The purpose of physical educa
ton is twofold, involving instruc
ton in the care of the body an
! training in the development of tn
! body. The Iced for such trainin
! is unbeatable when one consider!
| for instance, the case of John Wig
| gins. Johns father had raised
perfect mountain of blue ribbo
pig for county fair. John him
! self, however, was seven pound
gested that he drink some of tn
quantities Of milk which was pre-
duced on the farm, he said sco-n
fully:
! Milk Why, we give milk to tn
! pigs. L drink coffee" John ais
thought it was too cold to battle i
the morning; liked TO stay up lat
at night; thought he had plenty c
air in the daytime without haEin
his windows open at night Never
tkeless, the deficient seven pound
ranked in Johns mind and he CAV
| the rules of the game" a tria
! John was IS years old.
| The health conditions of countr
| children average worse than thos
OF city children. This may seer
odd to one accustomed to hearin
tie bromide about going to tn
country for ones health, but it
true. Statistics jointly compiled b
the American Medical associatio
and the National Educational as
sCciation have proved it. In In
cities interesting summer classe
and playground facilities are plal
ned to keep the children OF tb
streets yet in the fresh air as ia
as possible. In the country HON
conditions are too frequently ur
sanitary and in many cases tin
children do not have the prope
kind or amount of recreation.
In the days when father an
mother went to school and even /
/ the early part of the generatio
succeeding them, the maternal Da.
ent usually kept a watchful eve O
the younger members of the house