Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-16
By Frederic ]. Haskin.


Washington. d. c.. March Ian an
nual survey OF the young men OF the
nation TO determine their physical con-
dition and what can be done TO i'm
provo II was suggested tho other day
by General Pcrshins In an address to
some high school cadets here.
General Pcrshing was thinking OF his
experience in the war. He reminded
his hearers that 50 per cent OF the men
called for service wer physically unfit.
and he pointed out the pressing need
for something to remedy this situation.
The state OF the national health "a
revealed by the draft seems TO have
been really tho most sensational fact
of the war. 1t has saurred Congress
to draft and hold hearings upon COM
prehensive measures for physical cdu-
cation. II seems TO have made "A deep
impression upon every thoughtful
person in the country. II about half
OF the young men which the United
States produces arc weak. sick, under
sized( crippled. or otherwise incffi-
cicnt. what is going TO become OF us
as n nation7 wha, Is the use OF pro-
ducing goods IL We can't produce men
What is a nation except tho people
who compose It? II half OF those pco-
pie are needlessly unfit through under
nourishmcnt. ignorance and prevent.
able disease. how much does our claim
to national greatness and success really
amount to-
These seem to be the questions that
thoughtful Americans arc asking them
selves They stand out all over the
voluminous hearings upon the Fess Bill
for physical education.
This measure provides for a large ap-
propriation to be divided among the
states for use in promoting physical
nm tho condition that each
state must itself appropriate as much
as 1t receives from the Federal Gov
crnmcnt.
What Can he Done:
Many OF the leading educators and
physicians OF the country appeared be-
fore tho Committee or Erducation In
connection with this bill. They agreed
unanimously that the draft had re-
vcalcd an alarming condition OF the
public health, and that nothing could
be more important than to do whatever
can be done to remedy this condition.
''It does not make any difference
how much watorpower VIC have, or
how many great projects there may be
at any time" said DR.. Joseph 4. Ray
croft of Princeton. the real wealth OF
the nation is the health and efficiency
of it's people. Nothing else matters 10
the same extent"
Or. Raycroft reminded the committee
that not only did the draft boards find
II necessary to reject about IS per cent
of the men as physically unfit. but that
from 40 to so per cent of those accept
ed In the various drafts were found un-
fit after they were in the army and had
10 be sent to hospitals or to develop
mental battalions. This certainly leaves
the number of really sound men In tho
country painfully small. Dr. Raycroft
admits that the examinations were
hasty and not always efficicrt. but he
thinks they undoubtedly erred as much
ono way as the other. He points out
that the physical standard was lower
cd five different times in the effort to
got enough men. In this way four mil
lion men were raised. Shortly before
the armisticc. when II looked as though
"A fifth million would be needed, he
said 1t was n serious question whether
another million men fit to fight could
bc found in America. In other words.
a nation of more than hundred
million people could not put forward
fivo million men fit to carry gun.
Mos, Interesting are tho reasons
which various experts assigned for tho
low physical standard of manhood pre-
vailing in this country. Americans
have always thought of themselves as
a healthy race, and this as healthy
country to live in. Vow they face tho
incscapablo fact that this nation is
probably not more than 30 per cent az
healthy as 1t might be. To what fac
tors in the national life is this due?
DR. Raycroft assigns two principal
ones. He calls them urhanization and
industry. BY urbanization he means
the crowding OF people into cities. Ho
declares that. in spite of allegations to
the contrary, the recruits from rural
districts showed higher physical
average than those from tho cities t'n-
doubtcdly shq great army OF poorly