The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-04-25
POOR HEALTH Of
U. S. is PROBLEM
Efforts Are to Be Made to Cor
rect Low Physical Standards
Revealed by War.
EXPERTS CONSIDER QUESTION
Work of Draft Boards Showed That
Nation Of 100000 900 People Could
Put Forward 100000 Men
Fit to Carry a Gun.

Washington.-An annual survey OF
the young men of the nation to deter
mine their physical condition ano
what can be done to improve it was
suggested the other day by General
Pershing in an address to high school
cadets here.
General Pershing was thinking OF
his experience in the war. He remind
ed his hearers that 60 per cent of the
men called for service were physically
unfit, and he pointed out the pressing
need for something to remedy this sit
uation.
The state of the national health, as
revealed by the draft, seems to have
been really the most sensational fact
OF the war, says Frederic J. Haskin
In the Chicago News. 1t has spurred
congress to project and hold hearings
upon comprehensive measures for
physical education. 1t seems to have
made deep impression upon every
thoughtful person in the country. II
about half Of the young men which
the United States produces are weak,
sick, undersized, crippled or other
wise inefficient, what is going to be-
come of us as naHoD?
These seem to be the questions that
thoughtful Americans are asking
themselves. They stand out all over
the voluminous hearings upon the
Fess bill for physical education.
Bill Provides Fund.
This measure provides for a large.
appropriation to be divided among the
states for use in promoting physical
education, on the condition that each
state must itself appropriate as much
as 1t receives from the federal gov
eminent.
Many Of the leading educators and
physicians of the country appeared
before the committee on education in
connection with the bill. They agreed
unanimously that the draft had re-
vealed an alarming condition of the
public health and that nothing could
be more important than to do what
ever can be done to remedy this con-
dition.
ut does not make any difference
how much water power we have, or
how many great projects there may
be at any time" says DR.. Joseph E.
Raycroft of Princeton university.
"The real wealth Of the nation is the
health and efficiency of it's people.
Nothing else matters to the same ex-
tent"
Doctor Raycroft reminded the COM
mittee that not only did the draft
boards find it necessary to reject
about 35 per cent Of the men as ply
sically unfit, but that from 40 to 80
per cent of those accepted in the vari-
GUS drafts were found unfit after they
were in the army and had to be sent
to hospitals or to developmental bat.
talions. He points out that the ply
sical standard was lowered five diff |
ferent times in the effort to get |
enough men. In this way 4OOO,OOO |
men were raised. Shortly before the |
armistice, when it looked as though a
fifth million would be needed, he said |
L was a serious question whether an
other million men fit to fight could be
found in America. In other words, a
nation of more than 100,00O0OO people
,ould not put forward 100000 men
it to carry a gun.
Reasons Are Interesting.
Most interesting are the reasons
which various experts assigned for the
ow physical standard of manhood
prevailing in this country.
Doctor Raycroft assigns two princi-
,al ones. He calls them urbanization
md industry. BY urbanization he
means the crowding of people into !
tiles. He declares that, in spite OF
llegations to the contrary, the re-
ruits from rural districts showed a
igher physical average than those
rom the cities Undoubtedly the
reat army Of poorly paid office work
rs, who lead sedentary lives and get
lmost no adequate recreation, Is one
ig factor in the low average OF
ealth. Doctor Raycroft also seems
D believe that many Of the workers in
ur great industries are doomed by
heir occupations to i'll health. He /
urther believes that we are admitting \
reat numbers of weak immigrants
,ho are lowering the national aver {
ge of physical fitness.
The fact is only hinted at In the
earrings, but it is well to know that
,alnutrition was great factor in the
wv average Of health among the r
RATED men. Many recruits gained /
realty in weight and strength as (
non as Uncle Sam began to feed
lem. This is what gives its great |
alue to the movement for feeding
If the child gets plen-