The New York herald., 1922-11-17
Farley Plans to Upbuild u. S. Manhood
Weeks, in Opening Conference, Blames Unrest and
Craze for Bizarre Ideas Deficient National Health

But the problem goes even deeper
and reaches into intangible factors in
our national life. Every educator
every welfare organization. every in
dustrial. commercial and labor associa-
ton sboum seriously consider how their
institutions are training their members
in the basic fundamentals OF good
citizenship, which is duty as well as
privilege, and must be viewed from
the standpoint Of the welfare of the
entire nation
Gen. Pershing and Brig. Gen. Las
sitter, also emphasized that war expert
ence had demonstrated that a great
proportion of the physical defects dis
closed could be corrected by proper
systems Of physical training and de-
velopment beginning in. the schools
All of the information gained by the
War Department from several years Of
study of draft statistics in connection
with actual war experience was placed
at the disposal of the conference. which
divided itself into sub-committees to re-
port at a general session Saturday.
Gen. Lassiter declared the draft had
shown that only one-tbird of the men
who claimed to be skilled in their
trades actually possessed degree of
skill to warrant a rating of journeyman
To meet the army's need for technical
skill of this character, he said, 1t was
necessary during the war to give train
ing TO approximately 1,250,000 men.
"Our industrial firms are becoming
aware OF the necessity of definite
preparation Of young men to be skilled
workers and some of them are estab-
fishing their own schools for providing
such training he said. but there Is
t.AA l. t1a tt,A cfvfa
and the schools of the country looking
toward an increased output Of techni-
cally skilled men. Thus, It is to be
noted that in the manufacturing in
dustries and ansportation-occupa
tions requiring mechanical skil--there
are now about I 100000 male workers.
Furthermore. it does not appear that
there are any generally accepted speci-
fications, aptitude tests or tests of
efficiency to guide schools in training
young men according to their aptitudes
The lack of such definite means for the
adjustment of the youth to his task In
life, and the lack Of equally well de-
fined terminology for classifying men
with respect to physique, skill and
knowledge, were among the most serious
causes of delaying mobilization for the
world war. Consequently, from the
point of view both Of preparation ana
citizenship and of preparation for
national defense. it would appear that
it is still necessary to make well CO.
ordinated drive toward the establish
ment of definite standards of achieve
ment for training young men for their
occupations In life.
"The foregoing, then, gives you the
general plan on which we propose to
raise, in time of emergency. great ma
tional force. The units now being def
nitely established will provide a force
of about 100000 men. but with the
machinery established. we could then go
on to keep the ranks of these units
filled up during a war and also to raise
additional units. If if<needed. We thus
have, for the first time, a comprehensive
plan for developing the force required
for national defense"