Arizona republican., 1922-06-12
BY Frederic J. Haskin

WASHINGTON, D. c.. June g.
Thirty thousand young men viii go
camping this summer at government
expense. They will come from
offices. factories, schools and farms.
They will learn to handle rifles, TO
wear United States army uniforms,
and to carry themselves as soldiers
They will live for a month IN the
open. drilling and exercising, alb
sorbing ideals of physical fitness
and gaining a broader outlook on life.
1t is safe to prophesy about these
citizen campers because 10000 OF
them were trained last year by the
war department with highly salts
factory results. Twelve camps were
all that could be opened on the
100000 appropriation of last sum-
mer. This year the war department
expects to have $2700.0 900, and it is
enrolling men to attend 80 camps.
These camps will be open in July
and August. Applications are now
pouring in to commanders of the
| corps areas into which the army
divides the country for purposes of
! administration. II is estimated that
about half OF the 10000 quota has
| already been filled.
| The citizens military training
camps are regarded by the govern
ment as an important investment.
| 1t is said that every woman should
| spend a few months training in a
| hospital, not with the idea of becom-
| ing a nurse, but so that she may be
| familiar with principles of SANTA
| tion and nursing for home emergen-
| cies The war department says that
| every young man should have at
/ - fvoiY1f,1pr
| not only as national defense pre-
| caution but also as personal health
! asset.
] AS to the benefit of camping, il is
| a recognized fact that as a nation
we need TO pay more attention to
| physical education. With all the in
| terest in athletics in colleges and
among workingmen, a comparatively
small percentage Of people actually
1 engage in sports or exercise. A
crowd of thousands gathers to see
| two little teams OF men play ball.
| All are enthusiastic patrons of ath-
| fresh air and a little relaxation
none of the physical benefit.
About one third of the men who
apply for service in the navy and
marine corps fail to pass the physi-
cal examination. Those who are en-
listed are not necessarily in perfect
/ condition. The government repairs
their teeth, corrects bad posture and
builds up underweight conditions
that lead to disease.
Not so much can be done with the
young men who come to the citizens
military training camps, because
] there is only month to work in
Dentists and doctors are in all the
camps, however, to treat minor
| troubles.
One Month Brings Results
The war department finds that a
month of regular routine of eating,
exercise, drilling and sleeping is
! enough to give most of the campers
a new attitude toward health. The
attempt is made to carry back to
the campers home life the ambition
for physical fitness. Defects which
cannot be corrected in the 80 days at
camp are called to the attention OF
the boy and his family with sugges-
tions as to steps that will remedy
the trouble.
BESIDES serving to raise the health
standard, the camps are found valu-
able as Americanization centers.
There is a prevalent idea that Amer
icanization concerns only the for
eign-born AS a matter of fact, many
| a native born citizen has far more
limited ideas of his responsibility to
the government than an idealistic
immigrant. The military camp, with
its mixture of all classes and its