The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-12-01
EDUCATIONAL TWELVE p ......
@ @ . 9 (. > 9 Z. . . . . 3.
9
. IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL
9 EDUCATION

8 8 8 9 9 o q . (. 9 9 9 9 9
In 1890 only per cent of the pop
ulation of America lived in cities; in
1920 So per cent lived in cities, and
the decade 191O-1920 showed an III
crease Of 5 per cent in city p pull.
ton. For hundred years =" merica
was constantly renewing her vitality
through contact OF her people with
nature in the forests ara open coun-
try; but the physical activities and
opportunities Of :he open country
are on longer possible FOR the major
ity of our people," We are compelled
tc develop a systen1-a very broad
program-of physical education that
will compensate for these losses Of
the. educative and reereativc oppcr-
tunities of outdoor life.
The Great war burned into the
minds of the oeonle the fact that if a
nation is to survive it muss first of all
survive physi,slly, dts young people
must be trained for heal.h and nor
NAL physical Development; To reject
mores than one thirr;l Of she young
raen examined N III, eiTaft was rec
ognized as a needless waste, not only
frcyn the standpoint If ma, ,.onal de-
fense but also from the s:anGp'int
of industrialsand commercial .eflcien,
cy . 4 individual opp:"tul:.y for the
pursuit of happiness. We note WIFE
shame-or is it without shame
that Sweden finds unfit for military
duty only IA per cent of its young
manhood. Military training was
pushed forward in some of our high
schools and colleges, but military au-
thorities joined with educators and
health experts,in = pointing OF! that
the fundamental and vita! necessity
lies in a program of physical educa-
ton, including health training for all
children beginning in the primary
grades of the schools; and back Of
that a program of child care in the
pre.school age which will prevent the
development of most Of the defects
and disabilities that we are now lab
oring to overcome in school children.
The following statemenfs-h by lead
ers of public sthoagatsare Significant
in showing the. trend Of she. public
mind, No public asovemeas can be
regarded as more fundamental, for
without the sound physical basis 10
civilization can endure #
TIE Republican platform, 1890:
"a thorough system of physical edu-
cation for all children up to the age
Of 10, including adequate health ST.
peryision and instruction, would rem
edy conditions revealed by the draft
and would add to the economic and
industrial strength Of the nation. Ma
tional leadership and stimulation
will be necessarysto induce the states
to adopt a wise System of physical
training" =
President Harding: "Our draft of
young men in war time disclosed that
between 25 and so per cent of the
so-called flower Of our manhood were
physically incapacitated, for service.
Recent examinations Of children in
the schools of some of our cities have
shown that nearly so per cent have
minor or major physical deficiencies.
/ believe, therefore, that necessary
task is before us-we must remedy
that condition"
DR.. Charles W. Eliot, President
Emeritus of Harvard University
''The first step in the Improvement of
the American schools is the introduc-
ton of universal physical training
for both boys and girls from 6 to 1S
years of age" 80
Mr.. Herbert Hoovssr53 Ho sts 2 aNo Q one a tt thh
deny that the physical development
of child life is of equal Importance
with education. I'VE, everyone of US,
pay the price in our jails, IN our poor
houses, in our hospitals, in the loss
of our economic efficiency, the fertile
ground that we furnish for all the
social patent medicines, for our fail
ure to have grasped the entire prob
lem of child development not only
! intellectual but physical as we'll"
Gen. John j. Pershing: "As to the
very large percentage of physically
detectives, the states themselves and
the nation as we'll should take posi-
tive action, if We, would build up a
physically strong race of men and
women, capable. Of becoming strong
intellectually" g
Effective training in physical activ,
= Il l.