The Mena weekly star., 1922-02-09

necessities of production and out of the consequences of competitive exist ence, the rule in America has been to sacrifice not only natural endowments but also physical welfare.
 America in the strength of it's youth has been improvident and without due consideration for the consequences of extravagant drain upon our greatest resources, i. e., health. It is true that we have employed some simple forms of calisthenic exercises in our schools. We have had a limited amount of physical development under volun- tary military instruction; we play play baseball and basketball, but on the whole America has paid little heed and given but little attention to the proper development of the individual as a class.
 We are at last thinking in the lan- guage of how to be big and strong, powerful, potential and competent and with this thought possessing many of the leading minds of Amer ica are today giving specific attention to the creation of some general sys- tenn of physical development which will be broad enough in its scope of application to reach both male and female, young, middle-aged and those later in life.
 Pride in Strength.
 America has pride in being compe- tent in industrial capacity, in finan- cial strength and in commercial re- lations. She has pride in progress in the development of all of the affairs in which any nation should be inter- ested, such as it's manufacturers, it's mines and mining, it's quarries and quarrying, its waterways and trans portation facilities; fact she has been expert and capable in assemb- ling all the things and materials from which we have grown to our present position as splendid nation of in- genius people.
 We can reasonably claim right to the title of leader in many of the na- tional and international affairs and from the progressive disposition of the past we mght reasonably con- template perpetuity as a people but without some extra precaution, some special effort, instead of continuing a strong and accomplishing race, we will become so weakened in our phy- sical forces as to bring to ourselves the liability of early degeneration and decay.
 Need of Resistance.
 To perpetrate the American nation we must have special resistance against the inroads of disease and the liabilities of increasing limitations in our living accommodations. Our com bat with influenza showed how h. capable we are of positive resistance Were this not true we would not have sacrificed nearly 300,000 of our citi- zens thru the mortality list of in- fiuenza.
 Ninety years ago the Hawaiian is- lands had population of 132,000 na- tives. The race seemed capable of meeting all of the exigencies of eli mate and such afflictions as they had to bear in all of the affairs of their life, with fair prospect of reason able longevity as a race. Today they represent people numbered 21,000 pure Hawaiians and 19,000 mixed. This is due to the fact that they be- came the subjects of tuberculosis, ve- nereal disease, drug habits, imperfect and unfavorable sanitation, and a to- tai lack of physical upkeep. Believ- ing the missionary was capable of caring for them they became in- different to the natural actions and practices of their people. They were spoiled by the extension to them of rights and privileges which they had never had before, and because they took no precaution in the maintenance of their physical manhood, they have succumbed to the inroads of disease and today are almost an exterminated race.
 America today is big and strong and may well assume to itself the leadership and protectorate of the af- fairs of the world. But unless we are able to maintain continued re- sistance, unless we develop some na- tional system of physical maintenance by which we can improve our longev- ity and decrease our mortality. we will not be able to continue the com membership to which we are justly entitled. In fact we may subject our- selves to the same disastrous conse- quences that came to Hawaii's popu- lation.
 Cause of T. R.
 01CH anu WOHitH TtSiSJ ulSedSe Dy the strength of their own physical capacity. Without physical strength they yield much more readily to dis ease afflictions. That is why today we are showing such large percent age of cases of tuberculosis. With all of our experience and the observa- tions we have taken, with all the rules and regulations of protection so far as instituted, the percentage of tu- bercular subjects in the United States of America continues about the same. This would be very different were we more powerful physically. For these reasons and many others which might be enumerated, I wish to emphasize the fact that if America is to remain in the vanguard of nations, then it is very important that we establish a broadcast, universal plan of physical improvement.
 Comparatively America holds fifth place among the nations of the earth in physical vigor, and since 55 per cent of our children do not go be- yond the fifth grade in our public schools, it is self-evident that if we are to be in the vanguard of nations we must adopt some general, svs- tematized plan of physician develop ment, and at the same time bring about a system of education that will interest and attract our young people until we have elevated the standard of mental and productive competence far beyond it's present status.