Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-03-23

NANHOODOF
AMERICA WEAK
Army General Holds Nation Must
Create Higher Standard to
Hold Place.
Points Out Value to Country of Heal.
thy Manhood and Gives Some
Suggestions.
BY CHARLES E. SAWYER

BY CHARLES E. SAWYER
| Editors Note.-General Charles E.
Sawyer is not only a great physician
and surgeon. He is in addition a great
student of manhood and his work as
one of the ranking officers in the
army medical corps has placed him
| IN position to know the true condi-
ton of the nations physical man
hood. That he is unafraid to declare
the condition verging on the tragic
is fortunate thing for those Ameri-
cans who are not blinded by false
pride in birth and national egotism
and who hail with pleasure any step
taken to right the condition.
Americas physical manhood is ma
terially deficient.
| Harsh and cruel as these state
ments may sound they are only the
grim findings of the records made
when the World War forced examina-
lions of Americas manhood.
The knife of a surgeon may seem
cruel in its relentless cutting but the
results obtained more than justify the
method. II we are brought to a re-
alization of our needs through frank
if smarting APPLICATION of truth then
we have taken the first step toward a
national health and higher grade of
mentality.
Such a realization is growing and
the nation today is moving toward
some system that will change us from
a body of men shot through with ply
steal weakness to physical perfec-
ton that will make us not only strong
as individuals but will make us strong
as nation, need greatly to be de-
sired in the troubled times that have
fallen upon the world.
Survival as expressed in God AL
mlghty's plan of human perpetuity de-
ponds upon fitness. This is quite as
true of Nations as of individuals. A
nation to be most fit must have men
and women &C physical strength and
mental capacity. To have physical
strength and mental capacity as a ma
ton it is quite important that there
should exist general national plan
of physical development. All coun-
tries that have developed power as
the history of the world relates ac-
complishment, have done so through
strength and vigor.
Strength both of body and charac-
ter comes from contact and the prac-
tlce OF systematized policies of devel-
opment are necessary for both.
Our Health Record
The RECORDS of the World War re-
veal the fact that Americas physical
manhood is materially deficient and
its mental capacity of a very mediocre
type. The findings of the draft boards
| as applied to men training for SOL
diers shows only 67A per cent of the
flower of the country's manhood in
physical condition to stand wars VIC
lssltudes. These same war records
show another distressing and surpris-
ing situation as regards the mentality
of our people. Of all the men who
went into service only Az per cent
showed very superior intelligence, 9
per cent superior intelligence, 161a
per cent high average intelligence, rs
per cent average intelligence, 20 per
cent low intelligence, 10 per cent very
inferior intelligence. In other words
10 per cent of our young American
manhood registers below the average
OF normal mentality, representing re-
ally only the mental ability of the age
OF IA years and less. These are re-
ally startling statistics and certainly
indicate great need of much special
attention to the Individual citizen if
America is to keep step with the
march of progress as nation. Had
we put the physies.l tests by which
we measure soldiers to all the people
Of the United States, we should have
found ourselves less than fifty per
cent competent.
Welfare Sacrificed.
In the hurry of development, in the
necessities of production and out of |
the consequences of competitive exis-
tence, the rule in America has been |
TO sacrifice not only natural endow-
ments, but also physical welfare.
America in the strength of its youth
has been improvident and without due
consideration for the consequences of
extravagant drain upon our greatest /
resources, i e., health. 1t is true
that We have employed some simple
forms of calisthenic exercises in our
schools. We have had limited |,
amount of physical development I'M
der voluntary military instruction;