The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-06-07
Y. IA. C. A.

Portschach, Austria-The Christian
church throughout the world must
place larger emphasis on the relation
ship of physical fitness to moral and
spiritual growth; it cannot permit
physical standards and forms of
amusement and recreation to be de-
termined by organizations holding
lower standards of living.
This declaration is found in report
prepared for presentation to the nine
hundred delegates comprising the Sec
ond Worlds Conference of Y. M. C. A.
Workers with Boys by DR.. John Brown,
Jr., of New York, as chairman of an
international commission on the ply
steal condition of boys.
"The present physical condition of
boys throughout the world said the
report, "and the conditions affecting
the physical life of boys, constitute an
imperative demand that the forces of
Christianity and civilization shall be
rallied to create new attitude toward
all questions having a direct bearing
upon boyhood."
port emphasizes are that diseases
causing the greatest number Of deaths
among adolescents are largely pre-
ventable diseases; that there is
definite relation between mental retar-
dation and scholastic standing and the
occurrence of preventable diseases and
physical defects, and that much of the
best influences of the home, church
and school are undermined and count
eracted by harmful influences of the
leisure hours of adolescents.
A tentative minimum program of
physical education, proposed by the
commission for the consideration of
the conference, includes the following:
/. A department of the government
should give particular study of condi-
tons affecting physical fitness of boys
from IL to Is years of age.
2. Schools should recognize their
peculiar responsibility for safeguard
ing and raising the standards of ply
steal fitness of boyhood.
8. Communities should provide play
spaces properly supervised for free
use of boys.
4. A special responsibility rests
upon the church to create a spiritual
attitude and conception on the part of
boys toward life in all its relations.
5. There is need for an organiza-
tion that shall bring together and unite
the various governmental and volun-
tary organizations directly or indirect
ly interested in the play and recrea-
ton of the youth,
The educational content in physical
programs of various agencies has been
gradually coming to the fore. TMore
attention will be given" says the COM
mission, "to the development of or
ganic vigor than to training of expert
performers, to the mass rather than
the few, to the needy rather than the
fit, to the informal and hygienic
rather than the formal, highly spec
ialized and extremely competitive types
of work.
"The value of physical education
depends upon the quality of leader
ship more than upon all other fac
tors combined. Only under such
Christian leadership will progress be
made in developing better methods for
the larger and more exacting demands
of the future"
Information gathered by the com
mission indicates a very general con-
viction that the Young Mems Chris
tian Association should seek to sup
plement in every possible way what is
now being done by the state, school,
municipality and church and to CO.
operate with these agencies to function
effectively in relation to the physical
welfare of boys. Frequently the most
effective service which the association
can render to the boyhood of a nation
of a community is by way of sugges-
tion, counsel or demonstration of
those responsible for guiding the
policies of such agencies along de-
sired lines"
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