Imperial Valley press., 1939-12-06
Willis Thornton
Says:

The children of those sinewy
pioneers who chopped down trees
and shot down Indians as part OF
their daily routine to open up a
wilderness continent are growing
soft. 1t is not the fault of Twen-
tieth Century inhabitants if there
are no more trees to be chopped
down. Nor can they be blamed if
they ride around the country in au-
tomobileS without fear of running
into a hostile Indian tribe that has
to be busted off or else.
But the American Youth Commis-
sion, an adjunct Of the American
Council on Education, is worried
about the general state of affairs,
and is asking that something be
done about it. The progress of medi-
cal science in combating disease is
not enough. The nation at large, the
commission believes, must be given
al opportunity to prevent the all
ments IN the first place SO that
there will be no need for treating
them at all.
To bring about such program,
the federal government will have to
kick in, the commission frankly de-
clares in recent report. 1t is per-
fectly true that individual state
governments are badly prepared fin
ancially to institute such a pro-
gram; and if they did, the sys-
TENS adopted would vary with the
different states. What is proposed
now is an extension of services being
conducted by the federal govern
ment.
The modern way of living in
America has done something to the
body. 1t is less fit to withstand
disease generally than it was when
vigorous exercise was part of the
daily routine. While the treatment
of disease has advanced steadily,
preventative measures have not
quite kept pace with the Simplifi-
cation of our routine of life.
To prepare youngsters against
susceptibility to disease later in life
steps must be taken early. Many
schools are already giving their
pupils regular periods of physical
instruction and exercise. The Youth
Commission feels these activities
are not widespread enough. The boys
and girls who are most in need OF
exercise usually pass up gymnasium
classes because they are not adept
in physical education.
The teaching of hygiene and pre-
ventative measures is also in need
of considerable expansion, the COM
mission contends. The results of a
recent survey conducted revealed
only about 10 per cent of all stu
dents received hygiene instruction
in high school or college. Another
recommendation is a regular Sys-
tenn of frequent physical examina-
tions to detect disease or potential
disease at the earliest stage pos
Sible.
Whether the federal government
can be persuaded TO fork out funds
while even the President is blue
penciling the budget seems pretty
uncertain just now. But the extern
sion of outdoor recreational activi-
ties and school physical education
programs can be undertaken by
the schools themselves in co-opera-
ton with municipal recreational
bodies.
Many schools and many cities have
already developed excellent pro-
grams. Periodical physical examin-
ations are already available in many
institutions. How much further
these plans can be carried depends
entirely on how much money can be
laid aside. When federal funds are
a little more abundant, a discreet
share might very well be given to
foster an expanded health program
of this nature.