The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-25

Va 6N'N@NN
only, and then only through
his column.
yards. Three per cent of them
could not chin themselves once.
Twenty-six per cent could not chin
themselves five times. Twenty-four
per cent could not jump an OBJ
stacle waist high. Fifty per cent
could not make the muscles Of the
abdomen hard enough to resist .
fist pushed in by the examiner.
Seventy-nine per cent could not
lift the legs from the floor twenty
times when lying on the back and
then do twenty sit ups in success
sion.
These statements are almost
unbelievable, considering this was
a group of boys about Is years Of
age. They did not belong to an I'M
derprivileged class. They were pre-
pairing to enter a state university.
Somewhere along the line of their
preliminary education they must
have heard Of mems sdnis IN cor
pore sdno. Yet there the fabby
muscled, bedrsggled specimens
were.
Even at the age of so and
weighing over two hundred, hav-
ing gone through five wars, pro-
hibition, and three major financial
depressions, with consequent dam
age to a good deal of my plumbing,
can do those things. | did them
yesterday. This is not offered
boastfully. l am no Bernarr Mac
fadden, nor have | ever subscribed
to the doctrines of the big muscle
boys. admit l Judged little on
the fifth chin, but that every boy
in the United States, Is years old
and not actually crippled, should
not be able to accomplish these
stunts is shocking.
Repeated in Draft Boards
The experience was repeated
even more strikingly by the draft
boards. AS of May /, 1914, 22,000,-
900 men between the ages of IL
and 81 have been examined and Of
these 100000 were rejected be-
cause of physical or mental de-
fects. A great many of these were
preventible and could have been
prevented if the organized medical
profession had been awake to its
responsibilities and insisted on
general public medical service in
stead of being pushed into it by the
Murray Wagner bill, and by other
more comprehensive legislation
which is bound to follow.
But, says the official report by
Colonel Rowntree, which have
before me, mot only do the de-
fects, deficiencies, disabilities, dis
orders and diseases abound, but, in
addition, many of the registrants
were found to be pampered, soft,
fabby and iE need of conditioning.
Special training in physical fit
ness was necessary which repre-
scented weeks of wasted effort
which could have been avoided II
every young man prior to Undue
tion had made himself physically
fit"
Physical Fitness Program
No wonder then that the year
beginning September /, 1914, has
been designated Physical Fitness
Year" Put in operation by order
Of the President, and under the d.
rection of various responsible
agencies, a physical fitness pro-
gram will be put into effect on
nation wide basis.
This will only initiate a program
which should go on indefinitely.
at must" as Colonel Rowntree
says, become a part Of our school
programs at every level-elemen-
tary, secondary, advanced and
adult. 1t must become a part Of
the personal hygiene and regimen
of each individual expressed in
habit"
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
W. IA young fellow IS was
rejected for military service on ac-
count of myopia. Would an opera
ton improve this vision?
Answer: What is the matter
with eye glasses