Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-27 | Page 15 | Deplores of Physical of Physical Fitness

DEPLORES LACK OF PHYSICAL PUIS - Secretary Caster Emphasizes Empha-sizes Necessity of Preparatory Pre-paratory Training. E. G. Caster, secretary of the local Y. M. C. A., believes that more emphasis should be placed upon the physical side of preparedness. In this connection, Mr-Caster Mr-Caster said yesterday: Much is being said concerning' "preparedness." "pre-paredness." There is another side of this question that ought to be emphasized, empha-sized, and that is the need for physical physi-cal preparedness which is woefully apparent. For example, in our recruiting re-cruiting stations 1 am informed we examine 80,000 applicants to get 20,000 soldiers. Pixty thousand are not physically fit. In the marine corps during 1915. 41.168 were examined, but only f!33 were selected as fit. General Wood has stated that only 52 per cent' of our entire population 1s physically prepared. Take again the recent addition to the United States army. Wo have thus far examined ex-amined S0t9. and 2250 have passed. Perhaps- the men who apply are not up to the average standard, but these are the facts concerning those who do apply. Dr. Howe of the University of Buffalo has made the statement that of the boys of IS years of age from 16 to IS per cent have curvature of the spine and about the same percentage per-centage are near-sighted. At the University of Pennsylvania recently they tried to find out the number of perfect men there. They examined 1256 and found ninety-seven ninety-seven physically perfect- We are weak in the matter of physical preparedness.