VALUE STRESSED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 211, 19 June 1935, Page 3

VALUE STRESSED

MILITARY TRAINING. THE PHYSIQUE OF CHILDREN. (Per Association.) NAPIER, June 18. Criticism of the physical standard of the children and young people of the Dominion since the abolition of compulsory military training is levelled by four Napier doctors. Dr. W. D. Fitzgerald said physical training was not a complete substitute for the old military training. Drill developed smartness, correctness in posture, instant and implicit obedience and good discipline, which no physical culture system was capable, of develop-, ing. In his. opinion, while there may have been no alteration in the general physique of children, since compulsory military drill was abolished, there had been a definite deterioration in their posture, gait and general demeanour. One serious aspect was the lack of training in handing firearms, said Dr. Fitzgerald. Before the Great War children were trained in primary schools in the method of handling firearms, and this training was continued through the secondary schools and in the Territorial Force, resulting in the development of an instinctive method in handling all types of firearms. Now, however, it was an uncommon thing to see children grasping firearms by the muzzle, handling them with the same abandon as they would a walking-stick. Dr. Fitzgerald said his renmrns were made from the point of view of tlio general good of the younger generation and not from that of the development either of militaristic or anti-militaristic propaganda. “Football Not Everything.” Dr. G. E. Waterworth expressed the opinion that in about ten or fifteen years the young people of the Dominion would be flat-chested, round-shoul-dered and sloppy in their behavioui. He said there seemed to be a feeling that football and: other games would supply the need of young people, but that was not correct. “I have examples of growing boys who are madly keen about football, but who are of quit© poor physique,”' lie said. “They do not know flow to stand to attention or hold themselves upright. They are very slow to react ,to words of order and have no general smartness. You can observe this, too, in the many loungers you see in the streets wherever you go. The only tiling is military drill from the primary school stage right through.” Similar views were voiced by Dr. A. G. Clark, who said military training was most desirable for the physical well-being of the nation. It inculcated discipline, a most important thing. , Dr. G. G. Barnett said lie agreed that with the abolition of military training went very largely! tbo o'lscipline among young people, and there was no doubt that military camps helped tremendously in the inculcation of the team spirit and stimulated an urge to keep fit.