OUR NATIONAL PHYSIQUE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 134, 7 June 1911, Page 4

OUR NATIONAL PHYSIQUE.

A few days ago we protested against some remarks made by the captain and surgeon of the Pioneer, who alleged or implied that the physique of the average young New Zeabynder is defective, or the average level of physical development is abnormally low. Now we find that this cry ia being taken, up in other quarters, and that a well-known Ohxistchurch medical man has written to- the 'Press" apparently accepting these denunciations without criticism, and' attributing the supposed defects to the unsatisfactory physique of girls and women in this country. We have already given our reasons for denying absolutely that the national physique shows any sign of deterioration here; and in our opinion Dr. Symes' comments on the question are no more reasonable' or reliable than Captain Stopford's. Are we seriously expected to believe that the girl 3of !New Zealand, growing up in a healthy climate, spending most of their earlier years in the open air under conditions infinitely more conducive to strength and physical ■well-lbeing than those that exist at Home are in any way inferior in physique and stamina to the women born and reared in England, or in any way less fitted for the duties and responsibilities of motherhood. Even if Dr. Symes has had no personal experience of the terrible effects of the conditions of life in crowded towns upon girls and women at Home, he ought to be sufficiently familiar with the facts of the case to know that the environment of girl life here is infinitely more healthful than in any of the older countries. As to

"factory employment," surely Dr. Symes must know that this includes" but a small percentage of colonial girls, who work, like all our industrialists, under the protection of laws carefully devised to secure their well-being; and he must know that there is nothing here in any way corresponding to the shockingly unhealthy and deplorable industrial conditions that are the rule rather than the exception in the crowded centres of England 3nd Europe and America. As to "excessive athletic pursuits," wo admit that occasionally evil results may ensue for girls as for boys, from enthusiastic devotion to violent exercise. But we believe that the enormous majority of the girls who in this country play tennis, or golf, or hockey, benefit immeasurably in health and strength from these games, and that they are infinitely better fitted for the duties of life than girls brought up in the state of seclusion and physical and mental lethargy that was their lot in the old world thirty or forty years ago. We sympathise with Dr. Symes' suggestion that the education of girls should have some direct bearing on the probable course of their subsequent lives; and we believe that intellectual over-pressure has a great deal to answer for among girls and women in New Zealand. Bli't we deny altogether that there is any substantial ground for the charge r>f physical defectiveness or degeneracy which Dr. Symes seems inclined to accept as proven an such inadequate evidence, and we regret just as emphatically the fantastic reasons which he has been driven to devise in order to explain the supposed occurrence of this non-existent, deterioration.