EDUCATION AND FITNESS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29599, 23 August 1961, Page 5

EDUCATION AND FITNESS

Address By Sir Douglas Robb

Physical education was only a part of education, and muscular skill and agili'y only one part of efficient i function, said Sir Douglas Robb, the distinguished New Zealand surgeon, in an address to the conference on physical education at Lincoln College yesterday. Sir Douglas Ross is a fellow of the Physical Education Society of New Zealand.

“Many of us may never achieve elegance or agility,” he said, “but we can become less clumsy and more effective than we were, and the strong and the skilful can go on to great heights. “There , are so many other qualities to be sought, in areas remote from the muscles—serenity and humility of mind, charity of heart, clarity and force of intellect, and many others that contribute to a desired effect—that we dsare not restrict our sights and apply too specialised an outlook toany particular task, not when dealing with such a complicated subject as homo sapiens.” Everyone could agree that muscular and general bodily fitness for physical effort and ability to withstand strain must be a good thing, but just how necessary was it? he asked. At one end of the scale there were individuals who got through life with little or no physical fitness. Among them were individuals of burning faith, shining courage, infinite wisdom and tremendous impact on those around them.

On the other hand, there were persons of almost legendary strength, agility or skill who were rather failures in the ordinary business of life, Sir Douglas Robb continued. No-one, however limited by nature, had time to develop all his or her talents to the full. General education and more leisure on the universal scale in a country like New Zealand emphasised the problem. “The dullest of us has a variety of talents and must select his objects,” Sir Douglas Robb said.