FIT MINDS AND BODIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 33, 9 February 1943, Page 4

FIT MINDS AND BODIES

Modern war in all its branches makes so many demands on the individual that physical fitness of the highest order has become a first essential. It is possible under certain circumstances that the success or failure of-an operation may depend on the capacity of each man to suffer severe privation and yet retain the ability to press home the attack unhesitatingly and unceasingly. The average man, entering the Armed Forces from civilian life, while he may pass the prescribed medical tests, probably has soft spots in his physical armour which, unless eradicated in the course of training, would reveal themselves at critical moments. Physical training, as apart from military training, has therefore always played a big part in the life of the recruit, but apparently there is still room for an improvement in the physical standard of the trained soldier. In New Zealand selected officers and non-commissioned officers are at present undergoing a special course of physical training, and what they learn will eventually be passed on to the rank and file. As the officer in charge of the school points out, the aims of'physical training are threefold: (1) the development of character; (2) the production of an

alert mind; and (3) bodily fitness in harmonious proportions. The desirability of achieving all three aims in time of war is obvious. No matter how efficient a soldier may be in handling a rifle or manning a gun, unless hg is able to stand up to the immense strain of' modern warfare, with its rapid movement, he may prove a liability rather than an asset. Nor can it be overlooked that the attributes which make for efficiency in war are also desirable in time of peace. For this reason the suggestion made by Lieut.-Colonel Groves, when speaking of the new plan to concentrate more on physical training, that those who go through the course should spread the gospel among the whole people, especially the young, is fitting. Good health, acquired by a strict discipline of mind and body, is one of the greatest assets a nation can possess, and if lessons learnt under the stress of conflict can be turned to advantage in the days that follow, it will be so much the better for the country.