PHYSICAL FITNESS FIRST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18211, 3 October 1922, Page 9

PHYSICAL FITNESS FIRST

HEALTHY BOYHOOD'S NEEDS.

OPEN AIR AND RECREATION

DR. T. KING'S CAMPAIGN.

The best education for boys in order that they may have healthy bodies as fit temples for the development of mind and

character, was the subject of an address by Dr. Tiiiby King, director of child welfare, at the Rotary Club's luncheon yesterday. Open air and recreation — recreation in play and in sleep—should mak« up the greater part of a boy's education, said the speaker, and he was entirely antagonistic to study which cramps physical development. Part of Dr. lung's present health cam paign is devoted to addressing boys of school-leaving age. He said the object of these addresses was to try to give the boys an idea of life's Values. Six or seven hundred of such boys made a most stimulating audience. They were just launching out into the world, their minds were in a state of ferment, and he tried to direct them as to what the world

really was, which was often far other than they thought it. His object was to fit them for the taking up of life and the first thing was that their bodies should be a worthy home for their minds. Boys should be made into good young animals physically so that their bodies might serve mind and character and be the means toward all the good things in life. In this connection, exercise and recreation were the great essentials, and no sporb gave such all round development as swimming. And if not swimming, then a daily cold bath w .as necessary, for it rot only promoted "joi de vivre," but also mental quickness and alertness. The great English philosopher, John Locke, had conjoined two things in education, swimming and letters. The speaker proceeded to a statement of a weil-balanced dietary and the need for regularity of meals. The body was operated from outside bv stimuli, fresh s.ir, and sunlight and baths, and these agents were allowed to act. the mind must become sluggish and dead. It was said that recreation was half of sleep, because in play the mind rested, but it should be added that sleep is the universal recreation. A bov who was granted Jhese essentials of "health would be the captain of his own soul and body.

Recently there had been much talk of Bex education, said Dr. King, and the attitude of some people to' the subject was shown by letters he had received stating that he might not speak on these tmngs. E.B proceeded to give a reproductton of his method of instruction on this subject, which lie described as a simple, frank talk such as appealed to boys. But if tlin bodinp were kept fit and strong and capable, the problems of adolescence would be as nothing. But the final aim of his health campaign, said Dr. King, was not babyhood nor childhood, but a mission to raise the whole people. Past history had shown that the civilisation of Greece and Rome had failed, not through any failing of the phalanx or the legion, but because of the employment of slave labour and the lessened acquaintance of Greek or Roman with fresh air and physical tasks. The slaves of to-day—coal, oil, harnessed water - were infinitely more powerful and of one thing there must be care—that the mind was not overstressed at the expense of the body. It seemed a forlorn hope to expect that Western civilisation should not be replaced by the simpler and more moral peoples of Asia, but, if past history was not to be repeal, we must make ourselves fit, physically, intellectually and morally. Cities were the sirens of modern lire, dragline the manhood of the nation from the healthy country occupations to the sedentary town life. But Dr. King fi»lt this to he inevitable, nor did he despair of the cities. If hvt'ne schools, instead of cramming the minds with a lot of useless "acts, the body was given full play and development, 'then there was hope for the salvation of our civilisation.