DOMINION’S MANHOOD

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5610, 6 May 1919, Page 2

DOMINION’S MANHOOD

DECLINING STAMINA 1 0 a c NUMEROUS WEAKNESSES. e 1 i: NECESSITY FOR PHYSICAL 1 TRAINING. i c AN EXCELLENT SCHEME. ’■ 1 (Written for the Daily Telegraph). 1 BY TERRITORIAL. i Every New Zealander must have beep surprised and somewhat perturbed to read of the ilarge percentage of rejects ' from the Expeditionary Forces. The fact that so many unsuspected cases of malformation and of physical weaknesses existed among onr men folk came as a shock to us all. Nor were these weaknesses confined to the ranks of the clerks and shopmen and other sedentary' workers, for every class of industry showed its big proportion of unfit men. Sturdy bushmen were found to be flatfooted, lusty labourers suffered from varicose veins, and even the deep-chest-ed, hearty-looking farmers showed defects too serious to be ignored. I The cause or causes of all these rejec-1 tious Were in many cases traceable to j neglect or to carelessness. But it was not with the causes, but with tho remedy thereof that the country had to concern itself, and right well did our military authorities set about the task. The 01 Camp or in parlance sarcastic the “Glaxo Camp,” was organised. To this institution came all those temporarily rejected whose defects were due to lack of remedial or preventive exercises. It does not follow that a man possessing mighty biceps is a well-de-veloped man, or that a man showing a 17-inch calf is of good physique. In fact in the majority of such instances the opposite is the case, for certain em ployment has usually made undue demands upon one set of muscles at the expense not only of other muscles hut also of the. vital organs of the body. N<jrw, a soldier must be sound of wind and ilimb, which means that all his organs and all his muscles must be at the immediate service of has will and must respond thereto; not only this lut ho must possess a reserve of strength and o ,f endurance which might bo called upon at any time, and which must nee fail Ini in in emergency. It was just the development’of this soundness of wind and limb wliich formed tho objective ol the 01 camp. To say that the results justified the experiment is but mildily expressing the success of the scheme, lor the percentage of fit men which the camp sent to the reinforcement drafts far exceeded the most sanguine expcc i tations of its organisers. The training had proved its own value, for the un--1 fir became fit, the deficient became ■ efficient, and tho dullard became alert. 1 Moreover, the methods by which the ' successes were gained were more than popular among the men, for they pio- ' duced the utmost enthusiasm and arons- , od the true spirit of sport in oven the L most indifferent r.ud phlegmatic of i souls.

‘•'Should the Cl camp end with the war?” was the very natural question put by a.far-seeing public, t"o r the I Clients to be obtained from the training were too obvious to be forgotten. While impracticable to continue such a camp, a substitute has been introduced by the formation of of.asscs available to those whose voluntary duty it is to carry on with the physical and military training of our future citizens. In short, classes are now being held at Trentham where officers and non-commissioned officers of the Territorial Force and the Senior Cadets may attend to.learn something of the most modern system of physical training. No expense to the studen*. is incurred, for the Department clothes him, pays his fares from his home to the camp and back, and prorides him with board and lodging while undergoing training.

The courses of instruction arc organised to a fine point of efficiency, and arc under the djirect control of one af the keenest experts in physical training that the British Army can produce, Captain A. W. Brocks, M.C., who has been ‘Mont” to the Dominion by the Imperial authorities, tinder his supervision is a staff of highly-trained Ser-geant-Major instructors, all wearing the “crossed swords” badge obtained by passing the tests at Aldershot, tho severest and most exacting in the service. As a precautionary measure, each officer and non-con'.. Is medically examined before being admitted to the daw., for a certain amount of responsibility necessarily rests upon the Department. Moreover, every non-com. is tested for prominent physical defects, and if any are found, they receive due attention during the course-

Tho training then begins, one complete elementary course lasting sixteen working days. Tlio exercises are taught gradually, beginning with the easiest possible movements and increasing m difficulty and severity from day to day. Kvory muscle and every organ receives tieatment in proper scientific sequence, due attention being paid to combination and co-ordination. Kadi momhe,- of tbo class is kept hard at work, but unduo fatigue is avoided, as plenty of ‘spells'’ and periods of rest are provided for. Perhaps some of tbo older officers feel “stiff-jointed” now and then but perseverenco works wonders. And such is the excellence of the spirit of work that perseverance is tlic ardor of tbo day. Emulation and rivalry are brought to bear, either inter-island or intor-provineial, and are productive of the best results, for the individual is (trailed to strive his utmost fo,. his side or team, and not for himself. The training is mental, fq r it demands alertness ami a cpnstant state 1 of vigilance and vivacity. It is physical, : f o r it develops all the muscles, improves ail tho organs, and invigorates tilP whole system. It is preventive, for it strengthens weak organs and helps them to resist disease. It is curative, I for it is a powerful agent in setting jmht many defects of the nerves, of, circulation, of respiration, of digestion,

and of excretion. And it is recrea-' tional, for the various games, which occur four or five times in each day's programme. not only provide' excellent exercise for brain and muscle, but are also of a distinctly jolly,and sportive character. The student receives daily lessons m elementary physiology. He learns much he did not know before about the harmonious workings of the various parts of his body. He learns the value of good health to himself, to his team or sports club, and to his country. The •ill-effects of many bad habits, of ilothfulness and of excess are pointed out to him. InciideutaiUy he is taught manliness and self-dependence, agility and nerve, while the gloves develop his pluck, and his powers of endurance. A “'tabloid course” certaintly, lor the time is all too short, but such is the discipline and the conscientious enthu.vaism with which the system is carried out, that each student, providing he passes the examination which is held at the end of each course, possesses sufficient knowledge of the work to enable him to ‘ carry on” when he goes back to his company or bis platoon. The scheme is perhaps of more value than, meets the casual eye. Industrially or militarily, perhaps both, our presentday young men will certainly have to take their turn in girding their loins , f o r the public weal, and what better i preparation can they have than that | which organised physical training pru- , j v.ides--what better motto can they have ; in life than the time-honoured “Mens . sana in corpora sanof”