The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1909. COLONIAL PHYSIQUE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2566, 29 July 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1909. COLONIAL PHYSIQUE.

Commander Blunt, of H.M.S. Pioneer administered rather a severe blow to tho self-esteem of New Zealanders when ho gave in Wellington recently his experience in enrolling applicants for positions in the Navy. We are accustomed to boast of tho physique of our people, but -when this naval officer found it necessary to reject 61 out of 111- applicants for enrolment there is obviously room for improvement. The question is one • for serious consideration and the meeting held in Christchurch which is reported in another column provides gratifying evidence that a section of the community realises liow grave it really is. Those who spoke at the gathering were agreed on one point, which must likewise strike any impartial and careful observer, namely that the physique of New Zealanders, though comparing on the whole very favorably with that found in other countries,, is by no means as good as it should be. Mr. F. A. Hornibrook, a well-known exponent of the art of physical culture, 6ct out to review the chief factors in race deterioration, and his views aro certainly worthy of close scrutiny. Wo are accustomed to point with pride to the splendid achievements of our best athletes; but Mr Hornibrook draws attention to an aspect of our sporting propensities which is frequently neglected. In his address, of which a full copy has been supplied to us, he says : I come now to another question: that of lookers-on at games in comparison with players. Nobody contends that cricket and football and other outdoor sports are net good games to play, but at the same time a flat-chested, weedy type of man is not to he improved by merely watching somebody else indulge in these pastimes. It is a very moot point if 3000 or 4000 people sitting on a cold day watching thirty men playing football are physically benefited at all, if, indeed, the practice does not tends to lower their vitality.

This Is an aspect of sport that should be allowed to sink deeply into the minds of those who gloat over the sporting proclivities of our young men and point to such exceptional athletes as Arnst and the All-Blacks for justification of their working creed. The very general habit of loafing around street corners and aimlessly wandering about on the part of a large proportion of the population is strongly condemned and Mr Hornibrook urges the benefit in this connection of a system of universal military training which would give a physical training to thousands of men who at present receive none. Tho cigarette habit is also mentioned, and here again we must endorse the remarks of thoso speakers who urged tho necessity for some practical stops being taken to lessen a practice that is undoubtedly assisting to undermine the constitution of some of our people. It is scarcely possible' to interfere with the lyabits of adults who are supposed to know what is best for themselves, but it should bo possible to take some measures in regard to boys and youth's who have not attained years of discretion to prevent them making physical weeds of themselves as the result of. a foolish and expensive practice. Probably the most important portion of tho discussion is that relating to the physical education of children attending the public schools. Mr Hornibrook has rightly shown that a good deal of tho so-called physical exercises undertaken in our primary schools is a delusion and a snare. The faults Ltr alleges in this respect are: —(1) That there is no periodical medical examination of the children, so that children may receive adequate corrective exercises, and may he properly classified according to their relative age, strength, etc., instead of merely by standards. (2) That the Education Boards do not -expect from tho teachers the same' standard of qualifications for physical teaching as for literary teaching, and therefore tho work i$ ■ .performed in a more or less perfunctory fashion,.. Breathing exercises, e.g., instead of forming the basis

of all the training are done in the most slipshod manner, and often not done at all. Proper physical exercise for school children is as different from tho work of the drill sergeant as could well be imagined, but of this fact there still seems to be no appreciation in the minds of Education Boards. They seem to bo quite satisfied if occasionally they see a largo number of children dressed in white, with colored sashes, walking about to* music in geometric convolutions. The physiological value of'such work is practically nil; the aim is not physiological at all, but simply spectacular. To get tho best results, the work must be designed to meet the growing requirements of the children, and each child must be medically examined periodically, and proper records kept of measurements, weight, etc. These points are of the utmost importance and must receive very careful consideration if the stamina of New Zealanders is to be maintained. We have' been exceptionally fortunate in having the Dominion peopled by the sturdiest representatives of a hardy race and, given great natural advantages, climatic and otherwise, we should be certainly lacking in commonsense if wo took no steps to remove the reproach that is involved in the/ report of Commander Blunts