228 THE RIGHT TO BE WELL BORN 



THEY CANNOT PASS THE SIMPLEST 

 ARMY AND NAVY MENTAL AND 

 PHYSICAL TESTS. 



That some attention should be given to 

 the future of the American boy is brought 

 out by the Government Eeport on an exam- 

 ination of the recruits accepted by the 

 United States Army during May, 1916. 

 There were 14,020 applicants for admis- 

 sion to the army. Of this number, 11,081, 

 or over 77%, were rejected, because of 

 their physical or mental unfitness; and, 

 as I before stated, only defects were con- 

 sidered which prevented applicants from 

 active service. The rejections in certain 

 New York City recruiting offices were 80% 

 of those making application. A few of 

 these cases come under the head, "due to 

 inability to speak and write English," but 

 the rejections for the most part are due 

 to physical defects, the main physical de- 

 fects being the ears, eyes, lungs and feet. 



The use of alcohol and cigarettes causes 

 some to be rejected. The chest and muscu- 

 lar development of the country boy exceeds 

 that of the city boy ; but the city boy, after 



