1748                             Joint Resolutions

Whereas, There has been a clear indication of a decline of physical
strength and ability of young Americans since the early stages of
the Korean War highlighted by figures released showing that almost
one out of every two young Americans was being rejected by the
Selective Service as mentally, morally, or physically unfit; and

Whereas, A fifteen-year research project centering in the Posture
Clinic of New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital recently pub-
lished results of physical fitness tests given to 4,264 children in this
country and 2,870 children in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, show-
ing that despite our unparalleled standard of living, good food, etc.,
American youth lagged far behind Europeans in physical fitness.
Six tests for muscular strength and flexibility were given with 57.9%
of the American children failing one or more of these tests, while
only 8.7% of the Europeans failed. In the five strength tests, 35.7%
of the American children failed one or more of these tests, while
1.1% of the Europeans failed, and among the Austrian and Swiss
youth, the rate of failure was as low as .5%; and

Whereas, As a result of the alarming findings of the Columbia-
Presbyterian Hospital research project, President Eisenhower has
created a Council on Youth Fitness at the Cabinet level and appointed
a Citizens Advisory Committee on Fitness of American Youth com-
posed of prominent citizens in fitness; and

Whereas, President Elect PRESIDENT John F. Kennedy has
been sufficiently alarmed by the overall decline of the physical fitness
of our young men and women that he has written an article in a
major weekly magazine, entitled "The Soft American" pointing out
the dangers of physical weakness; and

Whereas, It appears that in some political subdivisions in the
State, the Boards of Education are not encouraging physical fitness
or high school athletics in their particular areas, particularly, in
one of the largest political subdivisions in the State; and

Whereas, This is just as much a State of Maryland problem as it
is a national problem and it is time for the State of Maryland to
move forward with a State program designed to improve the fitness,
general posture, strength, and good health of all young men and
women in Maryland; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland, That the Governor
be requested to appoint a special Commission of not less than 7 nor
more than 12 members, a majority of whom shall be graduates of
educational institutions located within the State of Maryland, at least
one member of which shall be a member of the faculty of an institu-

tion of higher learning in this State, and at least one member shall

be a member of the faculty of high school in this State, and at least

one member a representative of the Armed Services, to conduct a
thorough analysis and study of the overall problem of physical fitness
training of young men and women in the State of Maryland, to
investigate and evaluate the policy of the State Board of Education
and the policies of the various Boards of Education in the Counties
with regard to physical fitness training in the public school system
and the encouragement of high school athletics therein, to establish