Yet a few days later Rice had to appear before the Draft Board for examination prior to possible induction into the Army for a year's training. The Board pronounced him physically unfit for military service, and disclosed that he was suffering from a triple hernia, It does seem strange that a man who can be a star at baseball. football or any other game should not be able to perform military service. It is hard to figure out how it is that such service should require more physical] ability than is needed to take part in the strenuous exercise that sports involve.
It is gratifying to note that few indeed are the athletes who have asked to be exempted or put in the deferred class. They are glad to do their part and it does seem as if they should be accepted and given the same kind of work to perform as is given the non-athlete.
Some persons have put forth the idea that a professional athlete who is drawing a big salary can contribute more by continuing in his field of activity and so paying a large tax io the government than he can by doing military service. There may be some justification for this claim; but we fail to understand the standards whereby it can be claimed that he is not a fit subject for military service because of physical unfitness.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.