Allen: Chambers: Naismith: Chambers: Allen: . Chambers: Naismith: RADIO PROGRAM November 4, 1937. PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR HEALTH "YOUTH LOOKS AT ALCOHOL AND PLay" The kaleidoscopie succession of events in the last four years, many of which seem to indicate fundamental changes in the social structure of our nation, is beginning to have e decided effect upon the thinking of many of our citizens. The repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment and the consequent cocktail hour in which many children come in contact with alcohol, in see- ing their parents indulge, has caused educators to ponder. Although there is deep-seated opposition from many quarters, forward-looking educators are beginning to realize that if schools are to meet the demands of changing times, many issues, controversial in nature, must be frankly, openly, and fairly discussed in our class rooms. The present trend is to discover a new and more effective method of apvroach- ing the alcohol question for younger neople, which will vresent materials both absorbing in interest and accurate in statements. The information must be scientific. It is rather a significant fact that the Sunday School teachers of the nation this past week ciscussed the liquor subject as their Intemational Temperance Week's topic. Twelve thousand public school teach- ers of the state of Kansas assemble this week-end in conventions to stucy problems helpful to the youth of the state. Four thousand school teachers meet here on Mount Oread tomorrow and Saturday to keep abreast of the changing trends in education. Dr. Chambers, both you and Dr. Naismith have been teachers in the public schools and the Sunday Schools. Both of you are medical physicians and you can speak with authority on the effects of alcohol on the human animal. Dr. Cnambers, does alcohol in your opinion very greatly lessen the efficiency in the reaction time of the individual? Say in automobile driving? What about laboratory tests to determine such things? A very interesting test was made on taxi drivers. The average time that it took the drivers to press the brake pedal, after a red light was flashéd as a Signal, was one-fifth of a second. Then they found that for the average person, tested when he had the amount of alcohol which one would get in tio glasses of beer, the time required was from 3/5 of a second to a full second. I imagine some people ask this question. What cifference does it make whether it tekes 1/5 or 5/5 of a second to press the brake vedal? If you get it pressed the car stops any way, doesn't it, Dr. Chambers? Yes, Dector, but death deals in split seconds. If a car is traveling at the rate of 60 miles an hour, how far does it go in one second? In 1/5 of a second? Those figures are easy of computation. The car goes at that rate 88 fect in one second, and 17 3/5 feet in 1/5 of a second. That's exactly right. -It would take a fellow with s counle of beers in him 35 to 70 feet more to stop his car than it would teke the non-drinking fellow. That would make a mighty big difference in a tight place, don't you think? No argument about that.