The man on the farm and in the workshop here, as in other countries, is apt to get enough physical work; but we were tending steadily in America to produce . . . sedentary classes . . . and from this the athletic spirit has saved us.  – Theodore Roosevelt

Here is a link to the article – http://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/file/archives/pdf/2013_08_Imprimis.pdf

An interesting question is what role does risk and the potential for injury play in making us a stronger people and does a life a guaranteed safety make us weaker.