34 THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 



ries of life, yet in the mountains they gather minerals and separate their 

 parts, as also men find the herbs, etc., which the druggist learns how to 

 prepare in the behalf of life. 



Now, I am reminded of my friend Pickwick, with whom I had no 

 personal acquaintance. When brought before a Tribunal, he appealed 

 to His Honor, the Judge, in the following manner: 'I am a druggist, 

 and I have left a stupid clerk in the store who does not know oxalic 

 acid from epsom salt, and what am I to do ?' 



The druggist needs the precise knowledge of every medicine in his 

 store, quite as much as the physician who writes some hieroglyphics 

 which no one can read unless he has seen and studied them before. I 

 have no doubt it is difficult for the young ladies and gentlemen to read 

 those puzzles called prescriptions ; but when they leave this school and 

 go forth into the great world, they go forth knowing substantially the 

 great elements which compose every substance, and there is no more 

 beautiful science on earth, to niv mind, than chemistry. 



The young lady or gentleman, who can analyze 99% of the particles 

 contained in a substance, which is more than the brightest boy here to- 

 night can do, who can extract all the sand, etc., (I might go on and 

 name a dozen different things), has indeed an advantage over his or 

 her fellows. 



You have entered upon the great world, but your school-days are 

 not yet over. Mine are not. There is hardly a day or an hour but 

 what a man may acquire new knowledge. I do not believe in wasting 

 that "mid-night oil," though. Take the world easy. Think what has 

 been done in your days. Think of the electricity. Think of the steam ; 

 everything. And the mind of man is developing more and more, so 

 we are always benefiting by some new experiment or invention. 



The young men, I hope, will reflect back not only upon this, their 

 Alma Mater, but upon this, their City of New York. 



God bless you, young men, and young ladies (do not let me overlook 

 them). Every young lady is the better if she can do something in case 

 of misfortune, and too many of us parents neglect that most essential 

 of all things — fitting the young ladies, as well as the young men, to 

 help themselves in time of need — not to let them depend helplessly 

 upon others for their bread and clothes. It is no disgrace for the best 

 young lady in the land to work for her honest living. I say that they 

 might learn this very art of medicine, and practice it, too, as they may 



