THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 159 



Many T know will say, "What's the use? we have heen ahle to get 

 along" so many years in the old way, why change it now?" Anrl, gen- 

 tlemen, there is where lies the clanger. 'I'he warning note has heen 

 sounded, competition with the cut-rate sttjres is now so keen that we 

 must find a remedx'. Let the proprietors of such stores thrive on 

 cut-rate prices and miscellaneous goods. You cannot do it. Let them 

 spend money on advertising and displays, you cannot. Let them have 

 candy and other specialties, you cannot do it. Let them carry an 

 enormous stock of everything for the household, vou cannot do it. 

 But they can't prove themselves truly and honestly professional phar- 

 macists, and what is more, you can. 



You are in direct communication with the tloctors and patients. 

 Vou can show that you can dispense their prescriptions, you can gain 

 their confidence as to you ahility and accuracy ; you can show you are 

 a pharmacist and not a merchant, pure and simple. They will then 

 bring their prescriptions and buy what they need from you, and you 

 will incidentally reap the harvest that is your due. That is why you 

 should make a "specialty" of your store, and why you should practice 

 a ''specialty" as is done in other professions. Become a prescription 

 specialist. Make your store look like a professional store, not a dry 

 goods store, candy shop or patent medicine cut-rate estalilishment. 



We pharmacists have been awakened from a long sleep and must 

 be up and doing. Remember the story of the lion and the mouse. We 

 must endeavor to put a net around the li m and then we can feel safe. 

 We have taken the wrong step in our endeavor to compete with those 

 who are trying to devour us. We imitate their methods. \\> try to 

 do as they do. Gentlemen, we must not do this, for if we do, we wil' 

 be signing our death warrants. We have neither the capital nor the 

 facilities to follow in such a lead, but we have the brains, the knowl- 

 edge to elevate ourselves far above the standard of the big stores to- 

 day, by making our only "specialty" — and you know it is a paying 

 one — dispensing. You will continue to sell all other things just as 

 you have heretofore and if you should sell a few bottles less of some 

 proprietary preparation, which is on our shelves and in otir closets, 

 you may be able to save a few dollars. Let the Blue Laws of our 

 profession be revised. Let us be awake and looking toward the fu- 

 ture. In fact the future is now very near, and we must be ready to 

 face it, not as merchants, but as professional men. 



