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THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



business represents. But the aims and 

 purposes of the proprietor and precep- 

 tor, and those of the teacher or professor, 

 are almost directly opposite. 



This divergency of interest was not so 

 apparent in former years, when the col- 

 lege course was comparatively limited ; 

 but as time has advanced it has become 

 more pronounced, until the college in 

 some parts of our country, feeling itself 

 fully occupied with its immediate work, 

 asks to be relieved of the responsibility 

 of looking after and holding itself re- 

 sponsible for the shop training. In doing 

 this it does not seem to underrate the 

 value of shop training, but it merely 

 wishes to be relieved of the vouching for 

 that over which it has so little control. 



Endeavoring to look at the matter 

 from an unbiased standpoint — as the 

 public might look at it — it seems to me 

 it does not matter upon whom the bur- 

 den of this duty rests, the important 

 thing is that it shall be looked after by 

 proper and responsible parties. Whether 

 this responsibility rests upon the college 

 or the State Board is perhaps immaterial, 

 providing the investigation is properly 

 made. 



It seems to me that in either case shop 

 experience will always be found to be an 

 uncertain and variable quantity — de- 

 pendent upon the quality and faithful- 

 ness of the preceptors who have the 

 supervision of such work. Comments 

 here are unnecessary, as every one knows 

 that the personal equation of the precep- 

 tor is by no means a fixed quantity. 



The question has frequently been asked 

 me, why not adopt the plan of some of 

 the colleges — be relieved of this burden 

 and only look after the college work — 

 give credit for this, and let the other 

 take care of itself? My answer to this 

 is, that whenever it shall be agreed that 

 this shall be looked after by others, I 

 shall be only too glad to resign that part 



of the work. I wish very much that 

 some unity of action could be adopted by 

 our various colleges, but I should be 

 very sorry to adopt any plan which 

 might be misunderstood by the shop, and 

 that would tend to disturb the intimate 

 relation which now exists between the 

 two. 



In the University of Kansas the per- 

 sonal contact between the professor and 

 the student, and his intimate relation 

 with the student's preceptor, gives him 

 a peculiarly advantageous position to 

 judge of the value of shop training ; but 

 it is a question whether it is best after 

 all for him or the institution he repre- 

 sents to continue to vouch for this experi- 

 ence. I should not like to urge any 

 radical change from present methods un- 

 less the change be recommended by our 

 State Board of Pharmacy and thorough- 

 ly acceded to by our Board of Regents. 



The question has occurred to me. 

 What would be the value of a diploma 

 i.ssued by the University which does not 

 in any way vouch for practical drug 

 store experience, as compared with a 

 diploma as it now stands, which 

 does vouch for this in a measure ? 

 Assuming that the college training in 

 both cases is precisely the same, whether 

 the experience be had or not, it is clear 

 that the diploma in the latter case, where 

 the experience is had, represents more. 

 It is true it would represent also values 

 more variable, but it would in every case 

 mean more. I think this is the view 

 that any unbiased person would take, 

 and the view the public would take. As 

 before stated, I should be very happy in- 

 deed to relieve myself of the responsibil- 

 ity of accounting for, of verifying and 

 vouching for the shop experience, and I 

 am sure that this would be a change, if 

 adopted by the Board of Regents, which 

 the students, particularly those who are 

 ambitious and impatient to obtain a de- 



