178 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



PRELIMINARY EDUCATION OF PRO= 

 FESSIONAL PEOPLE. 



Within the last few years a movement 

 has been afoot to better fit medical and 

 legal students to enter their respective 

 professions. Europe has long since been 

 very stringent in this regard, yet it is 

 only within a comparatively short time 

 that any attention has been paid to 

 it in this country. Examinations for 

 lawyers, and medical students and phar- 

 macists existed only in name. Grad- 

 ually this has been overcome, and now 

 a very fair knowledge is required in these 

 branches. 



Preliminary education has been started 

 here in a fair way. It is under the super- 

 vision of the State Board of Regents and 

 with their experience has worked very 

 successfully. That for lawyers is rated 

 the highest. The maximum being a pre- 

 scribed 27 counts. These include : 



English Composition, 2 ; advanced 

 English, 2 ; first year Latin, 4 ; Arith- 

 metic, 4 ; Algebra, 4 ; Geometry, 3 ; U. 

 S. History, 2 ; English History, 2 ; 

 Civics, a ; Economics, 2. 



Medical students 16 counts : 



Arithmetic, 4 ; Elementary English, 

 2 ; Geography, 2 ; Spelling, 2 ; U. S. 

 History, 2 ; English Composition, 2 ; 

 Physics, 2. 



Pharmacists- have thus far been left 

 out. 



Preliminary education has been en- 

 forced with the idea of raising the stand- 

 ard of khowledge and preventing incom- 

 petent persons from entering the profes- 

 sions. Where formerly college instruc- 

 tion was imparted without question as to 

 the capacity of the student to understand 

 it, now it is assured that such instruction 

 shall be received properly. 



I contend that we have reached a stage 

 here where money should not be the sole 

 aim of man. America in her young days 

 brought about these conditions ; they are 



the result of enterprise and ambition ; 

 but now, after establishing a nation, we 

 must brighten it. Intelligence and learn- 

 ing are absolutely essential to success. 

 Self-made men have had their day, unless 

 in making themselves they start in with 

 education. 



The standard of the profession would 

 certainly be raised if under the super- 

 vision of the Regents. 



The pharmacist is really a public ser- 

 vant, as is a lawyer or physician. A fatal 

 mistake on his part affects the public by 

 loss or injury of one of its numbers. 



Pharmacy is a profession, and phar- 

 macists should associate with profes- 

 sional people. But can they ? Their 

 general information is deficient. Peo- 

 ple of education want to associate with 

 people as well educated as they are. 

 Make education a license on pharmacy 

 and it will keep out ignorant people. It 

 will leave the profession clean and de- 

 mand its recognition. It will better en- 

 abfe its members to pursue advanced 

 studies and thereby contribute to medi- 

 cine. It will create a class of men whose 

 intelligence will cast a lustre about the 

 profession. There will be some distinct- 

 ion to the title " Pharmacist." Law- 

 yers have thus protected their ranks, 

 physicians theirs, and the pharmacist 

 must follow. 



HiERONnvius A. Herold, 



Rare Metals.— During his recent Royal In- 

 stitution lecture on the "Rarer Metals," Pro- 

 fessor Roberts-Austen stated that granulated 

 aluminum has the property of withdrawing 

 oxygen from the oxides of the rarer metals, and 

 so reducing them to the metallic state. This is 

 accomplished at a comparatively low tempera- 

 ture. By this means, he has obtained zir- 

 conium, vanadium, uranium, manganese, tita- 

 nium and tungsten. The alumina formed has 

 the further advantage of protecting the liber- 

 ated metals from oxidation during fusion. It is 

 remarkable that aluminium withdraws the oxy- 

 gen from red oxide of lead with explosive force. 

 — Pharm. /our. 



