300 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
ambition, well fit them for the discharge of theseduties,andwho 
would have but simple justice done them by their appoint- 
ment. It may be argued, that practitioners, as a class, gene- 
rally lose after a few years that kind of knowledge which is 
absolutely necessary to be found in an examiner. This we 
would grant, and, for the same reason, would urge that 
the greater necessity therefore exists for the Council to 
ascertain who among us has ability and determination to 
render himself fully competent for the duty by renewed 
study. We give our hearty concurrence to a scheme which 
was suggested in our hearing a short time since, namely, 
that as vacancies occur in the Board, due notice should be 
given to the whole 'profession of a want of a new member, and 
candidates should be invited to send in their names and tes- 
timonials of qualification. We must not, however, stop 
here, as we have previously remarked, for if so, little good 
would follow. Where a thorough reform is needed, half 
measures invariably fail, and therefore we should wish to see 
adopted a modified plan of the French system of election by 
concours, and have the merits of the several candidates tested 
by all being submitted to some kind of examination, ana- 
tomical or pathological, as the case might be, orally and by 
writing. An eloquent author, in his “ Thoughts on the 
War,” has thus expressed himse\f, with reference to ap- 
pointments in general, “Let merit be everything ; and 
wealth, family connexion, rank, and party be nothing .” 
Agreeing most fully with this sentiment, we would add, 
nevertheless, that no one should be eligible to take his seat 
at the board who had not been several years in practice, and 
whose standing in societ}^ did not warrant his occupying 
such an honorable position. We will not, however, discuss 
the details at further length, but, as professional journalists, 
we contend for the principle, and as such do our best to 
bring about this necessary change. We venture to pre- 
dict that, if this system were acted upon, the profession 
would possess, in the veterinary portion of the Board, as 
it ever has done in the medical, men whose acquittal 
of their duties as examiners was only equalled by their 
