PHARMACEUTICAL LEGISLATION. 
35 
ceutical Society/ but, looking at all the facts of the case, we cannot avoid 
doing so, although we attach the greatest importance to membership, its 
duties and its privileges.” It is only charitable to suppose that this was 
inserted by an oversight of the editor ; for surely he must know that it is by 
means of the subscriptions and exertions of those members (whose title he is 
compelled to ignore) that the Society has become what it now is. If the sen¬ 
tence were knowingly inserted, I cannot imagine a more gross insult to men 
who have paid subscriptions for*years, very many of them from the founda¬ 
tion of the Society. I trust the writer will think proper to qualify this state¬ 
ment in the next Journal, for it is scarcely one of either the duties or privi¬ 
leges of membership to hear such opinions now from the Journal which has 
hitherto always loudly proclaimed the importance of it. 
Objection is also taken to the money question being imported into this 
discussion. I only mentioned it because it was discussed by the deputations 
in February last. JN T o man can go through the course of study requisite to 
enable him to become a Pharmaceutical Chemist, without being greatly bene¬ 
fited by it; but it must be remembered that he undergoes this expense with 
the direct object, in most instances, of obtaining entrance into the society ; 
and wdien outsiders seek to enter, and raise the question of buying themselves 
in, it is only fair for the other side to argue on the same grounds. 
There is also a letter in the same Journal by Mr. S. C. Betty, in which he 
asks whether it would not have been much fairer for me to have assured my¬ 
self that I was not guilty of injustice before assailing the injustice of others. 
Of what injustice have I been guilty P When I was younger, I aspired to 
what I considered to be the highest honours of the trade to which I belong— 
a connection with the Pharmaceutical Society. I adopted the course then 
open to me, which I was assured was the only one that would be available 
for the future, and passed the examinations ; but if the proposed Bill becomes 
law, I (with many others) shall have the mortification of finding that the 
hard-won distinction will be open to others, without the expenditure of 
either time or money. The rights and privileges I have worked for are as¬ 
sailed by those who will not take the same trouble to obtain them ; and as I 
object to this, because I think it unjust, I am politely requested to assure 
myself that I am not unjust also, and am further informed that I am selfish, 
illiberal, unwise, etc. etc. 
I cannot help thinking that the position taken up by that portion of the 
trade, for which Mr. Betty stands forth as champion, is a very unfortunate 
one. Many, if not most of them, have already had the option of joining the 
the Society without examination, and have declined to do so ; but now that 
it has attained a position, the importance of which cannot be contradicted, 
they insist on admission—and do not seek it as a privilege, but demand it as 
a right. Mr. Betty complains that I call them a few clamorous outsiders, 
which he denies; yet he tells us that although there are 4000 outsiders to be 
legislated for, and to whom we must open our doors, probably the very ut¬ 
most who would care to join the Society (and he asserts he kuow T s) would be 
500—the very utmost, we must remember; in reality, there might not be 
half that number who would care to come in ; and as it may be assumed that 
it is only this part of the trade who now seek admission, am I so very far 
w r rong in calling them a few ? and as for their clamour, what does Mr. Betty 
think of their present position, when they do not ask for, but persistently de¬ 
mand to be enrolled as members of the Pharmaceutical Society P 
Mr. Betty tells us that before we speak of justice to the examined members, 
the founders, and the public, we must see justice as she is, and examine the 
weights for either side the scales. He asks, how are two-thirds of the trade 
to be legislated for? and says, certainly not by treating them as aliens to a 
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