480 
LEEDS CHEMISTS’ ASSOCIATION. 
is a sacred right; but the guards and fences required to ensure us its enjoyment are so 
many limitations upon the right itself in its absolute sense. My liberty of action must 
be so restrained as not to infringe upon liberty and the rights of other members of the 
community. So of free-trade: if its unrestricted enjoyment can be shown to be incom¬ 
patible with the general welfare, it must submit to regulation, which will only limit, 
and not abolish, the operation of the principle. In our case, as in the analogous ones 
of the medical and legal professions, the free-trade principle is conserved by the un¬ 
limited admission of all who desire to enter our ranks, and who consent to the very 
moderate conditions imposed. One of the most striking illustrations of the power of 
unfettered trade is its ability to supply daily food for the wants of such a city as London, 
a task which we cannot conceive any Government commissariat as able to undertake. 
Yet here limitations are found needful, and are represented by the inspectors charged 
with the scrutiny of meat and fish, etc. Now, since a much larger number of citizens 
are able to protect themselves from being imposed upon by bad meat or fish, than can 
distinguish between sound and unsound drugs, the necessity for limitation in the latter 
case is the greater, and so is the need of protection against the evils of unlicensed phar¬ 
macy, which may arise from want of conscientiousness or want of knowledge, but more 
frequently from the latter than the former. 
Passing from generalities to the more practical conditions of the Act, it appears pri¬ 
marily the duty of all to carry out its conditions in a bond fide manner, and although 
some of these are not free from obscurity, there is little doubt that they will be amended 
if found to entail any grievance. The influence of the Act upon such societies as this 
must be very important. They will become necessary, as bringing the intelligence and 
legitimate influence of their members to bear upon the common interests, and where 
needful, using common action. Even more important will be the educational functions 
which should now form an essential part of the operations of such societies. The ordi¬ 
nary monthly meetings of the Association have great educational value, and those who 
will use them will find that, as compared with isolated study, they afford a great eco¬ 
nomy of mental labour. It would be impossible to omit to speak of the tendency of 
such associations to promote good feeling, and a habit of acting together amongst their 
members. 
The requirements of the Act represented by the “modified examination” appear just, 
although they may press rather hardly upon individuals. It is said that young men 
have offered themselves for these examinations who could not tell scammony from aloes, 
and one candidate who w r as asked the source of nut-galls, said they were “the fruit of 
the oakbeing reminded that oaks bore acorns, he replied, “ Yes ! but these are the 
berries.” 
Mr. Harvey then referred to the opportunities existing in Leeds for the prosecution 
of studies bearing upon pharmacy, alluding, first, to the excellent classes in chemistry 
connected with the Mechanics’ Institute, and conducted by Mr. Ward, a fellow-member 
of this Association ; also to a class recently formed by Mr. Abbott, for demonstrations 
and examinations in materia medica. Why should not these operations be expanded 
until a School of Pharmacy in Leeds became an established institution ? Thus, many 
facilities already existed for acquiring that reasonable amount of knowledge demanded 
by the examinations for assistants, and the shortened hours of labour gave the opportu¬ 
nity for using these facilities. It was not so forty years since, for then he recollected a 
physician calling at 9 p.m., and expressing surprise at finding the shutters were being 
closed “ so early.” 
The address concluded by an earnest appeal to young men to form such habits only 
as were compatible with a life of future usefulness, and the upholding of a competent 
position in the honourable calling upon which they had entered. 
Mr. Thompson moved the cordial thanks of the meeting for the excellent paper to 
which they had listened. His experience agreed very forcibly with that of the author 
of the paper, in teaching him that youth was the seed-time of life, and that its harvest 
was mainly dependent upon the habits which were formed in the earlier of those seasons. 
He was much impressed with the purpose of the address, to bring before their younger 
brethren the self-rewarded duty of being something higher than merely traders in 
drugs. 
Mr. Smeeton, in seconding the vote, referred to the address given by Mr. Harvey when 
