374 
MEETING OF CHEMISTS AT NOTTINGHAM. 
Raynor be submitted to the executive committee as the representative of the chemists of 
Nottingham on that committee.” 
Mr. Atherton said, “ You have heard from your chairman the objects of the Con¬ 
ference, and nothing could more increase its acknowledged value than to make it a little 
more practical. ^ The Conference, as it now exists, is not directly practical, although it 
exerts a powerful influence for good over our every-day laboratory and dispe^sin^ 
counter work. But there are many men in our profession who care little or nothin^ for 
any scientific papers, even though they influence, or might influence, their every-day 
life. Such men (and I might here say that the objects of the Conference is to confer 
benefits upon all, and not merely men who dabble in or feel the influence of science') 
such men the scheme which I have proposed to the heads of the Conference, and which 
1 now propose to you, will bind to our cause. It will attract men to the Conference who 
would not otherwise have joined, and at the same time will materially increase the 
interest of these yearly meetings to all. It is this, to establish an annual exhibition or 
collection of novelties and improvements in every department of our business which as 
you are all well aware, includes besides Pharmacy (which of course is the chief science) 
c emistry, botany, materia medica, it touches zoology, and to a certain extent geology! 
I piopose to collect chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical apparatus, instruments, uten¬ 
sils, and medicines, and anything else likely to interest the members of our profession 
not foigeumg such useful and ornamental articles (which I am sorry to say we chemists 
m the country have to deal in), which may be classed under the old facetious name 
given to this department a short time back, “ inorganic chemistry.” 
By the adoption of my scheme, the Conference will rapidly increase its number of 
memoers, and consequently its importance, and I feel convinced that nothing was ever 
promoted m connection with our profession more calculated to further the advancement 
of pharmaceutical science, to increase and promote the better education and standing of 
our members, and last, but not least, by these two combined, to increase our self-respect • 
and believe me, it is by this means chiefly that we can hope not only to increase our 
profits by preventing competition, but to elevate the trade, as it is now called to the 
nioic dignified and profitable title of a profession, to which we should then be entitled. 
I propose, subject of course to your approval, and subsequently to that of the Execu¬ 
tive Council of the Conference m London, to send out circulars to France, Germanv and 
other continental countries, to America, and then to every town in the kingdom • also to 
advertise the objects of the exhibition, and, depend upon it, we shall have plenty of 
manufacturers and inventors only too glad to forward their inventions and manufactures 
to oui meeting, free of expense, as a capital means of introducing them to so lar«-e and 
influential a body of our trade, and in future years this very exhibition will stimulate us 
to renewed energy, and will brighten up our ideas (dormant too long) by a spirit of 
competitive invention. 13 ' J ^ 
“ The expense of carrying out these ideas of course belongs principally to the Con- 
mrence ; but the labour will fall principally on the Local Committee, which will be 
much reduced by unity of action. We shall of course receive great help from the General 
Secretaries m the Conference, Dr. Attfield and Mr. Reynolds, of Leeds. The principal 
expense will be m the packing and unpacking of the specimens forwarded. The rooms 
l mst . ® ilad Ior f tae Conference. I therefore see no reason why the Exhibition should not 
be quite successful; and, if it is, gentlemen, we shall have the satisfaction of knowing 
we have inaugurated the first of a series of exhibitions which will materially influ¬ 
ence tae success of the Conference, and place our good old town of Nottingham in the 
therein^’ aS en ^ ed ^ an ^ s and the pleased remembrances of all interested 
i + Mr> Vi R 1 arker said, “Having been called upon to move a very important reso- 
nS ^n eat , pleasur . e iu so doin £’ for . sev .eral reasons. The first is, because I be- 
i . ,, ' ' on feience is one of those institutions which will greatly improve and 
5Efl S rade ’7 aC1Dg {t in its proper position in thc e y es of the public, increasing 
* ® ^ and 5 a V Smg U f to h 7 e Iooked U P t0 as a Profession, and not looked down 
^ of the P estle and mortar ; and, secondly, but by no means the least im- 
pjitant reason is, because I am firmly convinced it will tend (as its very first article of 
constitution expresses it) ‘ to promote the friendly reunion of the trade generally in fact 
ffi 1 wfi Po pe it wili prove the combining power which shall cause the various members, 
ot u i ich oui trade is at present constituted, to merge into one harmonious combination. 
