600 
TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY 
could be done, and that they only now lacked Parliamentary authority to establish them 
in their position as the examining body of an influential and advancing profession. 
They wanted this further definition as an encouragement to the rising generation who 
were inclined to become Pharmaceutical Chemists, to show that after an expensive cur¬ 
riculum they should not he classed with hucksters and other uneducated persons who 
vended drugs. As soon as they became an authorized body, he believed they would 
have a larger influx of students. In this and other respects, as regarded earlier closing 
and business remunerations, he considered they were passing through a crisis ; but until 
they received the Parliamentary authority they desired, he feared they could take no 
further steps, or make but little further advance. He therefore called upon the mem¬ 
bers of the Society to support it as they had done for the last twenty-five years, having 
no doubt as to the ultimate successful result; and moved that the Report now read be 
received and adopted, and printed in the Society’s Journal. 
Mr. Michael Carteighe seconded the motion. 
Mr. W. F. Smith (Walworth) said he had, formally years past, felt considerable interest 
in the Benevolent Fund, and he congratulated the Society on its preseut satisfactory 
position. On the last occasion when the lamented Mr. Bell occupied the chair, he 
(Mr. Smith) drew attention to the Benevolent Fund, and he showed that the average 
subscription to the Fund, taking all the members, was 6c/. per head, and now he was 
happy to say it averaged Is. id. per head. That was very gratifying, but he should still 
like to see it something better, because he thought they were in a position to do it. On 
the former occasion what he said had the effect of inducing his worthy friend and neigh¬ 
bour Mr. Falconer to send him £5 for the Benevolent Fund, with a hope that it might form 
a nest-egg for future extra exertion. Their excellent Secretary, who had some doubt 
whether the subject ought to have been stirred up in that way, did however (he was going 
to say almost condescend to) take it. The present satisfactory state of theBenevolent Fund 
, might therefore, he thought, be ascribed in some degree to what he said on the occasion to 
which he had alluded. He should very much like to see a rcvra avis, in the shape of a 
rich Pharmaceutical Chemist, devoting some of his superfluous cash and the remainder of 
his days in establishing a school where the sons of Pharmaceutical Chemists might get a 
good education at a less cost than at present in sending them to boarding schools. Un¬ 
fortunately there were many in the profession who had little money but large families, 
and it would be of great benefit to them if they could get their sons educated better and at 
a less cost than what they had now to pay. He hoped his suggestion in this respect might 
take root in the fruitful brain of some philanthropic Pharmaceutist, there fructify, and 
prove as satisfactory as had been the state and condition of the Benevolent Fund since 
he last called attention to it. With regard to the laboratory, he must say that it was 
a matter of pride and gratification to him to be able to state that his first pupil was now 
its director. He had been in business about twenty years ; during that time he had had 
six pupils, and four of them had gone through the laboratory course, with great credit 
to themselves and he hoped also to the Society. He thought that the small attend¬ 
ance at the laboratory rested very much with the members of the Society, especially 
those in London, for if they were to make it a necessity that their pupils should attend 
they would find it would be acceded to, and further that they would get a better class 
of persons brought up to the profession. He made it a rule never to take a pupil 
without a good premium, and a condition that he should attend the laboratory course 
of this institution, and also the lectures. Of course, the master has to exercise some 
little self-denial by giving out of the exigencies of business five or ten months of his 
pupil’s time to enable the latter to attend to laboratory course and lectures. He thought 
if such a determination was come to amongst the body generally, that they would very 
soon have more students in the institution than they would have room for. He hoped 
that time would come, and come speedily. 
Mr. Hump age said he entirely concurred in all that Mr. Smith had said respecting 
apprentices, and he would add, it gave him more satisfaction to find that 103 apprentices 
had been united to the Society during the past year than to hear that they were £1100 
richer: without such it would be impossible for them to get on. What they wanted was, for 
an educated body of young men to join them, and he held that the member who took ap¬ 
prentices that had not had a classical education did an injustice to the Society. It was 
just like asking a sculptor to produce something good without a piece of pure marble; 
they must first have the right material if they wished to produce anything satisfactory. 
