602 
TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVEESAEY 
that would benefit them. They would not relax in their endeavour to educate young 
men, and the great thing to bear in mind was to educate, educate, educate ; that was the 
only way to make the Society beneficial to the members and respected by the public. 
Mr. Orrtdge said that the balance sheet presented that day to the meeting was the 
best justification of the policy that had been pursued by the Council, and also of the 
course of action taken by the members two years since. Instead of decreasing numbers, 
they had now the satisfaction of finding themselves numerically stronger, and with 
greatly improved finances. This was surely a powerful argument in favour of the course 
that had been pursued. 
Mr. Kent said the old members of the Society must be gratified at the great progress 
that had lately been made. He concurred in a great measure with Mr. Pedler, that it was 
not desirable to go to Parliament again for a year or two, although he should like to see 
some legal or Parliamentary power by which future chemists and druggists would first 
undergo some professional training. He was inclined to believe that the non-attendance 
at the laboratory course and the lectures arose, in a great measure, with the masters them¬ 
selves, and he fully concurred in the propriety of their not taking pupils unless they 
were well educated. It was also necessary that the masters should give their pupils 
time to study at the institution. The Society had risen to that eminence that he felt 
certain the masters would feel that they were not doing their duty if they did not give 
their pupils time to prosecute their studies here. He suggested that as the Society was 
established for the protection of the trade, it should endeavour to obtain an amendment or 
alteration in what was popularly known as Lord Campbell’s Act, whereby, in case of 
accident or mistake, the relatives were entitled to compensation ; and unless they did 
so, it appeared to him they would not be doing all they could to protect the members. 
They ought to be able to do that without the establishment of a legal defence society. 
Mr. George Edwards said that there was one thing to congratulate the meeting 
upon which was not mentioned in the Report. He alluded to the success which had at¬ 
tended the examinations for those who were already in business on their own account. 
This was a measure for which he had always been an advocate, and he rejoiced that so 
many had availed themselves of the opportunity of thus joining the Society. Whether 
they obtained legislative aid or no, their true wisdom was to assist all who were worthy 
to join their ranks; and, he was happy also to know, that the examination he referred 
to, had so commended itself to the judgment of those who had passed it, that they had 
become warm friends to the Society, and had immediately recommended their appren¬ 
tices to join it. On one occasion, of the apprentices who came to be examined, one-half 
were from chemists who had just passed the examination themselves. He would urge 
them to remember what Mr. Deane had said about short periods for study in the labora¬ 
tory. There had been two courses open to the founders of this Society,—one was to 
make it a kind of club for a few of the elite of the trade, and the other to make it the 
means of raising and benefiting chemists everywhere. If the first had been chosen, 
then this great outlay upon laboratory and library and complete establishment was 
wasteful and foolish, but, if the latter, then it would prove the truest wisdom. He, for 
one, had rather see the laboratory filled with apprentices and students for short periods, 
gaining sufficient knowledge to qualify them well and wisely to discharge the duties of 
their business, than see a few pupils there passing through an elaborate course of che¬ 
mical study, even if some proved rivals to Liebig. These would probably leave the busi¬ 
ness after all, while the others would have just that for which many of them had often 
sighed when apprentices,—opportunity to verify their book-learning, and make themselves 
really acquainted with the groundwork of that chemistry which would always be useful 
to them. Reference had been made to Lord Campbell’s Act, and he had always con¬ 
sidered that it pressed with great cruelty upon a chemist. In the recent case at Liver¬ 
pool, the shop was chosen because it bore one of the highest names in that part, of 
England for carefulness and attention ; this renown was the very thing which brought 
the prescription there ; and yet, whilst the person who really made the mistake went 
scot-free, those who had devoted untiring attention to do all in the power of men to 
prevent error and accident, were fined a sum which, to most men in the business, would be 
ruin. But many legal difficulties were in the way of any change, and he could only say 
that he was sure that this matter, as well as every other affecting the interests of the 
trade, would always receive the best attention of the Council. 
The resolution was then unanimously agreed to. 
