BRISTOL PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION. 
343 
porting itself, relying upon itself, and in no way belonging to or dependent upon the 
Pharmaceutical Society. By sheer dint of perseverance and energy it has grown and 
prospered. Not one single town can be mentioned in which its meetings have been held 
that cannot tell of a kindly feeling left behind, which before the visit never existed, of 
wholesome scientific desires called into play, and of petty envies and jealousies buried in 
oblivion. I should wonder if even freemasonry were a stronger bond of union than that 
which arises from the mutual experience of intellectual pursuits. At all events let us 
try and follow the example ; let us not grow cold on our newly-raised hopes; and if 
that incentive prove too selfish, let us bring in a philanthropic spirit, and endeavour to 
do for our young men what was never done, or could have been done for us in our early 
days. For years past we have rested on our oars, and have rather let things take their 
own course, our only aim being to get a good business together, or the best possible 
return for our outlay, and then leaving our successors to do the same in their 
turn. Times are now happily changed, and as you are aware, the status of our 
profession is placed in a much higher position than before. It is now recognized 
by Government (and not one minute too soon) as a department peculiar in its 
obligations, and scientific in its attainments, so that if we be true to ourselves, 
we shall presently find a plentiful return for our venture, and a higher consideration 
for our increased responsibility. It is now that we must cry “Onward!” for it is 
a point of true honour that we pharmaceutists maintain the position allotted to us 
with unwearied perseverance and unflinching integrity. I congratulate you, gentle¬ 
men, on the hearty response you have unanimously made to the late call upon your 
good feeling and purses. It is rarely that the sons of good old Bristol are found wanting 
when duty calls or a praiseworthy deed is suggested. We have, and I say it advisedly, 
as good a school of pharmacy as any provincial city in the kingdom. It comprises a 
course of more than sixty lectures on inorganic and organic chemistry, and another 
sixty on structural and systematic botany in the one winter session. These are, as you 
know, given by men well known to be competent to their tasks. In the name of you 
all, I most sincerely thank these lecturers for their very generous acceptance of our pro¬ 
posals and the marked interest they have evinced in the welfare and success of our 
young associates. We have at the present time upwards of forty-two students, all ap¬ 
parently bent on steady work, and having a hearty determination to go in and win. I 
must, however, express my deep regret at the small proportion of assistants who have 
joined us, but hope the good example set by the few will leaven the whole mass, so 
that, if spared for another session, we may have an opportunity of welcoming a much 
larger number. Your committee look forward with confidence and pleasure to the 
future of our young students. “Carefulness, perseverance, and accuracy ” must be their 
future motto, as it is of every good pharmaceutist. 
But, gentlemen, while preaching to others, let us not forget ourselves. I am consci¬ 
ous that I am addressing many older and more experienced than myself, and therefore 
am open to the charge of boldness, when I give them advice, but hope for forgiveness if 
I tread on unwelcome ground. I would ask, is it much less than criminal for a man in 
the prime of life and full of energy, to be idle? When we have finished what we 
desire so much,—a hard day’s work ; does it do one tittle of good, either to mind or body, 
if we sit down and, in common language, “take it easy”? By no means is this the 
case ; our business hours over, the enjoyment of a microscope, or a pleasant search through 
a select but useful little library for the explanation of the thousand-and-one phenomena 
that too often pass by unheeded, will prove a source of relaxation at once the most 
healthy and interesting. I cannot conceive any one to be less orderly or exact, less eco¬ 
nomical or quick, if he have a knowledge of the rationale of a decomposition, rather 
than blindly working by the “ rule of thumb.” My friends, believe me when I say 
that the mental wear and tear of a long series of years, is much less, when accompanied 
with an intellectual delight, than when simply borne with what I should imagine was the 
feeling of a criminal at the treadmill, working out his allotted quantum of toil,— 
“ The sweat of industry would dry and die, 
But for the end it works to.” 
I would far rather look to the future,—circumscribe our hours of business and work 
while it is day. We should do our dispensing better, please our customers better, and 
preserve our health better. Let us take an example or two of what passes before us 
