ANNUAL MEETING. 
797 
in so doing said lie would not detain the meeting longer than just to remind them of 
the figures which he had before quoted; that the present educational appliances of 
the Society enabled them to educate about 95 scholars per annum at most; whereas, 
as far as he could make out, the number annually requiring education was about 
3000. He did not for one moment suppose that the resources of the Society would 
ever be equal to the proper scientific education of this large number. But when it 
was remembered that they must get their scientific education somewhere, and that 
in all probability they would derive it from the various schools which were, with more 
or less effect, being established throughout the country, and which were maintained 
mainly by the voluntary efforts of pharmaceutists in their respective localities, it would 
be seen that this must entail a heavy tax. upon the resources of those localities, which 
already contributed very largely to the London institution. He thought, therefore, 
that something from the central source was due to those representative centres where 
so much had been done to supplement the efforts of the Society. He did not expect 
any immediate action to take place, but he hoped that, this question being considered, 
it would ultimately lead to something being done. He begged leave to move the re¬ 
solution which he had previously read. 
Mr. Dickinson begged leave to second it, and he hoped it would be passed by the 
meeting; that the Council would take it into earnest consideration, and report 
upon it. 
Mr. Ince said he should have been very happy to have seconded the resolution, 
had not Mr. Dickinson forestalled him; but he should most strongly support it in 
every possible way. 
The Chairman said the strongest argument in favour of the resolution was to be 
found in the fact that of the sixty young men who had passed their examination dur¬ 
ing the three months of 1863, forty-one had received their education entirely in the 
provinces. 
Mr. Randall said he hardly liked a resolution of that sweeping character to be 
passed so suddenly. It was a very serious matter, as they not merely remitted the 
matter to the Council, but did it in such a way that their decision could only be in 
one form. There was not time then to go into the arguments to show what diver¬ 
sity of opinion there might be upon it. lie would refer to the fact, as appearing in 
the Report just presented, that the Council seemed rather to lean to the view that 
they should give up educating altogether. He did not believe that the proper thing 
ia perpetuity would be that they should constitute themselves both an educating and 
examining body. Young men must prepare themselves for examination, and he had 
no doubt that means of education would, sooner or later, develope themselves. He 
thought, therefore, it was too important a matter to be passed in a hurry at the 
fag-end of a long meeting. 
Mr. Dickinson said if they passed that resolution in the abstract, they passed no 
opinion beyond recommending it to the consideration of the Council, and thus the 
whole question was left open. If the Council adopted Mr. Schacht’s views, they 
would say so, and then further action might be taken. 
Mr. Collins said Mr. Randall had raised a very important point, and it must be 
patent to all, that the practice of modern times was against the same body undertak¬ 
ing the duties, both of educating and examining. The fact mentioned by the Presi¬ 
dent, that a great number of the men who passed, educated themselves as best they 
could, showed that there was, at least, some supply equal to the demand. He hoped, 
therefore, that they would not send this instruction to the Council, for it was a very 
great subject, and required a deal of earnest consideration. 
Mr. Reynolds said that as a provincial member he felt the importance of the sub¬ 
ject, but he certainly thought the resolution rather committed the meeting, and they 
should be very careful how a corporate body, in possession of large funds, was com¬ 
mitted to a promise or even a recommendation that there should be a deviation in 
the destination of some of those funds. He should be inclined to recommend some¬ 
thing much milder ; for instance, “ That this meeting recommends the new Council 
to inquire what facilities exist in the provinces for the technical education of candidates 
for examination.” 
Mr. Scliacht thought the scope of his resolution had not been thoroughly com- 
