80 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 27, 1872.. 
allowed an hour or so daily (when business permits), and 
take one or two hours for study by rising early before business 
commences. 
By some such plan as this a young man of moderate 
abilities, with a fair preliminary knowledge of his business, 
could pass his Minor examination the first year ; and with a 
little modification of the arrangement his Major in the second 
year. 
If you take in an additional radius of nine miles, you in¬ 
clude towns containing about 300 more assistants, who could 
attend in a similar manner. These gentlemen, thus qualified, 
could then obtain better remuneration both in town and 
country, and make room for a fresh supply from the provinces. 
This plan has been canned out most successfully by a few 
houses, and has created between the employer and the em¬ 
ployed kindly feelings, which have been mutually gratifying 
and advantageous to both parties. 
I believe there are many very anxious to help the young 
men out of their present position; but there must also be a 
desire on the part of the latter to secure at a sacrifice the 
advantages of an education which may not long be obtainable 
on such easy terms. 
Turnham Green. Benjamin Humpage. 
Sir,—In reply to some remarks in your leading article in 
the Journal for last week, I would observe that the first 
clause of the Royal Charter of Incorporation, granted on 
February 18th, 1843, states that it was granted for the pur¬ 
pose of “ advancing chemistry and pharmacy, and promoting 
an uniform system of education of those who should practise 
the same.” This clause was confirmed by the Act for Regu¬ 
lating the Qualifications of Pharmaceutical Chemists, dated 
June 30th, 1S52. In the Act passed July 31st, 1868, to 
Regulate the Sale of Poisons, to Alter and amend the Phar¬ 
macy Act of 1S52, and to make examinations compulsory, 
I cannot find any clause which releases the Council from 
the responsibility of promoting “ an uniform system of 
education of those who practise pharmacy.” 
It is my opinion that it is still their duty to encourage, to 
assist, and to foster it, by every means in their power. If it 
be not their duty to do so, how can they justify their ex¬ 
penditure over the School of Pharmacy in Bloomsbury 
Square ? Do not let me be misunderstood on this subject. 
I do not begrudge one penny expended over it. It is a 
source of regret to many that, so few of the London appren¬ 
tices and assistants avail themselves of such splendid oppor¬ 
tunities for improvement. Many of the older members of 
the.trade would have jumped for joy, could they have had in 
their youthful days such privileges. I trust it is from no 
niggardly spirit that the institute in Bloomsbury Square 
has lost the services of one so eminent in his profession as 
Dr. W. A. Tilden, the demonstrator in its laboratory. 
I cannot subscribe to your belief that “ the Council of the 
Society has ever sought, and still seeks, to know how it may 
assist, to the attainment of the best education possible, those 
who have already helped themselves.” I think the present 
Council are anxious to do so, but if I am to state my opinion 
truthfully, it appears to me that past Councils have not been 
so. I have no doubt but the Sheffield Association and some 
others will bear out my opinion on this subject. 
The country members of the Society are patiently waiting 
for results. If those expectations are disappointed, probably 
another list of candidates at the next election of Council will 
enable them to realize them. Had Jacob Bell lived, the 
eminent pharmacist, the patron of the fine arts, the country’s 
benefactor, as the walls of the South Kensington Museum 
testify, this subject had not remained so long unsettled. 
However, the cry peccavi, peccavi, from some of the members 
of the last Council gives some hope for the future. May 
the mantle of Jacob Bell rest upon the shoulders and his 
large heartedness fill the breasts of the present members of 
the Council. 
Uxill, July 22ntl, 1872. Atkinson Pickeeing. 
[**# Our correspondent appears to have fallen into the now 
somewhat common error of confounding the promotion of a 
uniform system of education, and the providing of that 
education. Hone, we believe, would dispute the opinion that 
it is the duty of the Society to promote education, and until 
Mr. Pickering declared the contrary, we believed that most 
members ot the Society at least gave the representative body 
the credit of having liberally endeavoured to attain that 
object. Even Mr. Schacht, and those who have with him 
urged that the means of education hitherto provided ‘by the- 
Society are inadequate for ensuring that general education 
which is essential, have never disparaged what has been 
done by the Society, and we venture to think that the- 
comparatively small extent to which the Society’s school 
has been taken advantage of is strong evidence that the 
real want in regard to education is the absence of such a 
demand for it as should exist. In regard to this point it is 
now essential that the trade at large should come forward 
and zealously cooperate with the society in the endeavour to 
make the necessity of education more generally appreciated 
both by apprentices and assistants, as well as by masters.. 
Mere laudation of the labours of Jacob Bell will not justify 
patient waiting for results unless there be also on the part of 
country members of the Society an effort to imitate the zeal 
and energy with which those labours were directed to the 
advancement of the trade at largo.—Ed. Phaem. Jotjen.] 
The Possibility op Efeoet. 
Sir,—Permit me to offer a few remarks on the above sub¬ 
ject and in reply to Mr. Nuthall’s letter, contained in your 
issue of Saturday last. I have experienced the fact that 
individual effort, combined with determination, and with no 
other help than the ordinary text-books, can pull a candidate 
through the Minor. I served my apprenticeship in a small 
country village of 800 inhabitants. My master was a 
“ pharmaceutical chemist,”—at least he had a certificate to 
that effect, though he knew as much about botany and 
chemistry as the Sian in the Moon. Bentley, Attfield, and 
he never had the slightest acquaintance. Besides being a 
chemist and druggist, he was postman, grocer, and general 
dealer; and as to my passing the Preliminary even, it nejer 
gave him a thought. There was no other chemist within 
twelve miles, and I only saw a drug traveller every three 
months, so I do not think any young man could be placed in a 
more unenviable position. However, I determined to try,, 
and if I failed, to leave for some large town where there were- 
classes. I passed the Preliminary easy, and then at once 
commenced preparing for the Minor. 1 got one of Evans’ 
Cabinets, and also the various text-books in use. I wrote- 
down in a tabular form (for easy reference) every drug, etc., 
in the Pharmacopoeia—its botanical and zoological name, 
natural order, part of plant, etc., country, preparations, 
doses, etc.; this I learnt thoroughly. Then I read * Selecta 
e Prescripts,’ and got by heart the composition and dose of 
every compound tincture, powder, etc. After that I went at 
Bentley for three months, and mastered a good part of it 
then I had other three months at Attfield, and then I had 
a turn at the ‘ Metrical System.’ This I did with no assist¬ 
ance, except, being puzzled with some chemical equations, I 
wrote to the local secretary, and he kindly put me right. 1 
then went to Edinburgh, and passed, not easily, but I passed. 
There were six candidates, I was second on the list, two failed. 
I am now 23 years of age, and in business for myself. I am 
about to take an apprentice, and I will not bind him until he 
passes the Preliminary; and if he does not pass the Minor 
while with me, I will return the premium. I consider this 
only right, as if I undertake “ to teach him the art and mys¬ 
tery ” of a chemist and druggist, I undertake that he must 
pass the necessary examinations. 
Too many masters never consider the moral obligations 
they are under to their apprentices. However, let us hope 
that a new era has dawned upon us, that with a new genera¬ 
tion a new state of things is about to arise. 
Allow me to add that a short time before I left my old 
situation, I coached a young man for the Preliminary, and he 
is now studying for the Minor. 
I have not written this to boast, only to let intending candi¬ 
dates see what perseverance and determination will do. 
July 8th, 1872. Minoe Associate, 1871. 
“ Tolu .”—Your customer probably made a false statement 
to induce you to lower your price. It’ this be the case, you are 
doing your neighbour an injustice in asking us to publish your 
letter without first communicating with him as to the correct¬ 
ness or otherwise of the price named. 
S. T. S .—Either or all of the substances mentioned, to¬ 
gether with iron, would be precipitated if present. 
Communications, Lettees, etc., have been received from. 
Mr. R. F. Morcom, J., S. T. S., R. H. Z., S. P. S. 
