120 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[August 10 ,187 & 
Then the teacher will claim payments according to the 
positions the students take in the examination. The plan he 
will adopt in teaching will be this : Knowing that the “stock ” 
questions are printed ( £ Examination Papers’), and that there 
is little variation year by year, he will especially dwell upon 
such subjects as are likely to be involved in such examination 
—the “vital points” of the examination. He will, more¬ 
over, “ coach up ” the student night by night on anticipated 
questions. Those questions which are likely to be put to the 
pharmaceutical student may be obtained from the Pharma¬ 
ceutical Journal of past years. The professional “ cram¬ 
mers ” in London, understanding this matter, adopt the same 
principle. Moreover, the teacher of the class will adopt this 
principle in order to confine the student’s attention to the 
assailable points, and, prevent the student wasting time in 
reading upon subjects which may not be wanted in the ex¬ 
amination, and, also, to obtain a larger return for himsell on 
the scheme of payments for results. 
I am sorry to acknowledge my practical acquaintance with 
this system. "While a teacher I was obliged to adopt it, or 
my students could not have passed. The keeping the register 
of attendance, the marking all who have attended 25 lessons, 
the making of claim for payment and a few other ceremonies, 
may be considered minutiae, but they are in practice so tedious 
that a £10 gratuity to the teacher would not be improperly 
bestowed. Mr. Schacht is imitating a perishable system, for 
the c Directory ’ says, “ Payments to teachers must not be 
looked upon as perpetual; the amount given is likely to be 
decreased or eventually withdrawn.” 
Perhaps the Pharmaceutical Society will consider them¬ 
selves authorized to do as the Government does, viz., send 
down an inspector to see that the students are properly in¬ 
structed, and the examination properly conducted—who may 
drop in any moment. 
The Student. —He will, it is presumed, accept the invitation 
to attend instruction. He will rejoice that he can obtain 
instruction with the minimum of expense to himself, and if it 
be the son of a policeman, coast-guardsman, artisan, or small 
shopkeeper whose income is under £100 a year, he will have 
the more occasion to rejoice. 
There is a real likeness on this point to the Government 
system. The Government system aids the lowest class of the 
people. Mr. Schacht’s system will aid, or it is intended to 
aid, the lowest class of chemists. What a consolation that 
our responsible profession is to be recruited from the lower 
orders! That we are even low in the world! 
Will Mr. Schacht’s scheme do the trade any good ? I 
rather think it will prove very lowering to it. Our Society 
would be a refuge to all—even to the sons of sweeps and 
scavengers. Oh, Jacob Bell! Would that thou wert with 
us. Wouldst thou sanction a scheme like this ? 
In the Bristol Association report, I read, “ The results are 
most encouraging,” I wish I could think so. They will not 
be encouraging if based on the Government system; but 
lead to disappointment, for it is very unstable. Mr. Schacht 
in the same report especially dwells upon the success of the 
young men the last session,—so they ought to have been; 
for the examination papers of last session were ridiculously 
easy; whereas the papers the year before were ridiculously 
difficult. That is just the way with our government—there 
is either a loophole or no loophole. “ A Queen’s medal will 
be awarded to one of the students,” so the report says. This 
Queen’s prizeman, sir, must be a working man’s son; he 
must be the son of some one who has under £100 a year. He 
may be the son of an ostler! 
Will Mr. Schacht kindly tell us if it be his ambition to see 
our profession ornamented by the sons of such men P 
Another association thinks that £1 and £2 payments on 
results as fixed by Mr. Schacht, “ to be insignificant and totally 
inadequate.” Mr. Schacht will see that that was my opinion 
many week’s since. The same association thinks that the 
Society “ should pay all the teacher’s fees ” ! What next ? | 
Apparently the whole scheme will be debasing to the Society. 
It will be disliked by the honest teacher. It cannot be 
adopted, inasmuch as the Society must have a back-bone of j 
gold—the calls upon it will be unlimited; the demands j 
most extortionate; and the country associations will be 
further from being satisfied than ever they were. 
Examination Fees. 
Sir,—The letter of ‘H. B.’ in last Saturday’s Journal in¬ 
duces me to ask you to publish in an early number the fol¬ 
lowing motion, which, after offering some explanatory re¬ 
marks, I laid on the Council table on the 3rd of July last:— 
“ That this Council, fearing that the present rate of exami¬ 
nation fees forms an obstacle to many young men entering on 
the studies necessary for passing these, hereby appoint a spe¬ 
cial committee to examine into the whole question, and this 
especially, as to the propriety of reducing the fee for the Preli¬ 
minary examination by one-half; and also as to giving all can¬ 
didates for the different examinations who fail to pass the 
first, to have two other opportunities of passing without the 
necessity of making any further payment. 
“ The committee will further consider the question of giving 
all candidates who have passed the Preliminary the opportu¬ 
nity of passing the Major, or such a modification of it as will 
embrace all the essential features of the Minor, at once and 
without the necessity of passing the Minor also. 
“But it is to be understood that, in the event of these 
changes being adopted, there shall be no portion of any of 
the examination fees returned to the non-successful candi¬ 
dates on their failing to pass the various examinations. 
Hoping to move the adoption of these resolutions at the 
September meeting of the Council, I will only at present add 
that, should they be adopted by the Council, I propose to 
modify them so as to secure that all who shall have passed 
the Preliminary examinations before they come into force 
shall be admitted to pass the Minor on payment of two 
guineas, and all who have passed the Minor shall be admitted 
to pass the Major on the payment of one guinea; thus secu¬ 
ring that all Minors shall pass for four guineas, and all 
Majors for six guineas, instead of, as at present, five and ten. 
guineas respectively. 
Glasgow, August §th, 1872. Daniel Frazer. 
Inefficient Minors. 
Sir,—The Pharmaceutical Society would have us believe 
that the Minor Associate is authorized to apply for an as¬ 
sistant’s situation, his certificate being his recommendation 
and qualification. But that it is occasionally neither a quali¬ 
fication nor a recommendation Mr. Ekin shewed last week, 
by an example, and I also beg leave to show it in a similar 
manner. 
I engaged an assistant a short time ago, whom I discharged 
because he could not wrap up an eight-ounce mixture clearly 
and neatly. This young man then made his way to London; 
put himself under a “ crammer,” and in a very few weeks 
passed bis Minor. So far as I could judge this candidate had 
seen little or no dispensing, and for a certainty he had never 
been taught to wrap up ! If more exereises were set the 
candidates at the dispensing counter than are set at present, 
—not with the intention of making the Minor much more 
difficult than it is, but on purpose to notice the habits con¬ 
ducing to cleanliness, neatness, accuracy and despatch,— 
masters might not have occasion to look w r ith suspicion on a 
Minor’s degree. 
I forget how the Society awards marks on the Examination. 
If there be any “ averaging” of marks obtained in all the 
subjects, this at once will explain the slipping through of in¬ 
efficients. The plan adopted by the London University is 
worth consideration. It is, I believe, this: “ That if any 
candidate do not obtain the maximum number of marks in 
any subject, he will not be passed by obtaining the maximum 
numbers in the other subjects.” The inefficient minors I need 
hardly state are not a credit to the Society which granted 
the degree. 
August 3 rd, 1872. A Master. 
F. _D.—The latest edition with which we are acquainted 
was published in 1857, by Messrs. Longmans. 
“ Oxonian .”—The price is absurdly low. It must surely 
have been a mistake on the part either of the purchaser or 
dispenser. 
James Houlton .—"We regret to say that the writer is on 
the Register, by virtue of having been in business before the 
passing of the Pharmacy Act, 1868. 
C. J. Fell .—Hydrochloric acid is undoubtedly intended. 
A Country Major Associate. 
August 3 rd, 1872. 
Communications, Letters, etc., have been received from 
Mr. Moss, Mr. D. Hanbury, Mr. Simmonds, Mr. Gerrard, 
Mr. Balchin, Mr. Mason, C., R. and J., M., “ Inquirer,” Sy— 
rupus.” 
