310 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[October 19,187?, 
made for complete and thorough instruction in all 
knowledge required for the highest qualification in 
pharmacy, and urging that these schools should he all 
self-supporting, and not mere sucklings of the parent 
society. 
Remembering also that the contemplated education in 
the future is for all, whether connected with the Society 
or not; that scientific knowledge is now absolutely 
requisite ; that in the past and as an experiment, educa¬ 
tion has been supplied by the Pharmaceutical Society at 
a merely nominal charge, as the only means to give it a 
fair trial; but having now been tried, approved, and sanc¬ 
tioned by law, Professor Redwood considers it ought in 
the future to be paid for by those to whom Parliament 
now exclusively entrusts the practice of pharmacy. 
He also thinks that to subsidize schools is unwise, and 
that their present weakness is in the insufficiency of fees 
charged to students, and that all occasion for thus 
cheapening education'has ceased. 
In place of this he proposes to endow such schools as 
are required, and argues that this is strength, when a 
subsidy is weakness. He would not alter the constitu¬ 
tion of the Board of Examiners, believing it to be the 
fittest for its purpose, and also that it would be a mis¬ 
take to endeavour to suppress superficial training by 
giving the examination a higher and more scientific 
character. 
In view of more work, Professor Redwood proposes 
the addition of assessors to the Board; considers that 
examination is now the all important work to be accom¬ 
plished by the Pharmaceutical Society, and that it should 
apply its available means principally in this direction 
rather than in that of education. 
Very hastily and imperfectly, gentlemen, I have en¬ 
deavoured to sketch an outline of opinion on this vexed 
question. I must say that for myself I do not see that 
any sufficient reasons have been given to prove that it is 
the duty of the Pharmaceutical Society, permanently to 
grant pecuniary help for educational purposes, either in 
the Metropolis or in the provinces, but I am nevertheless 
of opinion that for a time, and in the present stage of 
matters, aid to establish schools should be given when it 
can be proved that there is a reasonable prospect of their 
being efficiently maintained ; and that our future safety 
and stability lies in a strict and compulsory preliminary 
entrance examination, and in ultimately raising the 
standard of examination to that of the Major. Any 
permanent system for granting pecuniary help to schools 
or pupils in town and country, either in the way of 
payment for results, or by cheapening education, will, I 
believe, only weaken our strength, and lower the leve 
both of men and their attainments; and I look forwarc. 
to the time when every school, both in London and the 
provinces, shall. be independent and self-supporting, anc. 
the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain shall become 
chiefly, if not wholly, an examining body. 
Before I close I feel that I ought to make some refer 
ence to our Bristol Society. The report published in 
July proves that we have not been idle; everyone of 
our students who went in for examination passed, anc 
for the second time a Bristol student has been honoured 
by a Queen’s Medal. With more than three-fourths o: 
the whole of the trade in our city members of our society, 
and with a large number of earnest and industrious 
students, we may claim to have evinced a practica 
interest in the educational movement second to no 
provincial city or town; and it is a source of grea. 
gratification to feel that Bristol is represented at the 
Council Board by two gentlemen who are not its leas 
distinguished members. 
Let me say one word in conclusion to our friends, the 
students present. You have many of you done wel 
but do not, I pray you, depend upon mere book know 
ledge; do not think that an attendance upon so many 
lectures is all that you need. Leam to distinguish be¬ 
tween knowledge and wisdom ,—between a mere collection 
of facts, or of principles which you do not know how to 
use or to apply. Remember that all you can gain now 
is only a stepping-stone to new and unexplored fields of 
information. 
Charles Kingsley wisely said the other day that “ lec- 
■ ;ures were but intellectual dissipation unless supplemented 
)y work and thought at home;” and you will find all 
ou now know pass from you like a dream unless you 
are willing to educate yourselves, and to turn to profit¬ 
able account the active principles which are given you 
o manipulate. 
“ Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one, 
Have oftimes no connection. Knowledge dwells 
In heads replete with thoughts of other men; 
Wisdom in minds attentive to their own. 
Knowledge, a rude, unprofitable mass, 
The mere materials with which wisdom builds, 
Till smoothed and squared and fitted into place, 
Does but encumber what it seems to enrich. 
Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much ; 
Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.” 
I now beg to call upon Mr. Schacht to move a rescr- 
ution of which he has given notice. 
Mr. G. F. Schacht said that though he had prepared a 
resolution he had endeavoured to frame it so as to limit 
as little as possible discussion on the matter. In common 
with the President he hoped most sincerely that this 
evening’s discussion would be such as to elicit every 
gentleman’s ideas on the subject. But although he 
'loped that the expression of opinion would be ample, he 
wished to be allowed to say that his special attention 
having been given t to the subject since he had the 
honour of being a representative, he had been brought to 
the conclusion he was not quite prepared for a few 
months ago, that, as public opinion upon the matter ap¬ 
peared to be so indefinite, it would be unwise in the ex¬ 
ecutive of the Pharmaceutical Society to adopt at the 
present moment any scheme whatever. He was in hopes 
that their discussions would gradually lead to something 
like a crystallization of ideas around a few central doc¬ 
trines, and then action might be taken with more hope 
of useful result. It was in that hope he had preluded 
his own scheme with three ‘‘principles,” and in the- 
same hope he now introduced his resolution— 
“ That in the opinion of this association it is desirable- 
that scientific pharmaceutical education throughout the 
country be promoted by the Pharmaceutical Society of 
Great Britain, and be assisted by its funds; and it de¬ 
clares its hope that the attention of the entire pharma¬ 
ceutical body will continue to be directed to the sub¬ 
ject until a generally satisfactory scheme for the dis¬ 
tribution of that assistance can be devised.” 
That resolution he thought was sufficiently vague not 
to tread on the corns of any one who had a pet project; 
but it asked a distinct verdict upon the principle their 
President had already alluded to, and which lay at the* 
bottom of the -whole concern, whether or not, it is desirable 
that the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain should* 
take on itself any responsibility in this matter. A good 
many opinions had been offered, more or less bordering* 
on the position that the Pharmaceutical Society had 
better leave the whole question alone ; and an endeavour- 
had been made to get quit of the question by contending 
that the Society should confine its attention to the exa¬ 
minations and the distribution of the Benevolent Fund. 
Now, he thought they should look this position straight; 
in the face and see what it involved. The Pharmaceu¬ 
tical Society had been established something like thirty- 
one years, and through all its course up to the present 
time, whatever had been the theory of its founders, one 
thing was quite clear, that the managers of the institu¬ 
tion had decidedly adopted the course of educating or 
promoting education. That they had done so in a very 
unmistakable manner was proved not only by the large 
number of students who had received the benefits of the 
