November so, 1 S 72 .] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
43S 
tunity, while others have not the inclination to attend 
such courses of lectures. I refer, of course, to the great 
mass of our apprentices and assistants scattered up and 
down the country throughout England, Scotland and 
"Wales. 
Further, we must remember some do not go to 
the lecture-room at all, and that though attendance 
there is desirable yet it is not a necessity , for we have 
constant proof of young men who with books and speci¬ 
mens and earnest study fit themselves for our Minor and 
Major examinations, passing both, not only creditably 
but sometimes in honours. And it is for this reason 
I enter my protest against making it compulsory to attend 
certain courses of lectures and producing certain tickets 
of attendance on such lectures, before candidates can 
be admitted to examinations. To insist on this, as 
has already been seriously proposed by a most able 
and intelligent teacher, would be to destroy al¬ 
together the present constitution of chemists and drug¬ 
gists. Not only so, but I have great doubts whether if 
such a course were acted upon, the desired end would be 
obtained. The earnest pupil who has opportunity would 
doubtless be much benefited by attending classes; but I 
feel assured that there would be many cases where a 
ticket for regular attendance might be produced without 
a corresponding benefit. In other words, I would rather 
have the application of a diligent student at home, than 
the mere attendance under compulsion, of the careless 
or indifferent youth. Cases have been known where 
young men not caring to study, but compelled to go 
through a stated course, have spent their time in the 
lecture-room otherwise engaged than paying attention 
to their teachers, but yet entered an appearance in order 
that class-ticket and certificate of attendance might not 
be wanting when called upon. I do not detract in any 
way from the value of scientific teaching either in lecture- 
room or laboratoiy, for I consider it a most laudable and 
praiseworthy thing for any young man, who from posi¬ 
tion, inclination and circumstance can take advantage of 
systematic study and class teaching to do so to the full, 
as by so doing he is in the highway, not only to improve 
himself, but also raise the standard of true pharmacy. 
"What I demur to, is making certain courses of such study 
not optional but compulsory. Now I trust I am not 
misunderstood in what I have just enunciated. I am 
desirous that legislation should be effected more for the 
present than for succeeding pharmacists. The constitu¬ 
tion of our body is such, that until many things change 
in regard to our daily occupation, we can scarcely at the 
present time dare to compel a higher scientific standing 
than what has been, and still is, insisted upon as being 
possessed by all who wish to be placed upon the Govern¬ 
ment register. The day will doubtless come, and that per¬ 
haps sooner than many expect, when the true value and 
position of a dispensing chemist may be properly and 
duly recognized. But we all know the almost miserable 
pittance which at present many of our brethren make, 
even though they toil from early morning till the latest 
hour of night. Go where you will, in large city or coun¬ 
try town, and you will find that the very few have com¬ 
fortable incomes, while the many have just enough to do. 
It is, therefore, I submit, self-evident that no increase in 
compulsory education will in the meantime be a cure for 
this state of things. Prices as a rule must advance, 
assistants must be better paid, and druggists’ shops must 
become fewer before even the commencement of this im¬ 
proved condition of things ; and I would, therefore, ask 
for a gradual improvement in these points before insist¬ 
ing on such a radical change in the education of our 
young men as I know many are desirous of making. 
In connection with pharmaceutical training, I may 
mention what I believe will interest all here. In lately 
glancing over the minute-book of our North British 
Branch, I found the following which I give verbatim a3 it 
is to be there found. It refers to a meeting held in 
Edinburgh in 1853 to discuss the operation of the Phar¬ 
macy Act of 1852. Jacob Bell was present, as will be- 
seen from the following :— 
Extract from minute of meeting held in Edinburgh in 
March, 1853. 
“ Mr. Mackay moved the following resolution :— 
“ ‘ That it is expedient, in order to assist in carrying*, 
out the provisions of the Pharmacy Act, to render it im¬ 
perative that all future apprentices to pharmaceutical 
chemists in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St. Andrew’s, 
and other places where lectures are delivered, shall attend 
at least one course of materia medica and one course of che¬ 
mistry; and resolve that this meeting strongly recommends 
an especial clause in each indenture to that effect.’ 
“ This was seconded by Mr. Bremner, and agreed to. 
“It was further proposed by Mr. Jacob Bell— 
“ ‘ That this meeting recommends that pupils attend a 
course of instruction in practical chemistry and botany 
wherever they have an opportunity of so doing.’ 
“ This was seconded by Mr. Elockhart, and agreed 
to.” 
Here let me remark, judging from the above in regard 
to educational requirements, our position does not much 
differ at the present time from what it did twenty years 
ago, for had the above recommendation been carried out, 
cramming and other forced modes of instruction would, 
not have bulked so largely as they do at the present day. 
I dare say many of you have read the excellent address- 
of our friend Mr. Savage, at the opening of the Brighton 
Association of Pharmacy, which appeared in the Journal 
of the 16th inst. The remarks speak for themselves, but 
you could not fail to be struck with that portion where he 
says that “ in the evening of Tuesday last I attended a 
meeting of the General Purposes Committee in Blooms¬ 
bury Square, when a deputation of five members of the 
Examining Board met us, and Mr. Carteighe, as their ex¬ 
ponent, went most fully into the proposed change, where¬ 
by the Minor after this year will become the principal 
practical examination, etc.” Now it appears to me that 
you only require to increase the stringency of your 
examination as thus hinted at, and at the same time 
iucrease your money payment as I believe is already 
contemplated, to cause many to leave the business, and 
also prevent many others from entering it. I do believe 
the existing Minor and Major examinations as conducted 
in London and Edinburgh are fair tests of the ability 
of the candidates to be admitted to the higher or lower 
grade of our Society; and I unhesitatingly affirm that 
I for one will oppose so far as I can increased stringency 
or additional money payments in connection with either 
examination. No young man can go through the Minor 
in less time than three hours’ constant and unceasing work, 
while the Major requires at least seven or eight hours to- 
complete the examination. Let us know our business well, 
practically and fairly, but do not insist upon a knowledge 
far above and beyond what Minor or Major examined 
man may be expected to possess. 
I promised at the outset that my remarks would be 
short, and I dare not therefore extend them, for I trust 
the whole subject will be fairly discussed. I may there¬ 
fore content myself with simply indicating what I think 
the course of all pharmaceutists ought to be at the present 
moment, keeping in view, that the time may yet come, 
when there will be a necessity both for extension and 
change in the system at present followed in training our 
youthful friends. 
1 . I think every master is bound to see that his ap¬ 
prentices pass the Preliminary examination of the So¬ 
ciety before they become bound by indenture. 
2. In every indenture there ought to be a. mutual 
obligation between master and parent or guardian, that 
the former will afford time to the apprentice to attend at 
least one course of chemistry, materia medica, pharmacy, 
and botany, while the latter becomes bound to lurnish 
the necessary funds to enable the youth to take ad\an- 
tage of the time so given. 
3 . As such a system could only he carried oiit where 
