March 29,18-3.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
771 
SHt* §Iraniramitkal Journal 
SATURDAY, MARCH 29 , 1873 . 
Communications for this Journal, and books for review, etc., 
should be addressed to the Editor, 17, Blooynsbury Square. 
Inst/ructions from Members and Associates respecting the 
transmission of the Journal should be sent to Elias Brem- 
ridge, Secretary, 17, Blooynsbury Square, W.C. 
Advertisements to Messrs. Churchill, New Burlington 
Street, London , W. Envelopes indorsed “Pharm. Journ.” 
THE BENEVOLENT FUND. 
Notwithstanding the whirl and din arising from 
conflicts between cliivalric feminine advocates and 
benighted obstructives,” added to denunciations of 
alleged excessive examination fees, lamentations be¬ 
cause of long hours and low prices, and endless discus¬ 
sions about education, examination, cramming, cram¬ 
mers, and a host of other subjects, there is one question 
that is always put forward in these columns in the 
same spirit, and that is, How the pharmaceutical 
world may best deal with its heritage of poor and 
distressed brethren. Common ground this, where 
friendly rivals strive for the same goal. The Phar¬ 
maceutical Benevolent Fund is enriched alike by the 
gifts of the prosperous few and of the many who, to 
judge from their own reports, are compelled to “ live 
upon their losses,” and the desire of all is that the 
money given shall be funded or spent so as to do the 
greatest good to the greatest number. It therefore 
needs but little excuse to draw attention to some 
remarks that appeared in our correspondence columns 
last week, and are reiterated this week by other 
writers. 
Fifteen months since Mr. Stevenson called at¬ 
tention to the fact that the income for the year 1871 
did not represent one shilling per annum from each 
of the twelve or thirteen thousand chemists and 
druggists upon the Kegister, and he urged that an 
effort should be made to render the interest in the 
Fund more general. Shortly afterwards Mr. Schole- 
field gave as his reason for not subscribing to the 
Fund, that the subscriptions were invested instead of 
being spent, and said he considered that the reserve 
fund ought not in such a Society to exceed the 
amount of five years’ expenditure, and that, with the 
exception of large sums arising from legacies and 
special donations, the whole of the yearly income 
should be divided amongst the deserving applicants 
for relief. The fact that those who criticize do not 
subscribe does not invalidate the claims of their 
suggestions to careful consideration, to see whether 
it be possible, by a removal of any defects in ad¬ 
ministration, to secure a more general response to the 
appeal for more funds. 
What proportions, then, should the funded capital, 
the year’s income, and the year’s expenditure bear to 
each other ? With upwards of £ 13,000 invested in 
the Consols, is it advisable that in future the expendi¬ 
ture in the shape of grants should more nearly 
balance the income, or should the operation of the 
fund be restricted to its present extent until a larger 
reserve fund has been accumulated ? The question 
has been propounded before, but has not yet received 
an authoritative and decisive answer; and yet it is 
one of considerable importance in its influence upon 
the future of the Fund. 
Probably a principal reason for the existing uncer¬ 
tainty is the equal indefiniteness of ideas as to the 
ultimate limits and nature of the relief to be given. 
The donor of a guinea, who complains that little 
more than sixpence of his money is spent, while the 
remainder is put by for the benefit of posterity, has 
some plausibility and reason in his complaint ; but 
it is not to be forgotten that the sixpence is spent 
yearly, and that it will be required yearly, if the 
relief takes the form of an annuity. This is shown 
by the fact, that the interest on the funded property 
is but little more than sufficient to meet the engage¬ 
ments already incurred in the shape of annuities, 
leaving the fresh income available for temporary 
grants, and to form the nucleus for future annuities. 
Still it may be that there are some who would 
prefer that their subscriptions should be bestowed 
immediately, and the suggestion of our correspondent 
that there should be two classes of subscriptions is 
therefore worthy of the attention of the Council. 
But that, even with this opportunity, the time will 
ever come when every pharmaceutical chemist will 
be eager to subscribe his guinea, and every chemist 
and druggist his five shillings, our knowledge of 
human nature forbids us to hope, however much we 
may desire it. For notwithstanding the efforts that 
have been and are continually made to explain to 
the whole trade the nature of the Benevolent Fund, 
there are many persons who still fail to comprehend 
its true character, to say nothing of the percentage 
who always ignore such things until they are open to 
receive a service from them. 
Nevertheless, much more can be done than at pre¬ 
sent is done; and if any of our readers who do not 
subscribe should feel disposed to forward subscrip¬ 
tions with an intimation of their wish that the money 
should be spent at once, we have as little doubt that 
their wish will be complied with, as that the Council 
will find objects for its proper disposal. Mr. Breton, 
however, suggests visions of homes for those whose i 
“ Length of life is length of woe,” 
and schools for those who, like the proverbial bear, 
have all their troubles to come. To these forms of 
benevolence may be added the proposition of those 
who think that much expensive machinery may be 
saved and an objectionable pauperizing influence 
avoided, by giving to widows of deceased chemists 
and druggists,—who may have been left in straitened 
circumstances but not sufficiently so to induce them 
