September 10 , 1S70.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
211 
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1870. 
STATE AID FOR PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION. 
Though the existence of social distinctions in En¬ 
glish society is a fact wliich must be recognized, we 
consider it by no means desirable that the lines 
which separate classes should be further deepened, 
still less that they should receive any extra impress 
or sanction through the operation of the law wliicli 
notoriously professes to regard all classes and indi¬ 
viduals as equal. 
Schemes for the benefit of a particular class or 
section of the community may, indeed, have their 
peculiar recommendations, and custom would seem 
to indicate that sometimes tliey^have; but we are 
disposed to think that the limited operation prin¬ 
ciple, as it may be termed, ought to be confined to 
measures that are of private and voluntary nature. 
No more logical objection, perhaps, could be urged 
against one section of the State associating in some 
good work for the benefit of another section than 
could be brought against any average form of private 
charity; but we hold that when the whole State, 
through its Executive or Government, moves to 
some work of amelioration or progress, the entire 
community should be regarded as eligible to partici¬ 
pate in the benefit thereby conferred. 
We are quite aware that practical legislation can¬ 
not always be carried out exactly in accordance with 
theoretical conviction; law-making is often of neces¬ 
sity tentative. There is, therefore, all the more 
reason for gratulation when changes are made that 
bring practice and abstract right closer together. 
We think this has recently been the case hi regard 
to a matter affecting the interests of pharmacy, 
though perhaps the case we refer to can scarcely be 
called so correctly a change as the authoritative 
interpretation of a somewhat ambiguous statement. 
We published in our impression of August 20, a 
correspondence between Mr. G. F. Schacht, the Hon. 
Sec. of the Bristol Pharmaceutical Association, and 
the Science and Art Department of the Government, 
and we now desire to call especial attention to that 
correspondence as containing a decision of great im¬ 
portance in more ways than one. 
It is well known that amongst various methods 
adopted for the general diffusion of scientific know¬ 
ledge, the Government has fostered the formation of 
science classes throughout the kingdom by a plan 
which, so far as it has been carried, yields most pro¬ 
mising results. Briefly described, this plan consists 
in giving money payments to teachers in proportion 
as they succeed in passing their pupils through the 
ordeal of a certain annual examination, conducted 
by appointed professors. The teachers are thus 
enabled to demand from their pupils much smaller 
fees than would otherwise be necessary. 
The published regulations, however, appeared to 
indicate that these money payments were only to be 
allowed when the student belonged to the operative 
class. The mischief likely to be produced by such a 
limitation (did it really exist) is obvious; for in 
many localities the classes conducted under the 
auspices of the Science and Art Department are the 
only opportunities existing in the whole neighbour¬ 
hood for systematic study of science. 
Considering how many persons above the operative 
class are in need of scientific education, but unable 
to obtain it except by some such means as that 
afforded by the Department of Science and Art, we 
are at a loss to perceive on what ground they should 
be excluded from participating in its advantages, 
while these are freely offered to persons of inferior 
social position. 
It will be seen from the reported proceedings of 
the Bristol Pharmaceutical Association in last week’s 
number, that Mr. Schacht and his friends at Bristol, 
putting a broader interpretation upon the intention 
of the Science and Art Department, have made free 
use of the science classes of their neighbourhood for 
the benefit of their students in pharmacy, reviving, 
indeed, the Botanical Class, and calculating upon 
receiving the aid of the Department hi then’ endea¬ 
vour to give scientific education to their apprentices 
and assistants. The decision contained in the corre¬ 
spondence already referred to fully justifies the course 
they had taken. 
We would fain hope that this decision is a step 
to’wards such a perfect identification of practice with 
principle as we think desirable, so that these classes 
might become great centres of scientific education 
for students of every station and degree—so many 
colleges, indeed, of a grand national university. 
Something of the kind may possibly be developed 
in the future; in the meantime there is no longer room 
for doubt that these classes are open, with all their 
systematic and economic recommendations, to the 
Pharmacists of this kingdom. 
We are enabled to state that on the recommenda¬ 
tion of the Committee appointed to consider the 
subject of provincial education, the Coimcil has 
ordered an abstract of the returns lately sent in by 
the several provincial associations to be published. 
The Council has also invited the British Pharma¬ 
ceutical Conference to bring forward the subject for 
discussion at its meeting next week. This will 
afford an opportunity for interchange of opinion 
amongst those best acquainted with the require¬ 
ments of the case. Considering the vast importance 
of the subject, nothing could be more calculated to 
emphasize the hope we expressed last week as to 
the Society being represented at the Conference by 
its President and Council. 
