Octo’ er 7,1871.] 
THE PHARltfACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
295 
scope lie must liave. Accordingly, he may have 
paid one sliilling for glass, and twopence for paste- 
hoard, and with these he is busy at work. He pro¬ 
ceeds without intermission; and when night has 
canopied the restless city 7 " and stilled its noonday 
roar into a murmur, and when its countless stars are 
keeping watch over the homes of men, you will see 
•our young friend has succeeded; there, at his open 
window, he may be seen with his recently and 
economically made instrument pointed heavenward, 
his young eye, as sleepless as the objects to which 
his gaze is so earnestly directed, seems fixed to the 
•other end, when, suddenly springing from the win¬ 
dow, he exclaims, in perfect ecstasy, “ I see them! 
I see them.” He had thus early discovered the 
movements of Jupiter. A glance round the room 
showed abundance of chemical as well as astro¬ 
nomical proclivities ; and, although it was his 
father’s strong desire to bind him among the silken 
meshes of his own occupation, he became one of our 
most celebrated chemists, devoting his life not only 
to the varied pursuits of science, but also in a per¬ 
sistent endeavour to benefit the temporal and spi¬ 
ritual condition of his fellow-creatures. And who 
•do you imagine this loving, able, and talented man 
was? No other than the first President of our 
Society, the gentle, amiable, kind and good man 
William Allen. Need I tell that the boy I have 
described became the founder of a philosophical 
society ?—lecturer at one of the hospitals in the me¬ 
tropolis ;—the intimate friend of Sir Astley Cooper; 
-—the companion of the well-known Humphry 
Davy;—associated with Dr. Jenner in his great 
■discovery;—and aiding and assisting not a little the 
•celebrated Wilberforce in abolishing the slave trade. 
All honour to this noble man’s! example, whose 
labours for the benefit and amelioration of his fellow- 
creatures were such as to carry his name and re¬ 
putation far bej'ond the shores of his native country, 
rand whose memory is yet honoured by many at 
home and abroad who have been privileged to know 
llie time he spent, and the success which attended 
his unceasing and earnest efforts for the benefit of 
mankind. 
So much for the unselfish life of a pharmaceutist, 
■of, I am proud to say, one of ourselves, whose career, 
at once so brilliant and so remarkable, may well 
■stand out as a beacon-light to warn from idleness 
and inattention, and, at the same time act as an 
inducement to make such use of time and talents, to 
the extent we are able, that a review of days and 
jyears passed away may give—mingled, it may be, 
with some regret—a feeling that our whole existence 
has not passed without more than one effort on our 
part to improve, both to ourselves and others, the 
opportunities afforded us. True, every one cannot 
be Jacob Bells or William Allens, for 
“ All are not born 
To touch majestic eminence and shine.” 
But I beg 3 r ou to remember that no man living, and 
particularly no one connected with us in our daily 
walk, can fail, if he is so disposed, to improve him¬ 
self, and benefit, in some degree, those around him. 
Though no single individual can unaided rear a 
.structure, still many a stone may be placed in posi¬ 
tion, and thus assist, in some measure, the building 
up of what may be looked upon with satisfaction. 
1 am one of those who believe we all have our 
mission, and that our duty, in whatever sphere we 
may be placed, is to do our best; and thus acting, 
we are told “Angels can no more;” while such 
exertions will, and ought, to carry with them a 
feeling of happiness and comfort. 
Throughout your student-life then avoid being 
selfish. l)o not live entirely to yourselves, or simply 
for your own gratification or pleasure,—and allow mo 
to add, that in emerging from the life of a student, let 
the man be as determined as the boy, not to live to 
himself, but view opportunities given for being of 
service to others, a great and high privilege which 
he can never over-estimate or value too highly. I 
do trust that in making these statements I am not 
; misunderstood. I am a believer in what has been 
: often quoted, “ to know that before us lies in daily 
life is the prime wisdom,” and I therefore do not ill 
j the least degree argue inattention to daily engage- 
! ments and other claims, which every man in business 
must know and feel to be imperative ; but as you mix 
in the world you will find human nature often diffi¬ 
cult to understand or comprehend, and witness its 
inner promptings sometimes issue in anything but a 
pleasing aspect; and although it may be a compara- 
tively rare thing for you to fall in with self-sacrificing 
individuals, yet trust me when I tell you, that as you 
journey on through life, and as year after year flits 
away, like milestones along the highway, reminding 
that though slowly you are surety treading the path 
which must at last end your journey, there can be 
no more pleasing or agreeable thought than the 
consciousness of having contributed, when oppor¬ 
tunity offered, to the instruction, relief, or comfort of 
neighbour or friend. 
I know much has been said and written, and that 
a strong feeling exists in the youthful mind in re¬ 
gard to a subject to which time will only permit me 
to glance, namely, early closing. I have always 
been, and still am, an advocate for this whenever it 
can be accomplished. It is undeniable that late 
hours in our business are in many instances the re¬ 
sult of bad habits, and we know how difficult these 
are to eradicate. The aspect of many things has 
changed of late years, and in many towns and nu¬ 
merous districts, the general public have become 
educated to a change in this bad custom, and there¬ 
fore many dispensing establishments now close at 8 
o’clock instead of keeping open imtil a much later 
hour. Indeed, although there may be, and are, many 
exceptions, still I believe that with the chemist and 
druggist the iron age of late hours and slavish atten¬ 
tion to business is rapidly passing, and that we are 
gradually approaching the golden age of pharmaceu¬ 
tical position. I would, however, say to all young men 
i now present, that there may be particular districts, 
and very special reasons for some places of business 
keeping open till a late hour in the evening, and 
where, from a calm and dispassionate view of these 
circumstances, it is found to be a necessity, there 
should not be the expressions of disappointment, 
irritation and vexation which I know are now and 
then pretty forcibly expressed, but rather let there 
be an attempt made by constitutional means to bring 
about, if possible, a better state of things. I con¬ 
fess it is almost ludicrous to find that if from acci¬ 
dental circumstances, such as stock-taking, painting, 
etc., a druggist’s shop chances to be kept open un¬ 
usually late, .you are certain to have parties coming 
in for certainty no very urgent medicine, but simply 
I because the door was observed open, or the light 
