May 4,1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
S97 
of social intercourse,—some to read, some to examine and 
talk over the numerous specimens in our collections, and 
others to enjoy a quiet pipe or game of chess. But this 
is not the only thing that came before the minds of those 
chiefly concerned in commencing our club. The primary 
object was to give our younger members all the ad¬ 
vantages possible, to enable them to get up knowledge 
sufficient to pass the now compulsory examinations of 
the Pharmaceutical Society. Few indeed are the chances 
that an apprentice, say in a small shop in an out-of-the- 
way part of the town, has, especially where the premises 
are not closed till eight or even nine o’clock—’few I say 
are the chances for such an one to pass his examination 
with any credit. He goes home, or to his lodgings, as 
the case may be, tired and too sleepy to do any good 
work. N ow, if he chose, he can come here, have a quiet 
hour with little or no interruption, and, as a rule, can 
have any question answered or theory explained, and go 
away having passed a comparatively satisfactory evening; 
and by the time he arrives at his journey’s end he will 
feel refreshed, and look forward with pleasure to the next 
day’s duties. 
At our meetings which have been held on Thursday 
evenings, and which are devoted to the reading and dis¬ 
cussion of papers, we have had a fair diversity of sub¬ 
jects. I should like to see more of our younger members 
come forward in these ; for depend upon it there is nothing 
•which fixes a subject so well on the mind as reading that 
subject up with the purpose of writing an essay upon it 
for the benefit of others. And you may take it for 
granted that no paper you can read, if it has taken any 
reasonable amount of time and care to prepare, can pass 
without giving some instruction to all its hearers. I should 
like to see more members come forward with lectures, 
such as Mr. Heslop delivered at the commencement of 
the session, for, though his was really an essay on the 
cell-formation of plants, it was a subject on which little 
or no discussion could follow, as what he stated were 
facts not to be argued, but taken as such. We are, I 
think, exceedingly fortunate in having a friend like Mr. 
B. S. Proctor, who is able and willing to lecture to us, as 
lie has shown, and who takes such interest in all that 
concerns the good of the association. Our thanks can 
■do little to repay him for time and trouble he has taken 
on our behalf, but we can by following profit by his 
advice, and endeavour to show him that we are gratified 
for the pains he has taken. 
With regard to the classes formed in the latter portion 
of last half year, we made one mistake, in having too 
many of them. It was not to be expected that any mem¬ 
bers could possibly attend them all; if, instead of four, 
two were commenced per week, as well as the ordinary 
meeting held on Thursdays, there would, I think, be a 
chance of a fair attendance at every one. You must see 
that it is not right to expect a man to spend the time 
necessary to getupalecture on any subject, more especially 
a series of such lectures, and to get together the speci¬ 
mens required for them, if after all, only two or three 
gentlemen come to hear him. For my part, I would 
rather have eight or nine really attentive students than 
twenty who did not seem to care about the information 
they received. But, where are the eight or nine ? I 
have heard more than once of the class not being held, 
because only one or two came to it. Now, if these 
classes are to be a success, there must be more attenders; 
and I cannot help thinking that there must be a large 
number of assistants in the various chemists’ shops in 
Newcastle and Gateshead who would, if they only knew 
it, derive a good deal of profit by attending such classes. 
I do not expect that it would be much good to start them 
again until the summer is over ; but when winter even¬ 
ings commence, that is at the beginning of next session, 
I hope we shall be able to set to work again with renewed 
vigour. But, though we may not have any lectures on 
botany, you must not forget that it is in the summer 
that the plants are to be collected for use and study. I i 
would recommend every one to take every chance he 
has to gather and preserve by pressing every sort of wild 
flower he can lay hands on—I said flower, but I did not 
mean only the flower. The botanist takes stem, leaves, 
and as much root as is convenient or possible to obtain. 
I would not have him simply keep medicinal plants, 
though they always make a large and interesting collec¬ 
tion, as there are numberless herbs growing in our hedges 
which, though they do not enter into our Pharmacopoeia, 
yet have, in times gone by, been used in medicine, and 
many that are still used, though seldom. 
All that a botanist requires is a tin case or vasculum, 
and a pair of boards with two good strong straps, and a 
few folds of blotting-paper; with these he is fully equipped 
for his work. Many a time when I have been taking a 
holiday have 1 longed for the pressing-boards which I 
had thought too much trouble to take when leaving 
home. 
They are really of very little bother, and few things 
are more annoying than to find a plant which you do 
not know, and wish to preserve, without having the 
means at hand. 
Having said so much with regard to the necessaries 
for pursuing the study of botany, it is only needful to 
say that, having got your plant, the first question is to 
find out by general characters the Natural Order to which 
it belongs, and after that its more minute or specific 
characters, to arrive at the determination of the species ; 
it may seem difficult at first, but really a very superficial 
knowledge of the Natural Orders is enough to distinguish 
them. Many of them, such as Umbelliferse, Composite 
and Cruciferm, are told at a glance. 
Mind, let not what I have just said as to superficial 
knowledge lead you to think that I consider that suf¬ 
ficient ; the temptation to be content with surface-work 
is naturally too strong when certain examinations are 
prominently in view. No one can suppose that any 
permanent good can be derived from such study, or 
does he intentionally lay himself out for such a course of 
smattering. Intentions are always good at starting. 
A new broom sweeps clean ; but it requires determined 
and sustained effort to resist the compromises between 
inclination and duty, which so soon present themselves. 
The enthusiasm and excitement attending a change of 
occupation will carry most young men through the first 
stage of student life, without much drain on the store of 
these good resolutions; but there then comes a period 
when the drudgery of learning seems far to outweigh the 
fruits of knowledge obtained, and then it is that those 
who began with fair promise seem to fall away. But 
then the force of habit, together with a natural curiosity 
and gradual acquirement of knowledge, engenders an in¬ 
creasing thirst for more. It is then that temptation is 
strongest to be content with superficial study, when the 
attendance at classes or lectures is apt to become a 
formal thing, accepted as a task, in the hope that 
just sufficient knowledge can be obtained for examination 
purposes. The listless attendance of lectures can bo of 
no real value. It is a mistake to suppose that the most 
gifted professor can teach you except by showing you 
the way to learn, and placing before you faculties to be 
worked out by your own industry. The right acquire¬ 
ment of knowledge is an individual work that no man 
can perform for you. The condition in which the 
drudgery of the onset becomes a labour of love is at¬ 
tainable by any of you, and until it is obtained, scientific 
progress is hard and uncertain. By ardent study, stick¬ 
ing closely to it, you will soon derive a pleasure from 
it not to be obtained in any other way. Ever remember¬ 
ing the injunction of King Solomon, ‘‘Whatsoever thy 
hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.” To 
conclude, gentlemen, I sincerely and heartily thank you 
for the honour you have done me in placing me in the 
high station of President of this Association, and I trust 
that I shall never cease to regard this Association with 
increasing interest. M r c may at some future period 
