May 18, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
927 
at the proper time ; not a process in the preparation of 
anything should pass unheeded if it could he con¬ 
veniently attended to ; and then when evening and the 
hour of closing come, he should devote a portion of this 
time to reading about those substances with ■which he 
has had to do during the day. The assistant, the skilled 
assistant, whose servicos are paid for, let him also have 
his share of time for keeping up his stock of knowledge. 
Rut, false modesty apart, has not the Early Closing 
Movement another object in view? Clearly it has, and 
properly so; mind and body require not only relaxation 
from labour, but also recreation, and for that, in mode¬ 
ration, time should also be given. 
£C Quondam cithara tacentem 
Suscitat Musarn, neque semper arcum 
Tendit Apollo.” 
There is yet another subject equally well worthy of our 
consideration, I mean that of prices ; a theme upon which 
writers have constantly expatiated through the medium 
of our Journal. It is truly becoming a serious question 
that whilst the education of the pharmacist is much more 
costly, remuneration from a variety of causes is less 
satisfactory. This, like early closing, should be arranged 
amongst ourselves, by the requirements of the consumer 
and the locality; a poor man could scarcely be expected 
to pay after the same rate as a wealthy one, or the ex¬ 
treme East of London the same as the West Central. 
High rents, and the cost of conducting, must influence 
prices in different neighbourhoods ; by mutual arrange¬ 
ment amongst ourselves, both consumers and vendors 
may be equally satisfied. It is a large question, too much 
so to be fully and fairly treated upon in this address; it 
is a matter upon which we cannot legislate, but upon 
which we may be agreed. 
There is a subject I should like to mention, which has 
come to my notice this morning. The Juries Bill, 
which is before the House of Commons, has passed the 
second reading, and has been ordered to be printed. 
As it stands now, all registered chemists and druggists 
in England will be included in the exemption from 
Juries. Still, we must not raise our hopes too high, 
because it is quite possible that some member of the 
House of Commons may object to it on the third 
reading. Nevertheless, it is a source of congratulation. 
I can refer with satisfaction to the monthly evening- 
meetings which have been held in our lecture-hall. 
Upon no occasion since their commencement in October 
has there been any lack of subjects, and not once has the 
discussion flagged, but rather has been maintained 
beyond the ordinary time for breaking up. The attend¬ 
ance has been uniformly good. 
The Hills Prize of books, given monthly to the candi¬ 
date who passes the minor examination highest in 
honours, was a new feature in our report last year. It 
is a gratification to be able to say that a candidate has 
never been wanting equal to the task of gaining it, and 
good useful books have invariably been selected by the 
prizeman. 
More exertion has been made on behalf of the Bene¬ 
volent Eund, and already the number of subscribers from 
the country is in excess of last year by 138 names; the 
amount from all sources up to this date exceeds that 
received during the whole of last year. This, so far, is 
satisfactory, but it may be a matter for consideration 
whether its funded capital might not be more profitably 
invested and with equal security, so that independently 
of subscriptions a larger income might be available. 
Thus, whilst earnestly desiring that the demands may 
be few, there may be the means, when deserved, of 
relieving generously. 
It may be observed that four members of Council have 
voluntarily retired this year—Messrs. G. Edwards, Groves, 
Reynolds, and Woolley. I cannot refrain from saying a 
word or two, especially of Mr. Edwards (I regret, absent 
this day from indisposition), who has been upon the 
Council continuously since the year 1847 until now; 
twice during that time Vice-President, also a member of 
the board of examiners from 1864, he has served our 
Society well and faithfully. During thirteen years at 
the Council-table I have profited by his matured expo- 
rience, and I could not let him leave us without a “ God 
speed!” and an expression of regret. Younger heads may 
be desirable, but Nestor and Ulysses are as requisite in 
the Council-chamber as Achilles and Ajax on the battle¬ 
field. 
Already I feel that I have detained you too long; a 
word or two more and I finish. 
When I first took possession of the presidential chair, 
I felt that I was scarcely equal to the duties, but I de¬ 
termined, whatever the result might be, that I would do 
the work cheerfully; and now, at the close of the year, 
I thank my fellow-councillors and our indefatigable 
Secretary for the assistance they have uniformly and 
upon all occasions afforded me, and let me repeat that 
the interest I have ever felt in the progress of the 
Pharmaceutical Society has not abated, and I trust never 
will be diminished. 
The President then called upon the Secretary to read 
the Report of the Council. It was resolved that the 
Report be taken as read. 
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 
The Council, after a year of anxious and arduous 
labour, have now the satisfaction of meeting their fellow- 
members, and presenting the annual report. Comparing 
the financial statement with that of 1870, an increase of 
between six and seven hundred pounds will be observed 
in the receipts during the year from sources whence 
such increase might be legitimately expected, viz : from 
the accession of Members, Associates and Apprentices, 
and from the receipts for the insertion of advertisements 
in the Pharmaceutical Journal, and the proceeds of its 
sale. 
It may be well to bear in mind that although the 
number of members may be augmented from year to year, 
one item of income must naturally diminish as time goes 
on. The entrance fees of chemists and druggists who 
were in business prior to the passing of the Pharmacy 
Act, 1868, will ultimately cease. Thenceforward, phar¬ 
maceutical chemists only, men who have passed the 
Major Examination, can become members. Considering, 
however, the great extension of the two other classes 
of the Society, Associates and Apprentices, which has 
been going on during the last two or three years, it may 
reasonably be hoped that a very large proportion of 
the rising generation will secure for themselves the 
highest position and title, that of Pharmaceutical Che¬ 
mist—a title becoming every day better understood and 
more highly appreciated by the public—and having- 
achieved that object of ambition, will naturally desire 
to become members of the Society, and participate in 
all the privileges which it can confer. Even of those 
who are content to rest on the Register as “ Chemists 
and Druggists,” and as “Associates” of the Society, 
many will probably secure for themselves the right ot 
taking part in its procceedings by payment of the same 
annual subscriptions as members. 
It will be observed that the fees paid by laboratory 
students in 1871 were not equal to those of the previous 
year ; but there was not a corresponding falling off in the 
number of pupils. Many students work in the laboratory 
for “ part time” only, probably from inability to attend 
the whole course. To those, however, who can devote 
the necessary time the Council would earnestly recom¬ 
mend the entire course of laboratory instruction. 
The Council have during the past year paid great at¬ 
tention to the library; and many books carefully selected 
by the Committee have from month to month been added 
