682 
J. C. MEYER, SR. 
self-made practitioner, thus far, has had no use for ; these, how¬ 
ever, will find out that it will be of some value after all, for the 
public is becoming so well educated that it appreciates the 
difference between educated men and empirics, and very often 
the latter are obliged to face questions which are embarrassing 
and annoying to them. They observe that it is a poor invest¬ 
ment to buy a diploma, they dare not boast of it, and as they 
cannot buy the knowledge which is a specific antidote against 
parasites of this kind, they will leave the field to the legally 
entitled veterinarian ; no law is as effective as this, provided the 
latter is well prepared to meet the former. 
An eminent professor of a German veterinary high school 
claims that the best attainable preparatory schooling, particu¬ 
larly in natural science, promises the surest guarantee to the 
coming veterinarian for a successful result in official service as 
well as in general practice. 
The information gained in the preparatory school is averse 
to the handicap practitioner, and these branches of service 
contain just the kind of philosophic wisdom by which the edu¬ 
cated veterinarian is able to show his superiority over the former 
manifold, not only by his professional literary achievement, but 
also by the position he can occupy in society by virtue of his 
degree of learning. Such a preparation might admit of the 
shortening of the course from three to two years in a veterinary 
college, but as a general thing applicants with such a good 
foundation are few, consequently, in order to make up these 
deficiencies, it is absolutely necessary that these, as well as the 
special veterinary branches, be taught. 
By lengthening the course many a young man intending to 
enter a veterinary college will, upon consideration, give up his 
plans, not having counted this additional cost of time and 
money. It is claimed time is money, and nobody will deny it, 
and no one is to be blamed for preventing unnecessary expense, 
but the outlay in this direction is better invested than the inex¬ 
perienced think. They must take into consideration that their 
patrons expect equally as good services from them as from an 
