NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 667 
and guide to the young and inexperienced, lie might say the sterling charac¬ 
ters of Professor Simondswere as great as his professional qualities (cheers.) 
What he might say of Professor Simonds he could also say of Professor 
Varnell. Both were ever ready to help when required, lavish in their encou¬ 
ragement, and complete analysts of the characters of those with whom they 
were called upon to deal, qualities which eminently fitted them for the 
high position which they occupy as the heads of their profession. (Cheers.) 
Professor Simonds said,—A man must be made of sterner stuff than 
he was to be unmoved by the high eulogiums which the President had 
been pleased to make. If there was one point in which it seemed to him 
justice was done, it was the remark which had been made as to his onward 
progress with the profession. He had been in connection with it since 
boyhood, and, if old age and gray hairs permit, the members would see him 
in it for many years to come. (Cheers.) He had been compelled to look 
upon this meeting with a great amount of pleasure and pride, as an effort 
springing from the professional body. The honour done to himself and 
colleague by the “North of England Veterinary Medical Association” 
that day was unprecedented in the annals of veterinary medicine, for, as 
far as he was aware, such an honour had never before been done to any 
two members of the profession, and for such a special mark of esteem he 
could not but feel thankful. As connected with the Royal Agricultural 
Society of England, he could express the satisfaction he felt in seeing 
the great good which accrued to the profession from its operations; it 
had been of immense benefit, and doubtless would continue to be so. 
Going no farther than the prizes which were annually distributed for 
subjects proposed as essays, the successful competitors, as members of the 
profession, had derived the greatest benefit, for invariably they received 
a greater share of patronage in their locality than before, in consequence 
of the value placed upon their opinions and ideas. Ho matter whether 
they came from this side of the Tweed or the other side of the Tweed, 
all, if successful, reaped a profitable share of the reward afterwards. 
He was glad to see that his northern friends had not been slow to take 
advantage of the prizes offered, and he would give them every encou¬ 
ragement to proceed in the work before them. He had no feeling of 
jealousy towards them; on the contrary, he looked upon the graduates 
of the Scotch schools with respect and admiration, in having made choice 
of a high calling, and also as friends and honorable men joined together 
in one common profession. The formation of local veterinary medical 
associations was a source of great satisfaction to him. As they spring up in 
different parts of the kingdom, so the effects of great good would be appa¬ 
rent. The meeting together of the members as one body was cal¬ 
culated to advance their common interests, as well as social and pro¬ 
fessional standing. Had it not been for the existence of the “North 
of England Veterinary Medical Association,” such a meeting as the 
present, and in such numbers, could not have taken place. He could 
not understand how it was that this and similar institutions had been 
commenced in the north, and that in the south scarcely any steps had been 
taken towards effecting the establishment of such societies. He could not 
estimate their qualifications too highly, nor overrate the importance of 
veterinary surgeons becoming members, and he hoped that no person pre¬ 
sent who was not already a member would leave the room without enrolling 
himself as one. (Cheers.) It is as necessary for the veterinary surgeon 
to keep pace with the tide of progression and development in his profes¬ 
sion, and with as much eagerness, as when he was a student. In fact, he is, 
or should be, a student the whole of his life, and would ever find a 
valuable source of information in meeting with his brother practitioners. 
