168 
W. L. RHOADS. 
to ourselves individually, and to the profession as a whole ? 
The time is not far distant when we as a profession will become 
the guiding star of a whole nation. As sanitary humanitarians, 
are you in a condition or are you preparing yourself to share 
your portion of the burden ? If not, why ? 
You are certainly not doing it by showing your preference 
for the literature contained in horse journals and agricultural 
magazines when onr professional ones contain so much that is 
not only beneficial, in an educational way, but is interesting not 
alone by its association but on account of its true worth. Why 
is it in the face of this fact but one in every four North Ameri¬ 
can veterinarians subscribe to and support their own professional 
literature ? It is true our country has been bordering on a panic 
which, thanks to the keen foresight and business training of the 
American people, has been averted. Yet, is that just cause for 
your making an auction mart of your profession ? If not, why 
do yon offer bargain counter prices ? Prices which you well 
know when once cut are so difficult to restore in times of pros¬ 
perity. Why do veterinarians aim to establish prices for surgi¬ 
cal work that are no just compensation for the skill required, 
and which cannot do otherwise than lessen the worth of the 
work in the eyes of laymen and the general populace ? Why 
will you take contract work at prices that are not half compen¬ 
sating and thus lessen the volume of income to yourself 
individually and lower the estimate value of the work gener¬ 
ally ? 
Why do veterinarians, many of whom have been educated at 
the supposedly better schools, feel that quackery is a paying 
branch of what would otherwise be a wholly honorable profes¬ 
sion ? Why do they feel that placards bearing pictures and 
self-laudations wholly unprofessional in appearance and their 
work when it only tends to lower them in the public estima¬ 
tion ? Why do we not impress upon the dairy people of this 
State the urgent need of stringent police measures and the en¬ 
forcement of the same, that they may know all cattle brought 
into the State to replenish their herds are free from all infectious 
