CORRESPONDENCE. 
637 
or mental make up ; but it is surely a sad commentary on their 
intelligence to note the fact that they, a society of non-gradu¬ 
ates, few if any of them eligible to practice under the act but 
for its time limit for registration, should be the first to throw 
stones at the Board for allowing so many of their kind within 
the fold. 
To one not possessed with any sense of the ridiculous their 
professed solicitude for the elevation of the profession would be 
pathetic. How like Burns 5 “ Holy Willie 55 they could set out 
the sins and iniquities of their competitors in practice and with 
what pathos they would recount the wonderful qualifications 
and righteousness of themselves, tearing the character of their 
neighbors to pieces in sneaking, unmanly letters, not one of 
which was supported by proper affidavits, and usually post- 
scripted : “As a man we are good friends, and I wouldn’t want 
my name mentioned, but it would be a shame to grant him a 
license.” Uriah Heep was a saint compared to some of these 
men of good reputation and known truth and veracity in 
their actions towards their fellow practitioners. When in¬ 
structed how to proceed in cases they wished to protest, they 
would answer the board by letters of abuse ; they cry out there 
are too many of us. We agree with them. If the legislature 
had passed such a law ten years ago their association would 
have very few members and the State would have been much 
the better for it. 
As to our “ violation of the letter and spirit of the law.” Ac¬ 
cording to their idea of the letter of the law, “ there would be 
more honor in its breach than in its observance.” The spirit 
of the act, as shown by its time of grace to the non-graduate 
practitioner, did not intend to deprive any citizen of the State, 
who had been practicing the required time, of his right to earn 
a living for himself and family ; it does intend that new comers 
shall have the proper qualifications before they be permitted to 
practice. In examining non-graduates after the time limit had 
expired, the Board only exercised its privilege to satisfy them¬ 
selves that the candidate was as represented by his credentials. 
As to the requirements of the law in that examination, all can¬ 
didates were so examined and marked according to the judg¬ 
ment of the examiner. To demand a strictly technical exami¬ 
nation of old practitioners, non-graduates, on the subjects 
mentioned in the act, might be proper according to the wisdom 
of the members of the I. V. M. and S. Association, but it was 
not so construed by members of the Board, neither did we think 
