472  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.    { ^^tem^S' 
the  event  of  his  severance  from  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  have  no  doubt 
caused  most  members  to  forget  the  cause  of  it,  and  there  is  little  reason  for  reviving  the  his- 
tory of  it  now;  to  me  it  is  sufficient  that  a  former  member  and,  a  gentleman  has  seen  the  error 
of  his  hasty  decision,  and  is  willing  to  stand  upon  his  more  recent  record  for  vindication  of 
his  character  and  motives. 
As  I  cannot  be  present  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association,  I  would 
be  glad  if  you  will  present  the  matter  to  the  council  for  their  approval,  and  trust  that  our 
action  may  be  viewed  favorably  and  receive  endorsement,  to  the  end  that  a  worthy  man  may 
be  relieved  from  the  odium  which  attaches  to  dismissal  from  membership,  when  he  confesses 
and  repents  of  his  hasty  action  of  long  ago. 
Sincerely  yours,  E.  H.  SARGENT. 
Mr.  Stearns'  reply  was  as  follows  : 
Detroit,  Mich.,  August  13,  1897. 
Mr.  E.  H.  Sargent,  Chicago,  111. 
Dear  Sir : — Your  kind  letter  of  August  7th,  in  which  you  ask  my  feelings  and  sentiments 
regarding  the  action  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  in  depriving  me  of  member- 
ship, as  a  penalty  for  the  violation  of  its  code  of  ethics,  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  and  your 
expression  of  desire — having  been  its  presiding  officer  at  that  time — to  take  some  action  now, 
with  a  view  to  my  reinstatement  to  fellowship  if  possible,  comes  to  me  as  a  pleasant  and  grate- 
ful surprise. 
The  error  for  which  I  have  borne  the  penalty  for  so  many  years  would  never  have  been 
committed  in  the  light  of  maturer  experience  and  reflection,  and  I  have  accepted  the  verdic* 
of  my  peers,  realizing  that  it  was  just,  tho.ugh,  perhaps,  unduly  severe. 
I  have  suffered  banishment  from  fellowship  with  friends  and  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion for  nearly  thirty  years,  depriving  myself  of  their  friendship  and  esteem,  because  I  did 
not  take  time  to  consider  the  far-reaching  effects  of  not  bowing  to  the  will  of  the  Association 
at  the  time. 
This  I  now  sincerely  regret ;  therefore,  while  I  have  never  asked  to  be  reinstated,  and 
would  not  urge  it  now,  yet  I  would  gladly  receive  such  treatment  from  the  Association  as 
would  show  that  my  busiuess  career  since  that  time  justifies  it  in  taking  the  action  you  are  to 
propose.  Sincerely  yours,  FREDERICK  STEARNS. 
The  minutes  were  approved  as  read. 
Secretary  Kennedy  then  read  the  names  of  eighty-one  applicants  for  mem- 
bership, and  they  were  invited  to  become  members.  After  this,  President  Mor- 
rison appointed  a  Committee  on  Time  and  Place  of  Next  Meeting,  consisting 
of  Messrs.  Sheppard,  Dohme,  Kuhn,  Miller  and  Jacobs.  This  committee  met 
in  the  council  chamber,  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Nominating  Committee, 
and  the  invitations  which  had  been  received  from  Richmond,  Omaha,  Baltimore 
and  Texas  to  hold  the  meeting  of  1898  in  these  respective  places,  were  referred 
to  it. 
Secretary  Caspari  also  read  a  communication  from  the  Minnesota  Pharma- 
ceutical Association,  which  embodied  a  resolution  against  the  present  copy- 
right laws,  and  also  a  proposition  that  a  bill  be  drafted  to  revise  these  laws,  as 
they  apply  to  certain  well-known  chemicals.  This  communication  was  received 
and  referred  to  the  Committee  on  National  Legislation.  This  was  followed  by 
a  communication  from  the  Proprietors'  Section  of  the  National  Wholesale 
Druggists'  Association,  which  was  referred  to  the  Commercial  Section.  A  com- 
munication from  the  chairman  of  the  delegates  to  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation was  referred  to  Council. 
Two  communications  from  the  national  delegates  to  the  Brussels  meeting  of 
the  International  Pharmaceutical  Congress  were  then  read.  A  letter  signed  by 
a  dozen  or  more  military  pharmacists  was  next  read.  It  expressed  appreciation 
of  the  work  that  has  been  done  by  the  Association  toward  improving  the  status 
of  the  apothecaries  in  the  Government  service. 
