554 
International  Congresses. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharai. 
\  November,  1897. 
in  character."  Thus  we  have  two  contrasts  presented.  One  con- 
gress was  too  international  and  suffered  from  unwieldiness,  and  the 
confusion  incident  upon  the  attendance  of  too  many  foreigners,  and 
the  other  could  not  be  international  because  no  German  voice  was 
heard  in  its  deliberations,  and  too  much  local  flavoring  was  injected 
into  its  composition. 
It  will  always  be  a  question  for  many  generations  to  come,  whether 
the  world  would  be  likely  to  flourish  better  under  one  supreme 
mundane  ruler  or  a  number  of  rulers  governing  as  many  separate 
nations.  The  German  nation  itself  is  wrestling  with  this  problem, 
and  many  of  its  best  citizens  are  asking :  "  Are  we  better  off  to-day 
under  the  Empire  than  we  were  before  consolidation  was  effected  ?" 
and  this  condition  exists  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  same 
language  is  spoken  by  all.  Is  it  strange,  then,  that  an  international 
gathering  largely  attended  by  men  of  one  profession  like  the  one 
at  Moscow  should  be  criticised  by  some  of  its  own  members,  who 
have  been  heard  to  say :  "  I  have  derived  more  benefit  from  my 
own  County  Medical  Society  than  from  the  deliberations  of  the 
great  Congress  which  I  have  travelled  7,000  miles  to  attend  ?" 
The  truth  is,  that  international  congresses  must  not  be  judged  from 
a  local  standpoint.  The  ideal  congress,  either  pharmaceutical  or 
medical,  would  probably  be  one  in  which  all  civilized  nations  were 
equally  represented  and  equal  prominence  given  to  each,  papers 
read  and  discussed  only  by  the  most  distinguished  representatives 
from  each  nation,  and  each  one  bristling  with  original  observations 
or  newly  discovered  facts,  while  the  decision  of  the  congress  upon 
general  questions  should  be  such  as  would  deal  fairly  and  justly  with 
every  nation,  and  accepted  as  final  by  the  subordinate  bodies  in  each 
country.  Finally,  every  member  should  return  home,  perfectly  satis- 
fied that  he  had  received  every  attention  due  him  as  the  representa- 
tive of  his  nation,  and  the  action  which  he  especially  desired  the 
congress  to  take  was  adopted,  and  what  he  did  not  want  adopted 
was  rejected.    No  one  can  ever  hope  to  see  such  an  ideal  realized. 
Unfortunately,  those  who  desire  to  accomplish  any  good,  no  mat- 
ter how  high  their  ideal  may  be,  must  be  prepared  to  accept  the 
conditions  which  exist,  and  strive  earnestly  to  bring  about  the  ideal. 
If  a  congress  is  not  international  the  cause  should  be  sought  for  and 
removed  if  possible.  In  professional  gatherings,  political  differences 
should  be  ignored  ;  "  Science  knows  no  language  and  no  country." 
