266  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {AmyinUe?i9ob:?rm* 
FOR  A  READJUSTMENT  BUT  NOT  THE  REORGANIZA- 
TION OF  THE  AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL 
ASSOCIATION.1 
By  Henry  P.  Hynson,  Baltimore. 
"  Prove  all  things ;  hold  fast  to  that  which  is  good,"  is  an 
admonition  we  may  well  keep  in  mind  while  undertaking  to  alter 
the  form  of  organization  of  our  beloved  Association. 
It  can  not  be  believed  that  any  one  favoring  a  change  is  led  by 
aught  but  the  best  and  sincerest  desire  to  strengthen  and  help  on 
this  great  organization  ;  boundless  charity,  therefore,  should  be 
held  for  all  those  whose  views  may  differ  from  our  own. 
While  we  may  not  be  able  to  "  prove  all  things,"  we  may  easily 
"  hold  fast  to  that  which  is  good."  And  we  must  do  this  with 
respect  to  the  real  foundation  of  the  Association  not  only  because 
the  original  preamble  is  still  good  and  sound  and  appropriate,  not  only 
because  the  original  "  aims  "  and  "  objects,"  as  set  forth  in  Article  I  of 
the  Constitution  of  1852,  are  still  good  and  sound  and  appropriate, 
but  because,  also,  these  are  a  priceless  and  inspiring  heritage  from 
the  great  fathers  which  we  must,  indeed,  and  by  all  means,  restore 
in  original,  unchanged  form,  "  hold  fast  "  and  keep  ever  before  us  in 
testimony  of  the  great  worth  and  far-reaching  goodness  of  the 
founders  and  as  a  stimulus  to  us  and  to  those  who  will  follow. 
The  American  Pharmaceutical  Association  was  conceived  in  a 
convention  of  delegates  and  was  born  of  a  convention  of  delegates; 
delegates  from  "  incorporated  and  unincorporated  pharmaceutical 
societies."  It  grew  into  a  body  of  delegates  and  units,  as  it  has 
continued  to  be  and  is  to-day.  It  will  not,  therefore,  be  anything  at 
all  new  to  suggest  that  the  delegate  body  be  enlarged  and  that  the 
delegate  himself,  be  given  better  recognition  and  the  real  power  of 
a  representative.  This  will  be  carrying  out  the  evident  intentions  of 
the  founders  and  will  make  the  Association  the  representative  phar- 
maceutical body  they  designed  it  to  be.  We  can  afford  to  be  liberal 
in  this  regard  and  make  it  not  only  representative  of  its  members 
but  of  all  pharmacists  worthily  wearing  the  title. 
The  Association  has  always  delegated  to  special  bodies,  to  com- 
mittees, to  the  Council,  work  that  it  has  seemed  that  these  could 
better  execute,  consequently  the  formation  or  enlargement  of  execu- 
1  Read  at  the  May  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  Branch  of  the  American  Phar- 
maceutical Association. 
