THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
DECEMBER,  1917 
EDITORIAL. 
0  T9T7 
HONORA  TUAM  PROFESSIONEM. 
A  friend  recently  remarked  that,  "  in  his  opinion,  the  most  im- 
portant thing  for  a  person's  happiness  was  employment  in  a  con- 
genial occupation."  This,  likewise,  becomes  an  important  factor  in 
determining  success. 
The  selection  of  a  vocation  for  one's  life  work  is  a  serious  prob- 
lem confronting  each  youth  and  in  the  decision  of  this  all  important 
question,  the  young  man  or  young  woman  should  have  the  advice 
and  guidance  of  the  more  mature.  Only  too  often  is  this,  as  a 
parental  duty,  neglected  and  the  decision  is  prone  to  be  made  by  an 
accidental  opening  for  employment  or  by  haphazard  selection  with- 
out due  consideration  being  given  to  the  physical  and  mental  qual- 
ifications and  that  innate  aptness  possessed  by  each  normal  indi- 
vidual. 
Errors  in  the  selection  of  vocations,  misfits  in  their  callings,  are 
everywhere  in  evidence.  To  the  individual  the  result  from  such 
error  is  indeed  serious  and  must  cause  discontent  and  lack  of  ex- 
pected success  if  not  actual  failure  and  these  constitute  a  hindrance 
to  the  progress  of  society.  The  nation's  loss  from  such  misfits,  if 
estimated  on  a  monetary  basis,  would  be  an .  appalling  sum.  Yet, 
what  has  been  done  by  the  community,  or  by  state  or  federal  au- 
thority to  overcome  this  defect,  with  its  detrimental  influence  on  the 
national  progress?  Are  our  educators  alive  to  the  importance  of 
this  question?  Are  those  who  are  directly  associated  with  profes- 
sional and  technical  educational  institutions  giving  this  subject  the 
needed  consideration? 
At  times,  the  writer  has  been  pained  to  note  the  growing  tend- 
ency to  speak  disparagingly  of  one's  own  calling.    Possibly  this  can 
