534 
The  p  and  the  P. 
("Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\        Oct.,  1884. 
iron.  Such  people  are  emphatically  "of  the  public,  publicly."  And  yet  can 
Ave  fairly  blame  them?  No  one  can  be  blind  to  the  fact  that  money  makes 
the  wheels  of  life  revolve  smoothly,  and  that  the  man  with  forty  cents  is 
of  more  consequence  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  fair  woman,  than  he 
who  has  only  twenty-five.  One  has  his  choice  between  ignorance  with 
strawberries  and  cream,  and  learning  with  oleo-margarine. 
It  is  an  unfortunate,  but  not  to  be  disputed  fact,  that  the  mere  tradesmen 
have  been  the  most  financially  successful.  The  most  favorable  prospects 
exist  for  a  newly  opened  Pharmacy,  when  a  sharp  dividing  line  is  drawn 
between  the  two  P's,  one  individual  dealing  wholly  with  matters  of  finan- 
cial nature,  and  another  wholly  with  the  scientific  minutiae.  The  reali- 
zation of  the  highest  degree  of  perfection  in  the  conditions,  necessitates  the 
possession  by  both  parties,  of  integrity,  and  more  than  ordinary  general 
education.  The  conditions  existent  in  such  a  case,  are  realized  in  an  emi- 
nent degree,  so  far  as  pertains  to  mere  duties,  in  the  large  watch  factories. 
Each  operator  confines  himself  to  the  performance  of  certain  acts,  and  the 
daily  repetition  of  these  acts,  under  constant  environments,  ensures  the 
greatest  perfection  in  their  performance.  Not  only  that,  but  each  operator 
naturally  gravitates  to  the  class  of  acts  for  which  he  is  best  fitted,  and  the 
amount  of  combined  error,  through  personal  equation  is  reduced.  The 
application  of  these  principles  to  the  ordinary  retail  pharmacy,  although 
usually  difficult,  does  not  infrequently  occur,  and  when  the  possession  of  a 
high  degree  of  ability  by  both  parties  in  their  peculiar  provinces,  is  supple- 
mented with  the  requisite  conditions  of  temperament  and  integrity,  the 
confidence  of  the  general  public  is  obtained,  so  to  speak,  without  an  effort, 
the  success  in  a  monetary  sense  is  almost  certain,  and  the  personal  relations 
of  the  parties  are  of  the  most  satisfying  character.  The  manifestations  of 
confidence  in  the  competence  of  the  scientific  partner,  by  the  one  manipu- 
lating the  nimble  sixpence,  has  great  weight  wTith  those  who  bring  grist  to 
their  mill ;  but  when,  on  the  other  hand,  the  financial  manager  assumes  to 
pass  judgment  upon  pharmacal  matters,  he  at  once  becomes  an  object  of 
ridicule  and  diverts  custom  from  his  counter.  Thinking  people  prefer  to 
take  chances  of  incompetency  at  an  unknown  pharmacist's  hands,  to  the 
dead  certainty  of  incompetence  in  the  one  they  do  know.  This  is  an  age 
of  education,  although  it  has  not  been  unaptly  styled  the  "  Age  of  Brass," 
and  although  the  mass  struggling  in  the  mad  race  for  wealth,  is  always 
ready  to  claim  the  stray  penny,  and  the  odd  half-cent,  the  growth  of  gene- 
ral intelligence  in  the  public  brings  wdth  it  the  knowledge  that  good  articles 
are  w^orth  more  than  inferior  ones,  that  a  shiny  five  dollar  gold  piece  will 
buy  no  more  than  a  dull  one,  and  that  shiny  or  dull,  a  five  dollar  piece 
cannot  be  bought  for  nine  silver  half  dollars,  or  even  four  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  copper  cents.  We  must  admit,  however,  that  the  shiny  piece 
has  great  attractions  for  those  unable  to  distinguish  between  gold  and  brass, 
and  to  carry  the  simile  into  pharmacy,  there  are  instances  of  a  "shiny" 
business  figure-head  and  a  lead  pharmacist ;  oftenest  combined  in  the  same 
individual  however,  as  an  investor  of  capital  is  very  quick  in  measuring 
the  value  of  the  brain-work  that  should  offset  his  dollars,  to  detect  any  short- 
comings, and  to  "  secede  "  upon  the  shortest  notice  from  an  union  of  forces 
