THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  BUSINESS — ITS  MANAGEMENT.  33 
THE  PHARMACEUTICAL  BUSINESS — ITS  MANAGEMENT. 
By  F.  Stearns. 
This  theme,  given  me  for  an  essay,  I  find  upon  reflection,  if 
looked  at  as  a  commercial  problem,  is  one  which,  for  the  whole  of 
my  own  business  life,  I  have  been  earnestly  trying  satisfactorily 
to  solve,  seemingly  as  far  from  that  end  now,  at  the  end  of  at 
least  the  first  half  of  a  long  business  life,  as  at  its  beginning. 
In  confessing  this,  I  had  rather  offer  myself  your  pupil  than 
teacher,  and  only  the  duty  I  owe  you  in  accepting  a  query,  in- 
duces me  to  pen  a  thought  or  so. 
The  ethical  relations  of  Pharmaceutists  and  their  sesthetical 
culture  having  been  touched  upon  in  former  papers  presented 
you,  I  will  suppose  that  the  executive  skill  exercised  in  conduct- 
ing our  business  so  as  to  make  it  successful  pecuniarily  is  the 
real  point  in  the  query. 
Slight  observation  shows  to  us  that  men  are  so  different  in 
ways  of  conducting  the  same  business,  that  we  find  many  distinct 
yet  parallel  ways  of  reaching  the  same  end — pecuniary  success. 
Each  way  may  be  consistent  in  itself,  yet  no  two  harmonious  or 
rather  consistent  one  with  another. 
Side  by  side  does  the  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish  man  gather 
to  himself  money,  and  equally  fast,  too,  with  him  who,  of 
enlarged  generosity  and  liberal  tastes,  deserves  seemingly  the 
largest  reward.  And  in  this  race  for  substantial  moneyed  suc- 
cess, the  intelligent  man  who  prostitutes  his  profession  in  the 
employment  of  all  means  of  quackery  and  dissimulation,  often 
keeps  pace  with  him  who,  having  the  same  intelligence,  energy 
and  tact,  strives  to  square  his  duty  to  the  public  by  his  actions 
toward  that  public.    Perhaps  in  most  instances  the  first  one  wins. 
Of  course  the  above  comparison  does  not  include  conscientious 
considerations ;  it  is  rather  drawn  to  show  that  when  pecuniary 
success  is  the  greater  aim  these  widely  apart  parallels  all  lead  to 
it.  Again  we  see  men  who  strive  to  be  all  things  to  all  men, 
with  whom  u  policy  is  the  best  honesty"  who  do  try  to  leaven 
their  course  of  business  with  a  dash  of  righteousness,  and  do  so 
cloak  it  with  hypocrisy  as  to  fancy  after  all  that  they  only  have 
discovered  the  happy,  middle  business  course,  which  ends  in 
moneyed  success. 
