AmMa5^'i89iarm'}     Mercantile  Aspects  of  Pharmacy.  211 
is  to  seek  some  solution  of  this,  or  to  wisely  apply  some  remedy  to 
the  evil,  that  our  efforts  must  be  directed — we  can  hardly  hope  to 
enter  the  arena,  and  by  one  stroke  summarily  remove  the  cause — 
those  who  are  wedded  to  fixed  ways,  however  erroneous,  are  not  to 
be  at  once  diverted,  nor  can  hope  to  successfully  remonstrate,  but  we 
can  meet  the  coming  Apothecary  upon  the  threshold  of  his  business 
career,  and  indicate  the  way  to  a  wiser  course  of  procedure. 
Those  of  us  here  who  are  more  closely  associated  with  the 
Apothecary  in  the  character  of  apprentice  or  novitiate,  can  readily 
perceive  from  observation  what  advantage  would  naturally  accrue 
to  him  in  starting  upon  a  career  of  business,  to  possess  a  liberal 
mercantile  training,  especially  such  as  would  enable  him  to  meet  the 
requirements  set  before  him.  Our  recruit  for  pharmaceutical  rank, 
we  know,  comes  mainly  from  the  middle  class  of  society,  here  the 
necessity  for  a  maintenance  calls  him  early  into  the .  field  of  labor, 
and  even  a  full  opportunity  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  his  chosen 
pursuit  is  cut  short.  This  alone  would  be  greatly  to  his  detriment, 
but  in  the  time  allotted  until  his  majority  is  reached  there  is  really 
no  period  in  his  career  when  he  can  prepare  himself  specially,  in 
mercantile  education.  This  must  be  acquired  if  at  all  by  dint  of  his 
own  exertion,  under  the  appreciation  of  its  necessity,  as  an  essen- 
tial part  of  his  general  training,  but  time  and  opportunity  being 
both  lacking  he  essays  duties  and  tasks  unprepared.  It  is  true, 
he  learns  to  buy,  and  sell,  and  observe  the  simple  methods  of  such 
procedure,  but  he  scarcely  estimates  the  importance  of  applying 
judgment  and  observation  -to  his  practice.  In  his  own  sphere  of 
transactions,  although  often  small  by  comparison,  it  is  possible  for 
him  to  add  to  his  knowledge  the  rules  of  business  which  lead  to 
pecuniary  reward,  and  to  study  those  maxims  which  underlie  the 
structure  of  a  successful  pursuit.  But  it  we  are  asked  to  select  a 
type  of  a  class,  which  more  largely  than  any  other  fails  to  apply  the 
wisdom  of  method,  and  experience  to  the  demands  of  a  business 
vocation,  we  should  point  to  the  Apothecary. 
The  fact  may  be  admitted  that  the  dual  character  of  the  Apothe- 
cary's business  has  much  to  do  with  the  complications  of  his  position, 
and  as  pharmacists  honoring  as  we  should  the  dignified  character 
of  that  calling  as  a  profession,  we  must  deprecate,  most  grievously, 
the  close  commingling  of  the  commercial  with  the  scientific  aspects 
of  the  vocation.    The  former  has  borne  the  latter  down,  until  our 
