536        Education  and  Legislation  in  Pharmacy.  {A^VemberjLm* 
store  experience  or  they  could  not,  under  the  laws  of  those  States, 
have  been  admitted  to  the  examinations.  Evidently,  then,  those 
who  insist  that  drug-store  experience  is  all  that  is  necessary  to  the 
proper  training  of  pharmacists  are  quite  mistaken.  The  drug  stores 
do  not  teach  chemistry,  materia  medica  and  pharmacy.  All  Boards 
of  Pharmacy  examine  all  candidates  for  license  upon  those  subjects. 
If  the  Board  examinations  are  not  to  include  those  subjects,  then 
what  should  they  include  ?  If  it  is  proper  that  these  subjects  should 
be  included,  then  let  us  all  know  how  much  of  each,  how  the  candi- 
dates can  best  master  what  they  are  required  to  know,  and  what  the 
schools  should  do  to  satisfy  these  requirements. 
Without  any  definite  plan  the  Boards  do  not  agree  with  each 
other,  the  courses  in  one  school  do  not  agree  with  those  of  another 
school,  and  it  is  impossible  for  the  Boards  to  make  their  examina- 
tions fit  the  college  courses  or  for  the  colleges  to  make  their 
courses  fit  the  Board  examinations,  or  for  the  bewildered  candidates 
to  know  what  to  do  to  be  saved. 
Preliminary  Education. — But  the  most  serious  evil  of  all  is  the 
inadequate  preliminary  general  education  of  the  apprentices  in  the 
drug  stores  and  the  students  in  the  colleges  of  pharmacy.  In  the 
absence  of  any  fixed  standards  the  employer  is  the  judge  of  the 
educational  fitness  of  the  young  men  who  are  to  be  our  successors. 
He  settles  the  question  effectually  both  for  the  Boards  and  the 
schools.  '  Look  at  the  insignificant  numbers  of  the  classes  that 
attend  schools  with  proper  educational  entrance  requirements,  and 
the  many  times  as  large  classes  that  attend  the  schools  with  low 
admission  requirements. 
All  schools  of  pharmacy  must  draw  their  students  from  the  drug 
stores. 
All  schools  who  uphold  high  standards  would  certainly  be  obliged 
to  close  their  doors  for  want  of  sufficient  classes  were  it  not  for  their 
endowments,  bequests,  appropriations,  rent-free  quarters,  and  other 
unusual  helps.  They  need  sorely  all  the  encouragement  they  can 
possibly  get.  Shall  they  be  denied  that  encouragement  ?  Do  we 
want  the  schools  closed  ?  Shall  we  not  rather  follow  the  universal 
example,  heed  the  universal  lesson,  and  encourage  education  ? 
Are  we  honest  to  our  calling,  honest  to  the  public,  honest  to  the 
young  men  who  would  succeed  us,  when  we  allow  young  men  to 
become  students  and  apprentices  whose  preliminary  education  is  so 
