Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1905. 
Professionalism  vs.  Commercialism. 
167 
that  are  not  too  heavy,  then  bravely  plunges  into  the  water,  and 
with  his  own  great  exertion  and  the  help  of  his  friends,  he  reaches 
the  bank  in  safety. 
Here  we  have  the  pharmacist  who  some  day  discovered  that  the 
quiet  enjoyment  of  his  business  has  been  interrupted  and  that  he  is 
carried  to  financial  ruin.  His  own  efforts  of  former  days  fail.  He 
climbs  on  the  ra  t  of  commercialism  that  seems  to  give  him  safety 
and  promises  golden  treasures  ;  but  he  discovers  that  still  he  is  in 
the  deadly  current.  Then  his  friends  throw  him  the  line  of  profes- 
sionalism. It  is  not  strong  enough  to  pull  the  clumsy  raft,  but  it  is 
strong  enough  with  proper  guidance  to  save  him  alone  if  he  will  add 
his  own  efforts  ;  yea,  he  may  even  carry  some  of  the  treasures  along. 
Shall  we  stubbornly  stick  to  the  heavy  raft  of  commercialism  and 
be  carried  down  the  falls  ?  or  shall  we  bravely  plunge  again  in  the 
river  of  pharmacy,  use  our  own  efforts  strenuously  and  with  the 
gentle  guidance  of  professionalism  be  saved  ? 
The  advocate  of  professional  pharmacy  is  often  called  an  idealist, 
a  visionary,  who  shoots  far  beyond  the  mark  and  fails  to  recognize 
the  cold  facts  of  the  world  around  him.  In  reality  it  is  the  idealist 
who  sees  clearly  beyond  the  narrow  circle  to  which  he  is  confined. 
It  is  the  very  keenness  of  his  vision  that  makes  him  attack  and 
reject  conditions  around  him  which  others  deem  unalterable,  and 
while  he  may  sometimes  underrate  the  difficulties  of  reform,  he  yet 
points  a  way  in  the  right  direction.  There  never  was  a  great  man 
without  an  ideal.  It  is  necessary  to  have  higher  inspiration  in  order 
to  rise  above  the  ordinary,  and  this  inspiration  is  generally  trans- 
posed from  the  leader  to  his  followers  and  is  able  to  carry  a  whole 
nation  to  nobler  aims.  Without  an  ideal  there  would  be  no  civiliza- 
tion. Without  an  ideal  there  would  be  no  progress,  no  reform. 
Without  an  ideal  there  would  be  no  art,  no  music,  no  greatness. 
Let  me  put  before  you  the  often  cited  instance  of  the  artist  who 
looks  in  ecstasy  at  a  block  of  snow-white  marble.  "  Howr  wonder- 
ful," he  exclaimed.  "  See  the  grandeur  of  perception,  the  beauty 
of  the  face,  the  harmonious  lines  of  the  whole  figure/'  "  What  are 
you  talking  about  ?  "  asked  his  neighbor, "  I  see  nothing  but  a  mass 
of  stone."  "  Yes,"  replied  the  artist,  "  there  is  some  stone  about 
the  statue,  but  give  me  hammer  and  chisel,  so  I  can  cut  it  away, 
that  the  whole  world  may  see  the  statue  in  all  its  beauty." 
Let  us  in  the  same  way  look  at  pharmacy  as  an  accomplished 
