THE 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAY,    1  85  8. 
VALEDICTORY  ADDRESS  TO  THE  GRADUATES  OF  THE  PHILA- 
DELPHIA COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY, 
Delivered  March  11th,  1858,  at  the  Musical  Fund  Hall,* 
By  William  Procter,  Jr. 
Gentlemen  : — A  time-honored  custom  requires  that  the  cere- 
monial which  has  just  been  witnessed,  should  be  followed  by  a 
word  of  gratulation  and  advice  ;  and  the  duty  of  conveying  it 
to  you,  on  this  interesting  occasion,  has  devolved  upon  me. 
The  old  relationship  of  teacher  and  pupil  having  ceased,  per- 
mit me  to  welcome  you  into  the  ranks  of  the  pharmaceutical 
profession,  as  qualified  to  take  part  in  its  duties  and  its  require- 
ments, and  determined  to  win  the  honors  and  emoluments  to 
which  a  faithful  fulfilment  of  them  will  justly  entitle  you. 
The  steps  by  which  you  have  gained  your  present  position 
have  been  many  and  tedious  ;  marked  with  numerous  trials  cal- 
culated to  discourage  your  progress.  These  accidents  of  fortune 
have  not  proved  injurious  : — the  blasts  that  assail  the  hill-side 
oak  but  develop  its  internal  power  of  resistance,  intertwine  more 
closely  its  fibres,  and  consolidate  its  tissues  ; — so  the  difficulties 
of  your  novitiate, — your  apprenticeship, — have  tended  to  bring 
out  your  latent  qualities ;  stimulate  your  ingenuity  ;  teach  you 
the  power  of  patience,  the  force  of  endurance,  and  the  all-con- 
quering influence  of  perseverance,  when  directed  to  the  attain- 
ment of  an  education  in  Pharmacy. 
The  profession  you  have  adopted  is  among  the  most  respecta- 
ble that  engage  the  attention  of  men  ;  its  results  are  directly 
beneficial  to  the  community,  when  its  practice  is  in  the  hands  of 
*  Extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  March  9,  1858. 
"  Resolved,  That  Prof.  Procter  be  desired  to  furnish  a  copy  of  his  Valedictory 
Address  to  the  Graduating  Class,  at  the  coming  Commencement,  for  publication 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy."  Alfred  B.  Taylor,  Secretary. 
