APPRENTICESHIP  AND  EARLY  TRAINING  OF  PHARMACISTS.  545 
before  entering  upon  his  apprenticeship  would  be  to  a  great 
extent  self-dependent ;  it  would  then  be  entirely  his  own  fault 
if  he  did  not  find  daily  opportunities  of  applying  and  increasing 
his  knowledge ;  work  which  would  have  been  mere  irksome 
drudgery  to  him  would  be  interesting  and  instructive,  because 
he  would  find  in  it  the  application  of  principles  and  laws  with 
which  he  had  previously  become  familiar. 
The  next  question  is,  how  is  this  knowledge  to  be  given  ?  I 
think  by  the  establishment  of  special  technical  schools  for  boys 
intending  to  become  pharmacists.  Mr.  Schacht  has  estimated 
the  number  of  young  men  entering  the  business  annually  as 
1693.  Is  it  too  much  to  expect  that  a  sufficiently  large  propor- 
tion of  these  to  support  the  experiment  would  be  able  and  willing 
to  do  so  ?  The  laboratories  at  Bloomsbury  Square  are  overflow- 
ing ;  there  is  no  lack  of  students  now  ready  to  spend  money  for 
knowledge  which  they  would  have  found  doubly  useful  if  ob- 
tained earlier.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  our  body  will  be 
recruited  from  a  wealthier  class  than  hitherto.  A  considerable 
sum  will,  in  most  cases,  have  to  be  expended  one  way  or  another, 
earlier  or  later,  on  the  scientific  education  of  the  chemist  if  he  is 
to  attain,  or,  at  any  rate,  to  maintain  a  position,  and  I  think 
the  earlier  in  his  career  some  of  it  is  invested  the  better.  More- 
over, I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  some  such  plan  as  I  propose 
would  be  in  the  end  cheaper  as  well  as  better.  A  pupil  having 
spent  twelve  months  in  this  technical  school  would  be  a  much 
more  useful,  or  at  least  less  troublesome,  appendage  to  most 
businesses  than  the  apprentice  of  to-day.  Possibly  some  of  the 
leading  firms  might  be  willing  to  take  him  at  a  more  moderate 
premium.  At  the  end  of  a  three  years'  indenture  he  should  pass 
the  Minor  with  honors,  and  would  then  be  certainly  able  to  com- 
mand higher  remuneration  than  most  men  who  have  been  four 
years  in  the  business  can  now  do. 
I  do  not  propose  any  detailed  scheme,  but  make  this  sugges- 
tion in  the  hope  that  some  of  you  may  be  able  and  willing  to 
help  its  elaboration.  The  course  of  instruction  should  be  ele- 
mentary, but  thoroughly  sounds  the  main  object  being  to  set  up 
signposts,  warranted,  as  Mr.  Ince  says,  to  point  in  the  right  di- 
rection. When  the  apprentice  sets  up  his  own,  they  too  com- 
(35) 
