i48 
Editorial. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      March,  1901. 
EDITORIAL. 
PARLIAMENTARY  LAW  IN  ASSOCIATIONS. 
At  the  different  association  meetings  there  are  many  members 
who  are  more  anxious  for  the  good  of  their  professions  than  are 
conversant  with  parliamentary  law.  The  result  is  that  when  the  pre. 
siding  officer  is  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  law  and  anxious  to 
carry  out  the  law  these  members  who  are  making  motions  and 
amendments  contrary  to  such  laws  sometimes  find  that  they  are 
declared  to  be  out  of  order;  and  hence  are  inclined  to  consider 
such  rulings  to  be  unjust  and  not  in  accord  with  the  good  of  the 
cause  they  are  expounding. 
There  are  very  few  presiding  officers  of  professional  bodies  who 
are  thoroughly  conversant  with  parliamentary  law  and  able  to  carry 
on  a  meeting  in  the  proper  way.  This  arises  because  the  presiding 
officers  are  usually  selected  on  account  of  their  scientific  or  literary 
attainments — as  they  undoubtedly  should  be — and  not' because  of 
their  being  good  parliamentarians.  It  is  true  that,  as  a  rule,  at  the 
meetings  of  professional  bodies  no  serious  difficulties  confront  the 
chair.  However,  difficulties  do  arise  and  chairmen  sometimes  lose 
their  heads,  and  things  are  sometimes  said  and  done  which  are  un- 
wise and  unfortunate,  but  which  fortunately  are  usually  expunged 
from  the  records  and  not  published. 
Observations  on  the  actions  of  various  bodies  show  that  each 
body  should  have  a  presiding  officer  to  direct  its  business  affairs 
who  is  familiar  not  only  with  the  needs  of  the  body,  but  who  is 
also  a  good  parliamentarian.  Professor  Lloyd,  when  President  of  the 
American  Pharmaceutical  Association  (Proceedings,  1888,  p.  15), 
made  the  following  recommendation,  which  is  deserving  the  consid- 
eration of  all  associations,  as  it  would  tend  unquestionably  to 
facilitate  the  business  of  the  organizations  and  permit  the  ablest 
men  to  be  selected  for  the  most  honorable  positions  of  these  asso- 
ciations, and  who  are  not  then  burdened  with  the  difficulties  of  pre- 
siding at  all  the  meetings. 
Professor  Lloyd  says :  "  Sometimes  it  may  be  desirable  to  elect  as 
your  president  a  man  totally  inadequate  in  the  direction  of  parlia- 
mentary tactics,  and  of  little  value  as  a  presiding  officer.  What- 
ever good  reason  may  induce  such  a  selection,  I  think  that  it  will 
not  be  disputed  that  it  is  necessary  to  always  have  an  accomplished 
