The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-02-16

very scarce, and statistics prove
that the majority Of them die poor
The practice of medicine is seldom
the road to wealth. Physicians too
often spend their years 10 exhaust
ing labor and leave their children to
fight the battles of life for them
selves. Yet in spite of this, their
great need, there is nothing SO rare
as an avariclous physician. Some it
is true have been grasping, but it is
only that they might be prodigal.
Wherever one has been niggardly
and repacious, his brethren have
stunned him as a monster and he
has lived solitary and despiseG
life. Although medicine must needs
be practiced for a liveiihood-for
even they who serve the altar must
live by the altar-he is generally
the happiest and most successful
who vie VS. his gains as an incident
of his profession and not as its
leading object. His daily bread lie
sweetened by a consciousness Of
having mitigated human sorrow
and sometimes by the sweet incense
of grateful hearts, for the browning
charm of medicine is to be benev-
olent art. If the most exalted gen
ius, the most incessant and fatigu
ing toll, the clearest judgement and
the longest and most varied expert
ence are necessary to perfect ply
stefan, let 1t not be forgotten that
all this talent, learning and devo
ton have for their greatest object
the cure of the sick. No profession
can be more dignified, for by pre-
cept and by practice it was placed
first of human callipgs by the Great
Saviour OF the world. Even among
the heathens religion and medicine
were united and the priest was also
the physician. To the christian
priesthood too we mainly owe the
preservation Of our literature and
traditions during the darkness OF
the middle ages. Whether he who
has been rescued from the flames or
from the waves present his deliverer
with penny or a Thousand dollars,
the reward is equally inadequate il
measured by the services alone
Hence it is, the fees OF physician
have always been called hoaoraria.
The major speaks of appointing a
committee to regulate physicians
charges. Does he not know that
any man claiming to be ply stefan
who would be dictated to by a set
Of men outside of the pale of their
own organizations would be dan
gerous at any price? No one but a
eharlatan would suffer himself to be
duped in any such manner. Why
it would be just as reasonable if the
state medical association or the
Giles county medical association
had put protest against the price
OF wheat or any other commodity of
the farm. The smooth and plausi-
Bile deceiver, the shameless denoun
Ger of all science, the brszen browed
quack, may be dictated to, but the
honorable physician, neveri | be-
lieve in organization in all indus
tries among the farmers, lawyers
and mechanics aud doctors, but l
don't believe they ought to be ag
gressiye. Such action viii engen-
der nothing but evil. If the farm
ers alliance is going to make war on
the middle men," let them not be-
gin by assailing innocent men. Let
them bat remember the physicians
have families that must live. They
also like other people have their
liabilities to meet and they must be
paid, and il is but natural, after
having spent their money and time
in acquiring medical education,
that they should expect commensu-
rate compensation for their labor.
The fact of the business is, the
physicians in Giles county have
suffered themselves imposed on so
long that the laity have concluded
they have no rights they are bound
to respect.
The major in spirit of impetu-
Gus zeal makes some very broad
assertions and goes far beyond the
bounds of reason. Probably he is
over-zealous for his cause, but he
must remem Der that there are other
ayocations of life in which the vo-
taries are equally Jealous and ar
dent, and the amount OF pecuniary
compensation is always commensu-
rate with the degree of ones INTEL
iigence and the estimate of his at.
tainments. 1t is so the world over
always will be ana should be
Were it not the case, there would
be bat few schools or institutions
of learning. We would soon for
get Longfellow's,
"Let us be up and doing.
With u heart for any fate,n
and if all are to be equal as b,
says, we would soon retrograde in
to the days of the dark ages. AID
hitting for the sake of argumen
that We are all born equal. it doe
I not necessarily follow that we shal
remain so. What an unluck
world this would be if such wer
: the case. What would be the in
| eentive for man to toll and labo
. to lay up something for his chill
: dren2 If one destiny is allotted I
j all, (as some men, have no aspira
e tions beyond a mere living and ra