The state chronicle., 1893-05-26
PRESIDENT HARKIS' ADDRESS.

Society.
We have been permitted to make
he following extracts from the ad-
nirable address of President F. s.
Harris before the North Carolina
State Dental Society:
Gentlemen and Fellow Members OF
the North Carolina State Dental
Society:
L. is with feelings of genuine
pleasure that I greet you. here IN
;he City of Oaks, where we have
been entertained at six annual
meetings since our organization as
. Society. "The City Of Oak"
the oak representative of strength
and stability and beauty, and typi-
cal of her citizenship.
We are to congratulate ourselves
on falling among such people,
conservative yet progressive and
most hospitable to friends and stran-
gers, making one snxious to come !
again to this Capital City and this
Capitol building where more laws
are made and fewer broken-prob-
ably-than in any other Capital of
our land. We assemble here not
for feats of forensic skill to which
these walls have usually been accus
toned, but for the interchange of
thought and ideas, mingled with
the social intercourse, which is so
pleasant and 80 profitable to us all.
Time has passed by when, in the
labyrinthine depths of the labora-
tory, the dentist bent over his cru
cible, invoking mystic aid for his
own pelf and jealously guarding
against letting out the secret to
fellow craftsman that humanity
might be the gamer through the
unlocking of Natures Secrets; when,
with more of the spirit of generosi-
ty and brotherly kindness, our pro-
fession had sooner merged from its
dark exclusiveness and the realm OF
the black arts and from the crude
ness of empyricism and taken it's
stand among the learned and liberal
professions. The association idea
invoked a brighter day for dentis-
try and now who is SO self conceired
as to think for a moment that he is
not largely a gamer by meetin g
with his fellows and interchanging
views and methods with which each
is endeavoring to make himself
most proficient in his chosen voca.
ton? It is as the proverb-"iron
sharpeneth iron," and my idea here
may interlock with your idea there,
an intermarriage of ideas, as it were,
and with no cause to regret the
union. What may free and liberal
association not do to break down
the walls of selfshness and
broaden ones views2 And he
must be very ipattentlvs OF
dull or unappreciative who at
tends one of our meetings and does
not take away something, some idea
that he can make available in the
better practice of his profession
And what a boon it has been to the
public, who are beginning to discri.
nate between the gim-craok dental
peddler-the peripatetic china ar.
tist, and the true man, mindful Of
the claims of humanity upon him
and whom the civil code, the code
of dental and professional ethics, OF
the higher code proclaimed from
the mount-the golden rule so ap
plicable to all questions, moral ant
social; the man, I say, whom non.
of these things can touch because
as a gentleman he intutively obey
their mandates. Aside from tn
real and practical knowledge tina
is gained through association, i
confers certain prestige that i
by no means to be despised, though
no true member will trade on it, q
we have seen done by the Associa
ton hanger-on-the dead beat who
> plying his vocation OF some out of
,, the way crossroads district, let's
get abroad that he has gone dow
to the Association for a few days
> and then returns loaded with tn
inevitable hand-bill setting fort
= that having been down to the meet
. ing of the Society, replenished hi
stock, taken part in its sessions, etc
etc, he is better prepared than eve
u to excel all others in his line-ir
= = viting all to see his process of FL
ing teeth by an entirely new pro
cess, while he can give the mos
Il teeth and the prettiest for the lea;
. money of any dentist in the Stat
= = Many of you are doubtless a.
u quainted with the gentleman, thoug
>. may not have given him ve1
II graceful introduction. And 70
9 have been annoyed by his monr
70 mental cheek and gall whereby
!. worms himself in and out, mono.
- lizing best position for observin
clinics and handling the exhibi
Il with freedom, a nonchalance, o
. culiarly his own.
II The Lord knows we do not en-,
10 him the knowledge he may pit
IL IL up, but the way he goes about
- and the use he makes of it rend
= him very contemplate in the ey
of true man.
| regret to say there ere SOL
G really worthy men and very credi
able practitioners, having the co