The record-union., 1897-01-30
Held in Carnegie Music Hall at New
York City.
The Prospect of Their Bestowing Up
on Their Fellow Citizens the
Ripened Results Of Professional
Labor Would be Brighter and
Found i'm National and State Legis-
1atiVe Assemblies.

latlVe Assemblies.
NEW YORK, Jan. 29-The Academy
of Medicine celebrated its semi-centen-
nial in Carnegie Music Hall tonight
The entertainment consisted of ad
dresses by several prominent medical
lights of the academy and an address
by the President of the United States.
Grover Cleveland. The hall was
crowded. From orchestra to the top
most gallery every seat seemed filled,
the boxes being brilliant with color and
pretty women in evening dress.
Hail to the Chief greeted the Pres
ident as he entered the hall on the arm
of DR.. Bryant, the audience rising cut
of respect to the Nations Chief Execu-
tive.
Bishop Henry c. Potter, dressed in
the purple robes of the Episcopate. Of
fered the opening prayer President
Joseph d. Bryant, NJ. D., then made
the opening address of welcome. Dr.
Purple. DR.. Sayre and DR.. jacob spoke
on the aims and work of the academy.
Mr.. Cleveland was then introduced by
DR.. Bryant. He spoke as follows:
Mr. President. Ladies and Gentle
men: l have anticipated the share as
signed to me on this occasion with con-
siderable trepidation, for various rea-
sons. l have been chiefly disturbed,
believe, because of my inability to dis
cover sufficient ground for my right to
join those who celebrate the semi-cen-
tennial Of a medical ASSOCIATE If in
passing through that period in boyhood
when the desirable choice of future ac-
tivity seemed to rest between away
from home to be a sailor and staying
at home to be a doctor | inclined toward
the more quiet and orderly of these
pursuits, this surely furnishes no oasis
at this late day for a claim of relation
ship to the medical fraternity. Nor DO
| forget that less than seven years ago
| was accorded the privilege of partici
pating in the exercises when the cor
nerstone was laid of the building which
is now the home of the organization
which tonight celebrates it's useful
and honorable existence. Yet this hard
ly entities me to a claim of rela tionship
Confessing, therefore, that l have no
right to even standing room within the
L
boldly and without the least authority
determined to speak to you as a repre-
sentative of the vast army of patients
and laymen.
"At the outset I desire to remind you
that you owe US much. Though largely
in the majority and with plenty of
members to spare, those who are We'll
conducted among us do not vex you
with hurtful competition. Instead of
making life hard for you by an observ-
ance of laws of health, we assist you by
indulging in all sorts of Irregularities
We are obedient and submissive to your
cOmmandS-that is, when we are sick
and we sometimes pay your bills even
after a recovery to health, which we
are always certain would have resulted
without your interference. If in these
circumstances we venture to assert our
selves and tell you what is in our
minds, it is not fair to lfken US to a
certain parsonage who when sick a
saint would be though very differently
inclined when well.
I'VE begin by conceding most heartily
and without the least reservation the
learning and skill of those now consti-
tuting the medical profession and the
wonderful advance that has been made
through their untiring Iabors and in
vestigations, for the alienation of hui
man suffering and the saving of hu-
man life. 1t may be that this seems
to you an acknowledgment so much
your due as to be hardly worth making.
You should, however, value it because
it is sincerely made by those who were
not born yesterday, but who hold in
lasting and tender memory the minis
trations of the village doctor of fifty
years ago. and are now the living mon
uments of his faithful care. He, too.
alleviated sufferings and saved human
life We know that it was not given
to him to see the bright lights that now
mark the path of medicine and surgery,
but you cannot convince us that he
groped entirely in the dark.
I'VE remember without adherence his
ever ready lancet. We endure with com
placency the recollection of his awful
medicine case containing bottles, pow
der and pills. Whatever might be
thought of them now, then seemed all
sufficient in all emergencies, to say
nothing of tooth-pulling tools and other
shiver breeding instruments sometimes
exposed to view. If he was ignorant of
many Of the instruments now in use he
at least supplied the deficiency with
hard bearded judgment. experience and
careful nursing. Besides, it was in his
favor that he did not have to bother his
head with many of the newly invented
and refined diseases that afflict man
kind to-day He had no allotted hours
for his patients but was always on duty
and we knew the sound of his gig
as it ratified past in the night.
Your ways are better than his: but
we desire you to regard this admission
as all the more valuable because it is
carved out of our loyalty to our old viii
lag ge doctor, who brought us through the
diseases of childhood without relapse,
who saved from death our parests and
our brothers and our sisters in many
hard combat with illness and who. van
quished and forced to surrender, was
present in the last scene to close the
eyes of his dying patients and sympa-
thize with those who wept
Il hasten to say that we do not for
moment suppose that advancement in
the science of medicine and surgery has