Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1904-09-30
MOT IT, BUT JUST AS GOOD. y
J. Major Lemen's Address at the
Michigan Pharmaceutical
Association.

The Bulletin of Pharmacy published
at Detroit, in discussing j Major Lsmen'i
address on mot it, but Something Just
as Good" at the annual meeting OF
the Michigan State Pharmaceutical
Association, held at Grand Rapids re.
Gently says:
zone Of the most ardent and interest
ing discussions ut last months meeting
at the Michigan Pharmaceutical Assc-
citation at Grand Rapids, arose over the
familiar and historic subject of substitu-
ton. j. Major Lemen read paper in
which he brought forth the following
rather clever story illustrating his par
ticulur view of the question.
There is a story told Of baby that
was lost. It's likeness was posted
throughout the county and large re-
ward offered for its return by the father.
Finally a woman brought a baby that
answered the description TO all outward
appearance, and the agent for the father
accepted the child. 1t was turned over
to him as his own, and he took it home.
The next day he rushed back to the
agent with it, shouting; This is not
my baby. This isn't the baby l want.
"What If 10 isn't: was the reply. 1T
is just as good. Take 1t home and use
it. II il doesn't satisfy You in few
years, bring it back We can guarantee
it as good as your brand, for the formula
is exactly the same. But rs still re-
fuses 70 accept tie substitute baby, even
after il has been compared with the
photograph, and the features and size
found identical When asked why that
baby wouldn t do, he answered. It's a
boy our baby was a girl"
"But the Michigan association evident
ly thought there was a mighty sight of
difference between babies and patent
medicines, and that while the formula
might produce very different results in
the one case, it would come out about
even in the other. At any rate Mr..
Lemen had no sooner taken his seat
than the fun began. During the
reading Of his paper Mr.. Burke,
the secretacy Of the association, and Mr..
Kirchgessner, the local secretary, had
been busy sharpening their pencils and
arranging their plan Of attack, and they
lost no time when the hostilities opened.
"MS Lemen had insisted that the
druggist should hand out the article
called for without comment. So far
there was no disagreement with him.
But he went further and intimated that
ii was better TO sell the advertised
patent anyway, and not try to push
your own that people always thought
better Of an article which was put up
outside Of their own town and which
b al universal sale that they did not
repose sufficient confidence in the skill
Of the pharmacist to warrant his manu-
( featuring a line of specialties; and that
his sales on them did not justify his
efforts.
"How the hornets nest did buzz! Mr..
B urke declared vehemently that il was
certainly the province of the pharmacist
10 put up line of simple home remedies,
and that his training eminently quail. |
fed him for the task. Mr.. Parker
asserted that the men who were work
ing out their destiny most successfully |
in the retail drug business were the
men who pushed their own specialties
10 the front and entered into open and
honest competition with advertised /
patents. Mr.. Kirchgessner gave il as
his experience that people have more
confidence in the druggists goods than
in the patent medicine proprietors', and /
that he had no difficult in working up
handsome and profitable trade on his
article. And so il went, man after man
taking the same point CT view.
doctor Prescott listened TO the
whole discussion with great interest
Finally he capped the climax. In that
luiet deliberate and penetrating manner
which is so characteristic, he said, "Iu.
stead of urging your own remedies
lpon the customer as just as good, l
should think better motto would be,
mot so bad."
This brought down the house. The
discussion closed.