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designing and constructing a single structure for an individual client, for a single fee, may produce "a thing of beauty, a joy forever," he beenfits a whole community by a permanent adornment, and the placing before all, a tangible object lesson in correct architectural style and taste, to be followed or imitated by all who may. The lack of appreciation for the profession in the part of the general public is due to their not properly understanding the position the educated architect is justly entitled to, and perhaps to a great extent to the abuses and unprofessional methods employed by uneducated and unscrupulous pretenders. Such is not the case in older countries where the profession and its requirements are better understood. IT is one of our duties to demonstrate to this unbelieving public that the architect is not born as such, nor does the art come with mother's milk, nor is it to be learned at the carpenters, or with the mason's trowel and hammer; but requires a long course of technical teaching, patient, laborious study of the master works of master minds, and constant application. Without this, the architect is a bungling apprentice, copying here and imitating there, producing architectural monstrosities, distasteful even to the uneducated eye. Unprofesssional and unscroupulous methods have borne their legitimate fruit in making the profession to a certain extent unpopular with the public. While this state of affairs exists, is it to be wondered at that we are not appreciated. Can it be otherwise. It is for us to change this state of affairs and to rid our ranks of such unprofessionals; to show the public by our work and methods that we are the representatives of a noble art; that our technical education represents invested capital; that in designing and constructing for them we are not the recipients of favors but are giving value for value, technical educated experience for fees, to often inadequate or at least not commensurate with the services rendered. The confidence of the people once gained, as a natural sequence, a better appreciation of the profession will follow, and in the end it will be classed in importance side by side with the learne professions of law and medicine. The American public is not an ungenerous one, but in a comparatively new country, where inherited wealth comes to the few, while the many are the architects and builders of their own fortunes, and after years of toil and labor, whirl and excitement, with an eye single to the acquisition of wealth, to the exclusion of all study and almost all observation of the beautiful and æsthetic in nature and art, when they come to expend this wealth, so zealously saved, in erecting and adorning their homes and beautifying grounds, they are apt to apply their buisness methods and select architect, landscape engineer, etc, as they do their tail and their shoemaker -- to make a fit; to plan and erect as directed, producing nine cases out of ten piles of brick and mortar, turrets and towers, without lines of grace and beauty -- modern Quuen Anne, American Rennaissance and other blackguardisms, so hideous in proportions, lines and colors that we are led to exclaim in the language of holy writ: "Why cumber they the ground?" And if by chance the architect proves competent and possesses the encessary indepdence of character to have his own way in applying correct rules in styles with adaptions to comfort and surrounding conditions, he rarely receives any particular credit, but is considered to have accomplished just what he paid for. However, in this respect there has been of late years a marked improvement with the growth and increasing prosperity of our wonderful country. Wealth is being more widely dissemination and with it more time and leisure to the business man to observe, study and travel -- to see all that is beauitufl in other and older countries, where successive ages have cultivated the taste for high art and correct art style. This enlightens his ideas, broadens his views and develops his innate spirit of liberality, as is evidence in late years in the improvements made in styles of design in our large cities and in the foundation and endowment of technical schools. By these institutes of technology and polytechnic schools the facilities for acquiring thorough and higher professional knowledge have been increased, and more importance attached to a thorough training as a qualification for the practice of an honorable profession. A cursory examination of the curriculum of these institutes, embracing studies which take years to master and acquire, at no small expense, should convince the most skeptical that such a profession, when honorably practiced, should be duly recognized and properly appreciated. The enactment of a law regulating the practice of architecture, which will place the capable, honorable architect where he rightfully belongs, and protect him from pernicious practices of unscrupulous incompetency, is a desideratum of which the importance cannot be overestimated, and as before remaked, it is for our association to keep this subject alive before our legislative bodies, to renew our efforts with increased energy and vigor, knowing that as the obdurate metals yield to repeated blows, so will our unremitting efforts be finally crowned with success. The steps which we have already taken to secure such laws commend themselves to all well-thinking men. That we have not yet succeeded is because so few are acquanited with the nature of our occupation, so few understand those relations I referred to. We must teach them by precept and example, and then, if we fail, we will have the satisfaction of knowing that it is from no fault of ours, but from an unappreciative public whose