It seems that although my focus is the work of Olga Ernst, divergent pathways appear that fascinate and compel me to investigate a little! Martin Ernst, Olga's uncle, also emigrated and for some time lived in Melbourne becoming apprenticed to his brother Theodor (Olga's father) as a chemist. Although Renee at the Lutheran Archives alerted me to the fact that Theodor had a brother, I received confirmation from a descendant in South Australia.
Julius Theodor Ernst (known as Theodor) was one of a number of chemists, trained at the University of Liepzig, who entered the colony of Victoria in the decades after 1850. A member of the Prussian Reserve as a pharmacist he was proud of his profession.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria was established in 1857 while twenty years later, in 1876, the Pharmacy and Poisons Act set professional standards. A Pharmacy Board was established in 1877, one of its tasks to establish a register of pharmacists. Concern with the issue of different laws in each colony led to the organisation of an intercolonial pharmacy conference in Melbourne at the College of Pharmacy in Swanston Street in 1886. This had considerable impact on the profession and of course, Martin Ernst's apprenticeship with Theodor. An article in the Argus stated,
...for several years past the desirability of assimilating the pharmacy laws of the various colonies, and establishing a uniform system of training, teaching, and examination ot students with the view of facilitating erainterchange of the certificates granted by the respective examination authorities, has been forcing itself strongly on the attention of the leading pharmacists in the colonies, and the forthcoming conference ia the result ot the efforts which have been made in this direction.
At the present time it appears that the pharmacy acts of some of the colonies re quire a preliminary examination before apprenticeship, while in others no such provision is made.. the examination standards also differ very materially, the practical result of these divergencies being that a duly qualified chemist in one colony is not recognised as such by the authorities of another. In Victoria a very stringent Pharmacy Act was passed in 1870.Another subject that will engage the attention of the conference is the rapid increase in the trade of proprietary medicines and secret nostrums, as antagonistic to the true interest of pharmacy...
The business of the conference will commence ...and the remainder of the sitting will be devoted to the consideration of the first resolution, as follows -That a uniform stem of education throughout Australasia is desirable. Such system to embrace(A) Preliminary examination to include the same subjects as required by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
(B) Apprenticeship of four years(C) Course of study based upon the course adopted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain(D) Examinations to be conducted by examiners appointed by boards councils or governing bodies...
Julius Theodor Ernst (known as Theodor) was one of a number of chemists, trained at the University of Liepzig, who entered the colony of Victoria in the decades after 1850. A member of the Prussian Reserve as a pharmacist he was proud of his profession.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria was established in 1857 while twenty years later, in 1876, the Pharmacy and Poisons Act set professional standards. A Pharmacy Board was established in 1877, one of its tasks to establish a register of pharmacists. Concern with the issue of different laws in each colony led to the organisation of an intercolonial pharmacy conference in Melbourne at the College of Pharmacy in Swanston Street in 1886. This had considerable impact on the profession and of course, Martin Ernst's apprenticeship with Theodor. An article in the Argus stated,
...for several years past the desirability of assimilating the pharmacy laws of the various colonies, and establishing a uniform system of training, teaching, and examination ot students with the view of facilitating erainterchange of the certificates granted by the respective examination authorities, has been forcing itself strongly on the attention of the leading pharmacists in the colonies, and the forthcoming conference ia the result ot the efforts which have been made in this direction.
At the present time it appears that the pharmacy acts of some of the colonies re quire a preliminary examination before apprenticeship, while in others no such provision is made.. the examination standards also differ very materially, the practical result of these divergencies being that a duly qualified chemist in one colony is not recognised as such by the authorities of another. In Victoria a very stringent Pharmacy Act was passed in 1870.Another subject that will engage the attention of the conference is the rapid increase in the trade of proprietary medicines and secret nostrums, as antagonistic to the true interest of pharmacy...
The business of the conference will commence ...and the remainder of the sitting will be devoted to the consideration of the first resolution, as follows -That a uniform stem of education throughout Australasia is desirable. Such system to embrace(A) Preliminary examination to include the same subjects as required by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
(B) Apprenticeship of four years(C) Course of study based upon the course adopted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain(D) Examinations to be conducted by examiners appointed by boards councils or governing bodies...
Four years after this Conference, in the The Argus (12 March 1890, page 1) it is noted that Martin Ernst passed the Preliminary Examination and it is also recorded in the Apprentices' Indentures Register of the same year. Of the twenty-eight apprentices who had been indentured in 1890 for the Colony of Victoria, four were employed in Fitzroy pharmacies. This indicates that Theodor's business has as much competition as those pharmacies in the central business district of Melbourne!
Unfortunately the depression of the 1890s placed great pressure on businesses in Melbourne and consequently Theodor's business suffered. An indication that he was facing financial pressures were demonstrated as Theodor's advertisements in Der
Australische Christenbote[1]
(The Australian Christian Messenger) began to get smaller.
It seems unlikely that Martin completed his apprenticeship and found teaching more to his liking as an article in 1901 indicates that Martin Ernst was called by the Bethlehem congregation from Victoria to the position of teacher in the Martin Luther school and solemnly installed into office by the Rev. G. Koch. He seems to have been very successful as a later article states that, Yesterday the annual examination and picnic in connection with theEvangelical Lutheran denominational day school was held in the school-house and grounds at Emmaus, about three miles distant. This school is one of the oldest in these parts. A large number of the younger German farmers received their education there, and they make quite a holiday of the event. The scholars were examined in both religious and secular subjects, and the manner in which they acquitted themselves gave evidence of careful training on the part of their teacher, Mr. Ernst. The president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (Pastor T. Nickel) conducted the examination, and expressed himself as well pleased with the results. The attention of the school board (Pastor T. Nickel and Messrs. C. Pfeiffer and A. Sieber) contributed largely towards the enjoyment of the visitors, of whom there was a large gathering. (THE COUNTRY, 1905, October 24,.The Advertiser p.7)
Another teacher!
It seems unlikely that Martin completed his apprenticeship and found teaching more to his liking as an article in 1901 indicates that Martin Ernst was called by the Bethlehem congregation from Victoria to the position of teacher in the Martin Luther school and solemnly installed into office by the Rev. G. Koch. He seems to have been very successful as a later article states that, Yesterday the annual examination and picnic in connection with theEvangelical Lutheran denominational day school was held in the school-house and grounds at Emmaus, about three miles distant. This school is one of the oldest in these parts. A large number of the younger German farmers received their education there, and they make quite a holiday of the event. The scholars were examined in both religious and secular subjects, and the manner in which they acquitted themselves gave evidence of careful training on the part of their teacher, Mr. Ernst. The president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (Pastor T. Nickel) conducted the examination, and expressed himself as well pleased with the results. The attention of the school board (Pastor T. Nickel and Messrs. C. Pfeiffer and A. Sieber) contributed largely towards the enjoyment of the visitors, of whom there was a large gathering. (THE COUNTRY, 1905, October 24,.The Advertiser p.7)
Another teacher!
[1] The organ of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Victoria and later
of the General Synod. ‘(Pastor) Herlitz had expanded this publication and
changed its title from Australischer Christenbote in July 1871. This
paper was published monthly from 1860-1910, and weekly from 1911 when it became
the medium of the General Synod and publication was transferred to Adelaide. It
ceased in 1917 during the First World War.’ (Details taken from p. 111 of A German Church in the
Garden of God, the sesquicentenary history of Trinity German Lutheran
Church East Melbourne.)
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