The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1873-03-05
PROFESSIONAL AND LITERARY
INCOMES.

The Clergyman, the lawyer, the
physician, the editor, the teacher, and
the writer of books, in order to excel
in their respective professions,
are all obliged to go through the same
amount Of preliminary study. It costs
as much of time, money, and labor to
thoroughly fit one for his work as the
other: and we may add that it requires
just rs much talent and genius to be a
teacher as to be an author, to be an
editor as to be a clergyman or a lawyer.
The special adaptation Of natural gifts
and dispositions is Just as important
and valuable to the community in one
profession as inanother. Each requires
a whole man, who shall be & man out
side of his special work. man of
culture, large acquaintance with men
and things, a well-furnished and clearly
working intellect, a high character, and
superlatiVe devotion to the work from
which he wins his living. In thenature
of things, in the character of the work
done, and in the amount and kind Of
preparation required, there is no reason
why one should be better paid than the
other yet there is no field of human
effort which presents a wider variety
and contrariety of pecuniary rewards
than that presented by professional and
literary labor.
There are two forms of income attach
ed to this variety of work viz, that
which arises from salaries, aud that
which arises from fees. The former is
fixed by the community for which the
work is done, md the latter BIZ those
who do the work. The 8alaried man
enters the market and sells his services
at the highest rate which they will
command in competition with others.
The man of fees combines with his
brethren to fix Il compensation for his
services, which compels the community
take them at his valuation or to do
without them. To say that the lawyer
md the physician have the advantage of
Ill the other professions. is simply
o repeat a notorious fact. The lawyer
md the physician who are thoroughly
prepared for and fitted to their work can,
md do, get rich. The clergyman, the
eacher, the editor, and the author can
and do not, get rich by their work.
The brightest author in America, though
lie produce books of universal accepta-
ion, can never get rich ; and hardly one
.uthor in one hundred can realize
from his labor at the present
ates Of copyright to rear a family in
omfort. The teacher gets just enough
o live on, and no more, while the
clergyman and the hired editor, a v in
are instances, are men who are obliged
0 practice the most rigid economy in
rider to live within their income.
We are not among those who believe
hat the salaried man gets enough for
is work. We should be glad to see
I'M better paid, in all departments of
is labor. 1t so happens that heoworks
/ the very foundation of society, and
as his Office of ministry all through its
1perstructure. He has to do with the '
the education, the information,
he opinion, and the culture Of the ,
ocial mass. Take away his work, and .
would degenerate into b~arbarisn. I,
he Importance of his work cannot be !
llculated. He is the inspirer, instr1c-
n end conservator Of our civilization :
he is as powerless to-day o win q |
impotence for his old age, while all +,
,ound him are getting rich, and !
the results of his labor, as if "
} were a child. The superannuated
ergyman ekes out his life in the J
1mblest way the exhausted teacher
,ddles books or drifts into some petty I
srk-ship the editor breaks down or q
a hack and the author writes G
naself out, or runs into driEel that u