The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-04-13
HEAD WORK AND HAND WORK.

A conversation upon general io?ic' &C
CURED between four gentleman OF different
occupations and conditions in life. One
was a mechanic; one was q clerk, one was
u capitalist, and one WINS an editor. The
mechanic said that an eminent professional
man could charge and compel the payment
of seventy-ive dollars for two hours worS,
and he insisted that it was wrong. lie
held that no man could earn 30 large an
amount in so short a time. 1t was no an
swer, he said, to say that this professional
man had spent years of study to acquire his
extraordinary skill. Every man who learns
a business, no matter what that usine
may be, has to devote quite as many years
to its requirement Fin jobs of mechan-
ism require as much study, as much BRAN,
and rs much skill as fine jobs of surgery.
Yet the skilful mechanic is rated at two
dollars a day, while the sklful surgeon OF
great lawyer gets his Thousands.
The mechanic had n strong position, and
we doubt IL it is successfully assailable.
And yet perhaps there was a fallacy in it,
for is it not n fact that skilful mechanics
10 get their seventy five dollars per hour in
hundreds and thousands of cases. The
mechanic whose brain invents n new and
useful machine-does he not reap his seven
ty-fve dollars per hour: The mechanic
who takes a contract to build a hundred
thousand dollar house, and by management
and business qualities makes a profit of ten
or fifteen thousand-does he not make his
seventy five dollars per houry Does the
printer who makes his fortune from the
establishment and conduct of n successful
newspaper stand upon any different footing
from the carpenter who makes n fortune IN
the building of profitable hOusesI Is 1t
unjust or wrong that the bold and strong
man, who takes risks and chances of loss
should also enjoy the benefits and incitc-
ments of chances for gain Shall not
thought and study have their share OF
recompense as well as muscle? AMI how
shall we measure the value of brain as de-
velopej in skilful work except by the
demand which is made by its product? If,
then, the great surgeon finds customers who
are willing to pay him seventy-ive dollars
an hour for his skill, what wrong is done !
What wrong when the great lawyer gets n
thousand dollars for IN argument or an
opinion, or may be for merely sitting in his
chair and lending the weight of his counte-
nance to a case What wrong when the
great mechanic reaps n profit of ten thou
sand on a single job? What wrong when
the great trader makes even a larger gain in
one transaction Of a million?
Some person in the presence of Daniel
Webster was discouraging ayoung man from
entering upon the study of law because the
profession was overcroSyded But" said
Mr.. Webster, I" there is plenty of room at
the top" And in that brief sentence Mr..
Webster stated the whole case. There is
room at the top. No matter what the occu-
patton may be, there is room at the top.
The General who holds the eminence com
mands the situation. The other General
under the shelter or under the force of his
guns may be his equal or his superior in
natural or acquired skill. But he must
prove it by his works. He must fight his
way up. He must capture the eminence
and gain the position by the exercise of his
brain and the power of his muscle, and by
constant superiority he must hold it against
all corners. Nothing succeeds like success.
Success commands rccompense, and as tie
world goes it must Is conceded is fairly
entitled to it.