The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-17
UNEARNEO lNCRtMtNlo.
Income of Artists and Doctors Erected oS
the Higgiing of the Market.


Whatever a paiu,er makes by paint
ing. from one point 2f view, 1t Is ob,
vious that he earns 30 much sKliieu
labor exchanges for SO much money.
Now LET us suppose that a portrait
nointer when his skill has come to
maturity discovers. by what Adam
Smith calls the higgling OF the market
that the value Of one OF his portraitsls
e2O0 and this state Of things continues
far ten wars. during each OF which ms
time has been fully occupied. tie has
PAINTED. we Will say. one portrait
month. and his annual income has
been ~ 900 year Now. every one
yould admit. indeed. no one could
denv that the painter earned by his
skill lust what his skill Was worth.
The world has known what he could
prodnce aud the Judgment Of the
world. which IN these cases Is the al
innate court Of appeal. has settled the
vaiucof the product
Thi, applies. ! say. Ia the Inst ten
wear. during which the world has
luown hmm At the end Of this pc
Rod. however. certain changes begin
to develop themselves. y new arr
critic has arisen. who has educated
,he n.,blic laste. considerable mum
Der of immense fortunes have been
made the possessOio of which nave all
nf thcm artistic tastes and all of them
want to have their portraits PAINTED
The consequence Is that the painter
instead of having as formerly twelve
commissions a year, has now sixty.
lie cannot execute a., He cannot cN
eciite more than twelve. The conse
aucnce is he has tO raise ms price ana
instead of receiving t2OJ Tor "a
uo,trait Inc finds that he literally has
thousand thrust upon him. Thus
his income rises from u, 100 "A year to
90 600 There Is an increment OF
"a GOO What has been the cause ol
/ this increment Has the painter been
/ the cause of IT. How can that be- lie
does nothing more than he used Ia do
/ He is able 10 do nothing more than he
+ used todo. He works no harderand no
/ 'ouucr He has no more skill. And
80 flore i, am increment in ms m
come of 80. GOO
4 similar phenomenon. aud one
equally familiar. shows itself IN the
c1-o of doctors. \ doctor at some
spa las a certain recognized skill m
dealing with a certain class of com
plants. His fee Is a guinea. and ms
time is fully occupied rs years go
on. However an increasing NUMBER
of rich people oyereat themselves, and
come t0 the waters over which tins
doctor preside, Perhaps king ],
among them. 'whOm he happens to
cure of "A stomach ache He is at once
bc.ct by patients from every quarter oil
EuroDc. and his fee consequently
doubles itself TIKI. increment IS no
more due to the doctor than "A similar
increment i'm the painters case IS que
fo the painter. To quote Mills words.
they have neither of them worked
any harder they. have neither Of them
"ri,kcd. they have neither Of them
economical The increment m
their incomes has come TO them. "as 1t
were. in their sleep. 1t has come t,
Them len the natural course of thing
that is To say. IN the doctors case
from am increasing number Of rel
men corgiug. IN the painters cast
from au increasing number OF rel
men affecting "a taste for art, IN boti
from people in general being gees
enough 10 follow the fashion. The
. National Review