, 1889-05-10
ureARnen

Income OF Artists md Doctors Bfrsetsd By
the HIEgfinE Of ths Marriott
~Whatever a painter makes by paint,
ing, from one point OF view, 1t Is OBJ
vious that he earns. 30 much skilled
labor exchanges for 30 much money.
Now let us suppose that a portrait
painter, when his skill has como to
maturity, discovers, by what Adam
Smith calls tho higgling OF the market,
that the value OF one of his portraits is
s20O, and this state OF things continues
for ten years, during each Of which his
time has been fully occupied. BE has
painted, we Will say, ono portrait q
month. and his annual income has
been e., 400 a year. Now, every one
would admit indeed, no n could
deny, that the painter earned by his
skill just what his skill WINS worth.
The world has known what he could
produce, and the Judgment Of the
world, which in these cases is the Ill
innate court of appeal, has settled the
value of the product
This applies, l say, TO. the first ten
years during which the world has
known him. At the ond OF this pc
Rod, however, certain changes begin
to develop themselves. A new art
critic has arisen, who hns educated
the public tAste; n considerable mum
Der of immense fortunes have been
made, the possessors of which have all
Of them artistic tastes; and all OF them
wantt 10 have their portraits painted.
The consequence is that the painter,
instead of having rs formerly twelve
commissions n year, has now sixty.
He cannot execute an. He cannot OK
ecute moro than twelve. Tho conse-
qucnce is ho has TO raise his price, and
instead Of receiving 9200 for a
portrait he finds that he literally has
a thousand thrust upon him. Thus
his income rises from e., 400 a year to
fl2,0 600. There is an increment of
60, 600. What Inns been tho cause of
this incrcmcntl Has the painter been
the cause of It'll How can that BET lie
docs nothing moro than he used TO do.
He Is nblo to do nothing moro than he
used TO do. Uoworks no harder and no
longer. Ito has no moro skill. And
yet there is nm increment in his In
como of 60, COO.
A similar phenomenon, and ono
equally familiar, shows itself in tho
caso Of doctors. A doctor at some
spa has n certain recognized skill in
dealing with n certain class of com
plants. His fco is n guinea, and his
timo is fully occupied. Az years go
on, however, an increasing number
of rich people overeat themselves, and
come TO tho waters G which this
doctor prcsidos. Perhaps a king is
among them, whom he happens TO
curo of n stomach ache. He ia at once
bosct by patients from every quarter of
Europe, and his fec consequently
doubles itself. This increment is no
moro due to tho doctor than q similar
increment In tho painters case is due
to tho painter. To quote Mills words,
they havo neither OF them worked"
any harder they, have neither Of them
"risked," they have neither OF them
economical" Tho increment in
their incomes has como to them, ms it
wcro, in their Sleep II has come to
thom in the natural courso OF things
that Is to say, In tho Doctors case,
from an increasing number Of rich
men gorging, in the painters case
from an increasing number OF rich
men affecting n tasto for art In both
from people In general being geese
enough TO follow tho fashion Tho
National Review.