The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-10-06
THE BEST AND LEAST
PAYING PROFESSIONS

The best paying professions in the
world, from the point Of view of the
great starts, are the law and motor
picture acting. In each profession the
rear guard may receive starvation in.
comes, but those in the first rank are
in the million-a-year class.
From the same point of view the
poorest paying profession in the world
is science. Albert E~instein, one of the
most famous Of living scientists, usec
to get a salary in marks equivalent
to $4,000 a year, and unless he has
been raised, the fall of the mark has
cut his salary to something like SITE
a month.
The law and the films are the only
million-a-year professions, says the
New York Times. Rockefeller and
Ford have been estimated to make be-
tween $40,000,O0O and $50, ZOO, 900 a
year from oil and autos, Ford prob
ably leading. A big worlds-supplying
business is better than any of the pro-
fessions. The quickest road to wealth
is to invent something that everybody
wants. Those who make a million or
more a year by strictly professional
activities can be counted on the fingers
OF n hand. possibly borrowing one
finger from the other, and they are
all lawyers and actors.
Charlie Chaplin Douglas Fairbanks
and his wife, Mary, are on record in
various litigations as being in the mil
lion-a-year class. Motion picture stars
have no secrets. Litigation and pub.
licity leave nothing confidential be.
tween them and the income tax col
lector. 1t is not quite so easy to get
estimates of earnings in other pur-
suits.
Levy Mayer of Chicago, who died re-
Gently, represented the packers, half
a dozen trusts and a legion of wealthy
men. He was reputed to earn more
than any other lawyer in the coup-
try, in excess of a million a year. Sam
uel Untermyer estimated his voluntary
services to- the Lockwood committee
and the state at $500 900 a year, &C.
cording to usual earning capacity, and
it might be deduced when he worked
a whole year for himself, that his
earnings exceeded $1,000, OOO. Max D.
Steuer. "the greatest trial lawyer" in
America, according to Judge Shearn,
his opponent in the Emo will case,
recently made on affidavit that he re-
ceived on average of more than $1,000
a day" for his appearance in court. A
day in court is less than half of Mr..
Steuer's working day, and his yearly
earnings are said to be somewhere
near the 1 1000, 900 mark.
Economically, the next best profess
sion is prizefighting. Jack Dempsey
was credited with making $500, 900 last
year, and he wants a purse of around
half a million for his next fight. Ben
ny Leonard is expected to earn more
than 100000 this year. Law as a
profession, however, has this advan-
tage over it's nearest rivals-the law
yer ordinarily earns more as he grows
cid, but the actor and fighter lose their
great earning capacity when they pass
their prime. The public knows when
an actor or fighter is going back
ward. The public doesn't know that
about a lawyer, at least not so soon.
Reputation and ability remain abreast
in the case of performers who must
please the public. A lawyer is usually
much better than his reputation or his
reputation is much better than he.
Some lawyers, especially of the ora
torlcal type, begin to get fat and law
when they grow famous and lose cases
fastest when their reputation is at it's
zenith. But. on the whole, the law
tops them all economically. The pub
nc pays less to be amused than to be
kept out of Jail. ,