Is the shop more profitable than the farm, the shop be- 

 -comes crowded, and many a farmer's boy, who, led on by 

 greed of gain, is launched upon the manufacturing town, now 

 out of work, his hopes dashed to the ground, at last, in the 

 forced calm of weariness and despair, awakes to realize an ir- 

 reparable loss of health and manly vigor, — a loss more bitter 

 that the glare of short-lived prosperity by which he was al- 

 lured has faded and gone forever. 



This law of equal compensation for the same amount and 

 quality of labor, depends upon well-known relations of sup- 

 ply and demand. It has lately received an excellent illustra- 

 tion in two of our leading cities. Upon the great fire at Chi- 

 cago, such was the rush of laborers and artiasns to that city, 

 in anticipation of a large demand and consequently increased 

 pay for their services, that not only were their expectations 

 defeated, but those who from choice or necessity remained be- 

 hind were the real gainers, from the increased demand that 

 sprang up at home. 



But kind or quality of labor is a more important considera- 

 tion than mere quantity. The mechanic is paid according to 

 his skill, the professional man according to his ability; and 

 that is evidently the highest kind of labor Avhich will em- 

 ploy the greatest amount and variety of individual capacity. 



What does the artisan Avith his brain ? The more practised 

 his hand, the more mechanically does he perform his round of 

 tasks ; and the nearer he attains to a mere machine, the more 

 perfect is his workmanship. But though the hand of the farm 

 laborer must be intelligently directed, he needs not to study 

 ceaseless uniformity, but must with judgment constantly de- 

 termine adaptation of means to ends in changing combinations. 



From the more simple phase of industry as represented by 

 labor, we now pass to the consideration of capital — an ele- 

 ment which at the outset mio-ht seem to disturb this balance of 

 pay among different industries. But a closer examination will 

 serve to show, that none the less securely is the capitalist 

 bound with certain conditions b}' which his gains are limited 



