shops ready for sale. The capitalist
advances the wages of the workmen, but this is only for a few weeks or
months, and according as the demand for barometers is brisk or slow, he
employs more or fewer workmen. Thus, #demand for commodities comes to
nearly, though not quite, the same thing as demand for labour#. There
is the profit of the capitalist to be considered as well; but, with this
exception, #rates of wages are governed by the same laws of supply and
demand as the prices of goods#.

Anything, then, which affects the numbers of men able and willing to do
a particular kind of work, affects the wages of such men. Thus the
principal circumstance governing wages is the comparative numbers of
persons brought up with various degrees of strength, both of body and
mind. The greater number of ordinary men, while in good health, have
sufficient strength of arms and legs to do common work; the supply of
such men is consequently very large, and, unless they can acquire some
peculiar knowledge or skill, they cannot expect high wages. Dwarfs and
giants are always much less common than men of average size; if there
happened to be any work of importance which could only be done by dwarfs
or giants, they could demand high wages. Dwarfs, however, are of no
special use except to exhibit as curiosities; very large strong men,
too, are not generally speaking of any particular use, because most
heavy work is now done by machinery. They can, however, still get very
high wages in hewing coal, or puddling iron, because this is work,
requiring great strength and endurance, which is not yet commonly done
by machinery. Iron puddlers sometimes earn as much as L250 a year.

It is great skill and knowledge which generally enable a man to earn
large wages. Rich people like to get the best of everything, and thus
the few people who can do things in the best possible way can ask very
high prices. Almost any one can sing badly; but hardly any one can sing
as well as Mr. Sims Reeves: thus he can get perhaps L20 or L30 for every
song which he sings. It is the same with the best artists, actors,
barristers, engineers. An artist is usually his own capitalist, for he
maintains himself during many months, or even years, while he is
painting a great picture; if he succeeds in doing it excellently well,
he can sell the picture for thousands of pounds, because there are many
rich people who wish to possess good pictures.

#45. Adam Smith on Wages.# Ther