buy."

Similar experience has been noted in various pursuits. The tendency,
however, with wider knowledge of others' wants and efforts is toward a
greater uniformity of profits. Modern methods of production and clearer
perception of ways and means make it easier for competition to have its
full effect between different kinds of business, as well as in the same
business. The more we know of our neighbor's work through the daily press
and extensive travel, the fairer is the opportunity for competition to
act. This tendency brings hardship to the weaker portion of managers
engaged in any particular business. This makes the power of so-called
trusts and great combinations apparently harmful. In the end, however, the
result is more constant profits, though smaller, and the advantage of the
whole community in a more stable business. It is even conceivable that the
stimulant of fair profits may finally reach a larger proportion of the
community through interest in the great establishments than in the past
from the unequal and uncertain returns of independent managers.

Even among professional men, whose fees for services have somewhat the
nature of profits, the same law of competition, dependent upon supply and
demand, holds sway. The compensation of an author for his publications,
though protected by copyright, is dependent upon conditions limiting
competition or stimulating it. It is customary for surgeons, physicians
and dentists to make a fee proportional to the demand for their services.
Thus the skilled dentist, who is wanted by ten times as many people as he
can serve, raises his price till the demand is limited to meet his
strength. This enables younger men at smaller prices to gain the
opportunity to establish like reputations by doing equally good work.

_Profits in agriculture._--The profits in agriculture are subject to the
same laws. Many influences operate in both directions. The limitation of
land fit for agricultural purposes has a tendency in itself to increase
the profits of land-holders, under the principle of monopoly, though its
chief effect is on land values. The increasing wealth of the world, and
the greatly increased wants of the civilized community, multiplying
manufactures, limit competitors more and more. The relative number of
farmers in our country is gradually diminishing, while the demand for food
is actually increasing beyond the increase in population. Men are
predicting every year a scarcit