The profitableness of the art also is a point not to be overlooked at a
time when all professions, _except cooking_, are so overcrowded.
Had Rossini become a chef, he would not have earned nearly as much
money as he did with his operas. But he was exceptionally successful.
The vast majority of musicians, and other artists of all kinds and
grades, have not only much more drudgery to undergo than cooks, but
they also have much less chance to boast of a fat bank account. The
best chefs command $5,000 to $10,000 a year with free board and
lodging. Not to speak of other advantages, what a splendid chance this
gives them to "look down on" people who earn less!
The average income of physicians, clergymen, and teachers in the United
States is about $600 a year, and it is not rising steadily like that of
cooks. The better class of "plain cooks" now get, in New York, $25 to
$30 a month with room and board. Such a cook can easily put into the
savings bank $200 to $300 a year, or half as much as is earned by the
physicians, clergymen, and teachers, who have to pay for their board
and lodging. Does cooking pay?
[Illustration]