unfrequently pay the most implicit obedience to a custom, even when they are not bound to do so by law.
Effects of this in the case of rent.It has already been stated that, in parts of the continent, the landlord uniformly receives as a rent one-half the produce of the land; he never thinks of asking more or less, although his land might very likely yield him a larger income if it were let to the tenant who consented to pay the highest rent for it. In many professions the charges made are absolutely fixed by custom. Lawyers and physicians do not adjust their charges like ordinary traders; the charges are regulated by the custom of the profession. Equally rigid customs affect many classes of labourers; artisans in particular trades must serve a fixed term of apprenticeship, and the wages received are often determined by customs which, though perhaps not so rigidly observed as some others, yet are frequently not easily modified.
Having, therefore, shown that the distribution of wealth may be primarily classified into rent, wages, and profits, we shall, in the first place, explain how the amount which is received in the form of rent, wages, and profits is determined when regulated by competition; and we shall then, secondly, proceed to explain the different results which follow, when the distribution of wealth is affected by such customs as those which have just been indicated.
