Idiot-Savant Assembly Line Wizardry

["J. K. Hoffman" <ryumaou@sbcglobal.net>]

Okay, maybe it's because I'm out of work and have a lot of time to 
think.  Or, maybe it's because I've been re-reading some of the Ethshar 
books by Lawrence Watt-Evans and that got me thinking about how magic 
should work in a fantasy world.  In any case, here's a concept I'd like 
some opinions on...

Is there any reason an enterprising, and very skilled, wizard would not 
be able to herd together some suckers, er "apprentices", and teach them 
one or two spells that they learned to cast really well?  Then, put said 
savants into an assembly line enchanting items?  What would prevent 
something like that from happening in DragonQuest?  A person could make 
a killing in the magic weapon business that way....
Seriously, though, it occurs to me that the rules point toward setting 
that up as a possibility.  Thoughts?

How about seeing that in a fantasy novel?  Would you believe it, if 
enough back story supported the theory?

Thanks,
Jim
--
"What is impossible today may suddenly become possible tomorrow."
- Thomas Merton