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'''William John Henry Boetcker''' (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker. Born in [[Hamburg, Germany]], he was ordained a [[Presbyterian]] minister soon after his arrival in the [[United States]] as a young adult. Boetcker was ordained in [[Brooklyn, New York]]. He quickly gained attention as an outspoken opponent of [[organized labor]] and was instrumental in the founding of the [[Citizens' Alliance|Citizens Industrial Association]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://manuscripts.ptsem.edu/collection/231|title = Welcome to Special Collections and Archives at Princeton Theological Seminary &#124; Welcome to Special Collections and Archives at Princeton Theological Seminary}}</ref> later making a professional career of public speaking, and is sometimes considered the forerunner of such contemporary "[[coaching|success coaches]]" as [[Anthony Robbins]]. He is widely credited with coining the phrase, "A man is judged by the company he keeps, and a company is judged by the men it keeps, and the people of Democratic nations are judged by the type and caliber of officers they elect.”<ref>Forbes Book of Quotations: 10,000 Thoughts on Business and Life, Edited by Ted Goodman</ref>
'''William John Henry Boetcker''' (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker.

Born in [[Hamburg, Germany]], he was ordained a [[Presbyterian]] minister soon after his arrival in the [[United States]] as a young adult. The Rev. Boetcker was ordained in [[Brooklyn, New York]].

He quickly gained attention as an eloquent motivational speaker, and is often regarded today as the forerunner of such contemporary "[[coaching|success coaches]]" as [[Anthony Robbins]].


==The Ten Cannots==
==The Ten Cannots==
An outspoken political [[conservatism|conservative]], Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled ''The Ten Cannots'' that emphasizes freedom and responsibility of the [[individual]] on himself. Originally published in 1916, it is often misattributed to [[Abraham Lincoln]]. The error apparently stems from a leaflet printed in 1942 by a conservative political organization called the [[National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government|Committee for Constitutional Government]]. The leaflet bore the title "Lincoln on Limitations" and contained some genuine Lincoln quotations on one side and the "Ten Cannots" on the other, with the attributions switched. The genuine Lincoln quotations may have been from an address on March 21, 1864 in which Lincoln said "Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built." <ref>{{cite book | last = Raymond | first = Henry J. | title = History of the Administration of President Lincoln | publisher = Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library | location = City | year = 2006 | isbn = 978-1-4255-5470-5 }}</ref> The mistake of crediting Lincoln for "The Ten Cannots" has been repeated many times since, notably by [[Ronald Reagan]] in his address to the [[1992 Republican National Convention]] in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Steers|title=Lincoln legends: myths, hoaxes, and confabulations associated with our greatest president|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wYmvvEeuAi0C|year=2007|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-2466-7|page=[http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=wYmvvEeuAi0C&pg=PA91 191]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lincoln/prosperity.asp |title=Abraham Lincoln on Prosperity |publisher=snopes.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref>
An outspoken political [[conservative]], Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled ''The Ten Cannots'', originally published in 1916, that emphasizes freedom and responsibility of the [[individual]] on himself. It is often misattributed to [[Abraham Lincoln]]. The error apparently stems from a leaflet printed in 1942 by a conservative political organization called the [[National Committee to Uphold Constitutional Government|Committee for Constitutional Government]]. The leaflet bore the title "Lincoln on Limitations" and contained some genuine Lincoln quotations on one side and the "Ten Cannots" on the other, with the attributions switched. The mistake of crediting Lincoln for "The Ten Cannots" has been repeated, notably by [[Ronald Reagan]] in his address to the [[1992 Republican National Convention]] in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]],<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Steers|title=Lincoln legends: myths, hoaxes, and confabulations associated with our greatest president|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wYmvvEeuAi0C|year=2007|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-2466-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/lincolnlegendsmy0000stee/page/91 191]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lincoln/prosperity.asp |title=Abraham Lincoln on Prosperity |publisher=snopes.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-06}}</ref> and by [[John Kasich]] on ''[[Fox News Sunday]]'' in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jan/25/john-kasich/did-abraham-lincoln-say-you-cannot-build-little-gu/|title=Ohio Gov. John Kasich puts words in Abraham Lincoln's mouth about tax policy|author=Lauren Carroll|date=2015-01-25|accessdate=2018-11-05}}</ref>


There are several minor variants of the pamphlet in circulation, but the most commonly accepted version appears below:
There are several minor variants of the pamphlet in circulation, but the most commonly accepted version appears below:
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*''And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.''
*''And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.''


Boetcker also spoke of the "Seven National Crimes":<ref>{{cite book|author=Lawrence D. Alter|title=TOMORROW IS TODAY, A behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook to manage the job search process|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XT_dtBSnyM8C|publisher=The Employment Clinic|isbn=978-0-615-18437-1|page=[http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=XT_dtBSnyM8C&pg=PA159 159]}}</ref>
Boetcker also spoke of the "Seven National Crimes":<ref>{{cite book|author=Lawrence D. Alter|title=TOMORROW IS TODAY, A behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook to manage the job search process|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XT_dtBSnyM8C|publisher=The Employment Clinic|isbn=978-0-615-18437-1|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=XT_dtBSnyM8C&pg=PA159 159]}}</ref>


*I don’t think.
*I don't think.
*I don’t know.
*I don't know.
*I don’t care.
*I don't care.
*I am too busy.
*I am too busy.
*I leave well enough alone.
*I leave well enough alone.
Line 33: Line 29:
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
To locate the personal papers and files of Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, see:


==External links==
The [http://manuscripts.ptsem.edu/collection/231 William J. H. Boetcker Manuscript Collection] at Princeton Theological Seminary Library.
*[http://manuscripts.ptsem.edu/collection/231 William J. H. Boetcker Manuscript Collection] at Princeton Theological Seminary Library.


{{Persondata
| NAME = Boetcker, William J. H.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American minister
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1873
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1962
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boetcker, William J. H.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boetcker, William J. H.}}
[[Category:1873 births]]
[[Category:1873 births]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:People from Hamburg]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the United States]]

Latest revision as of 23:22, 7 December 2023

William John Henry Boetcker (1873–1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker. Born in Hamburg, Germany, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister soon after his arrival in the United States as a young adult. Boetcker was ordained in Brooklyn, New York. He quickly gained attention as an outspoken opponent of organized labor and was instrumental in the founding of the Citizens Industrial Association,[1] later making a professional career of public speaking, and is sometimes considered the forerunner of such contemporary "success coaches" as Anthony Robbins. He is widely credited with coining the phrase, "A man is judged by the company he keeps, and a company is judged by the men it keeps, and the people of Democratic nations are judged by the type and caliber of officers they elect.”[2]

The Ten Cannots

[edit]

An outspoken political conservative, Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots, originally published in 1916, that emphasizes freedom and responsibility of the individual on himself. It is often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln. The error apparently stems from a leaflet printed in 1942 by a conservative political organization called the Committee for Constitutional Government. The leaflet bore the title "Lincoln on Limitations" and contained some genuine Lincoln quotations on one side and the "Ten Cannots" on the other, with the attributions switched. The mistake of crediting Lincoln for "The Ten Cannots" has been repeated, notably by Ronald Reagan in his address to the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston,[3][4] and by John Kasich on Fox News Sunday in 2015.[5]

There are several minor variants of the pamphlet in circulation, but the most commonly accepted version appears below:

  • You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
  • You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
  • You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
  • You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
  • You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
  • You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
  • You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
  • You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
  • You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
  • And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

Boetcker also spoke of the "Seven National Crimes":[6]

  • I don't think.
  • I don't know.
  • I don't care.
  • I am too busy.
  • I leave well enough alone.
  • I have no time to read and find out.
  • I am not interested.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Welcome to Special Collections and Archives at Princeton Theological Seminary | Welcome to Special Collections and Archives at Princeton Theological Seminary".
  2. ^ Forbes Book of Quotations: 10,000 Thoughts on Business and Life, Edited by Ted Goodman
  3. ^ Edward Steers (2007). Lincoln legends: myths, hoaxes, and confabulations associated with our greatest president. University Press of Kentucky. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8131-2466-7.
  4. ^ "Abraham Lincoln on Prosperity". snopes.com. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  5. ^ Lauren Carroll (2015-01-25). "Ohio Gov. John Kasich puts words in Abraham Lincoln's mouth about tax policy". Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  6. ^ Lawrence D. Alter. TOMORROW IS TODAY, A behavior modification methodology, guide, and workbook to manage the job search process. The Employment Clinic. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-615-18437-1.
[edit]
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