treeve
Major Contributor
There is a lot of nonsense written about who said what and what was said. You know the one....
You can please all of the people ... etc.
After sifting through masses of internet garbage, I have found an Abraham Lincoln Association Statement as to its history in relation to claims it was said by Abraham Lincoln, with all the full report, based on some VERY solid evidence, as to its plausible use by PT Barnum, and perhaps by 'Mark Twain'. Even just maybe by Abe himself, as they were friends that spoke with each other.
Don't take my word for it you can read it all yourself, and it shoots out of the sky all the trash that is on the internet otherwise.
http://abrahamlincolnassociation.org/Newsletters/5-1.pdf
Well researched and well written. As anyone would expect.
However, it is hinted on another website that the original was by John Lydgate. Now I know he was 15th century, a sound thinker and rather a philosopher and an excellent poet of some standing. but, the words (and spelling), grammar and sentence structure do not fit in with my idea of his writing. For example Chaucer was his hero. So, I am reading through his works looking for such a thought that fits the 'logic'.
I even found some bozo on the net that obviously never heard of Lydgate; He stated boldly, in answer to the question did Lincoln say this, that 'the poet John Lydgate had got it from Abe Lincoln and adapted it into his poems using 'please instead of fool'. Time travelling poet????
It was well known that Barnum delighted in the knowledge that the public enjoyed being fooled. My big question is, if it was John Lydgate, then where did Abe Lincoln etc read it? MSS copies were in the BM or in some other delicate repository. So, I am looking for publications that may have included Lydgate in the 19th century that may have reached the libraries of the US.
In Cyberspace, no one can hear you scream!!
This totally enhances my belief that searching the net holds grave hazards in finding The Truth.
Mass Wisteria, I guess
You can please all of the people ... etc.
After sifting through masses of internet garbage, I have found an Abraham Lincoln Association Statement as to its history in relation to claims it was said by Abraham Lincoln, with all the full report, based on some VERY solid evidence, as to its plausible use by PT Barnum, and perhaps by 'Mark Twain'. Even just maybe by Abe himself, as they were friends that spoke with each other.
Don't take my word for it you can read it all yourself, and it shoots out of the sky all the trash that is on the internet otherwise.
http://abrahamlincolnassociation.org/Newsletters/5-1.pdf
Well researched and well written. As anyone would expect.
However, it is hinted on another website that the original was by John Lydgate. Now I know he was 15th century, a sound thinker and rather a philosopher and an excellent poet of some standing. but, the words (and spelling), grammar and sentence structure do not fit in with my idea of his writing. For example Chaucer was his hero. So, I am reading through his works looking for such a thought that fits the 'logic'.
I even found some bozo on the net that obviously never heard of Lydgate; He stated boldly, in answer to the question did Lincoln say this, that 'the poet John Lydgate had got it from Abe Lincoln and adapted it into his poems using 'please instead of fool'. Time travelling poet????
It was well known that Barnum delighted in the knowledge that the public enjoyed being fooled. My big question is, if it was John Lydgate, then where did Abe Lincoln etc read it? MSS copies were in the BM or in some other delicate repository. So, I am looking for publications that may have included Lydgate in the 19th century that may have reached the libraries of the US.
In Cyberspace, no one can hear you scream!!
This totally enhances my belief that searching the net holds grave hazards in finding The Truth.
Mass Wisteria, I guess
