LINCOLN TO A BORROWER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 6, 30 May 1884, Page 21

LINCOLN TO A BORROWER.

Ax old letter from Abraham Lincoln to a "shifbles3" brother has just been made public. The strong common sense of it makes it good reading for everybody, especially for those like him to whom it was addressed in such a firm, yet kindly tone :—: — Dear Johnston, — your request for 80dols. I do not think it best to comply with just now. At the various times when I helped you a little you have said to me, " We can get along very well now," but in a short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What the defect is I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether, since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it. This habit of uselessly wasting your time is the whole difficulty, and it is vastly important to you, and still more to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it easier than they can get out after they are in. You are now in need of some ready money, and what I propose is that you shall go to work, " tooth and nail," for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys have charge of things at horne — prepare for a crop and make the crop — and you go to woik for the best money wages, or in discharge of any debt you owe, you can get. And to secure you a fair reward for your labour I now promise you that every dollar that you will, between now and the first of May, get for your labour, either in money or on your own indebtedness, I will give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at lOdols. a month, from me you will get JOdols. more, making 20dols. a month for your work. In this I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines iv California, but I mean for you to go at it for the best wages you can get close to horne — in Coles County. Now, if yon will do this you will soon be out of debt, and, what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. Bub if I should now clear you, next year you will be just as deep in as ever. You say you would alinoat give your place in heaven for 70dols. or SOdols. Then you value your place in heaven very cheap, for I am sure you can, with the offer I made you, get the 70dols. or 80dols. with four or five months' work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession. Nonsense ! If you cannot now live with land, how will you then live without it ? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice you will find it worth more than eighty times 80Jols. to you. Affectionately, your brother. A. Lincoln.