Did Abraham Lincoln write a letter to his son teacher?

Abraham Lincoln letter to his son’s headmaster is a rulebook of what it should take to effectively raise a child. Each paragraph consists of memorable lessons that every man should know as he grows up.

Abraham Lincoln and his son. Credit: art.co.uk

He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just, all men are not true, but teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero; that for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader… Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.

President Lincoln wanted his son to have faith in people, that there are some good aspects of a bad person. In reality, there is every conscience that every people have, which made up the core of good parts in every person, good or bad. By giving examples of the opposition aspects of the society, he encouraged his son to look at life as a starry sky, where the dark sky represents ‘scoundrel,’ ‘selfish politician,…’ being shined by the stars, which were referred to as ‘hero’, ‘dedicated leader…’

It will take time, I know, but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is of far more value than five found…Teach him to learn to lose…and also to enjoy winning. Steer him away from envy, if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick…Teach him, if you can, the wonder of a book…but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and flowers on a green hillside.

To most people, losing is dishonorable, but President Lincoln see losing is something to learn. The covered meaning of this sentence is being lost is not a disgrace, but another step closer to the goal, if the goal is far, there are more lost encountered before reaching destiny.

By giving an example of ‘bullies’, which is popular in schools, the President’s awareness of such situations would happen to his son, where he should be wise enough to get through. The following lines showed a way that his son should be walking on, the way that full is interests and mysteries that stimulate desires to explore, in any case, the son was to be taught to look on the brighter side of life to approach, and, to recognize how reading will make him go far in life…

In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat…Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong…Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the bandwagon…Teach him to listen to all men…but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through.

The paragraph continued the idea of withstanding failures, beginning with ‘In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat…’, that showed a difficult side to choose in life. Like mentioned above, losing is dishonorable to most people, so very few people choose that side in any competition, so most people would rather cheat to gain victory. But the action is the same meaning as stomping onto his own dignity, and President Lincoln didn’t want his son to involve in such actions…

It is seen that people tend to follow the side which had already been walked by a larger group than the other, therefore, it creates an idea that the major side is better, which eventually trapped people into it so no one dares thinking any differences. But the President hoped that his son would be a courageous man who dares to stand out in life. Ironically, nowadays, we can see that there are people who are successful are those who dare to walk in their own way instead of those who follow that of others.

It is good to walk in our own way, but that person should be flexible towards things he encounters. For example, there are many people we meet on our life journey, but to be flexible means that we should be able to distinguish between friends and foe. Normally, there are only a few numbers of people whom we come across can be friends, good friends are even fewer, finally, the ones we can trust are hardest to find. Therefore, everyone should be aware of every people’s words, mixtures of good and bad things are sound very tempting, so it is important to wisely choose the right approach.

Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad…Teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders, but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob…and to stand and fight if he thinks he is right.

People are meant to burst out tears when they sad or struck emotionally, but there are some who just give a frown to his pain instead, to whom we unknow for sure if he is upset or not, but behind their smiles are strengths that they secretly plan to get out of situations.

The third sentence reminded the idea of wisely coping against cynics (people who believe that human actions are motivated by selfishness or greed.) Influences hat they made are attractive, but it’s better to stay away from that, being greedy means isolating ourselves from the society…

“ …Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders, but never to put a price tag on his heart and soul…” This is perhaps one of the best quotes in the letter… Referring to real life, “sell brawn and brains to the highest bidders” means that we can choose to use our knowledge and energy to apply for jobs that pay the most. For example, we go to University, earn a degree, which is used to get a job we desire and a dream income, or we can use our muscle for handy jobs to which we agree that the pay is fair enough. On the other hand, heart and soul are also other important merits, that make a man a man. President Lincoln said that no one can be allowed put a price tag on the heart and soul, meaning that these spiritual values are never for sale since no man exists without heart and soul. Those who lose these circumstances and become slaves of the currency are those who take part in crimes, corruptions, murders,… and fully be controlled by the lust for wealth. Nowadays, such examples include robbers, murderers, corrupted leaders,… nobody likes these types, therefore, it is better to fend off the temptation of money.

Treat him gently, but do not coddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient…let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind. This is a big order, but see what you can do…He is such a fine little fellow, my son!

Most people think that when a President’s son goes to school, he would be treated like a Prince. On the other hand, he wrote to the teacher: ‘Treat him gently, but do not coddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel.’ President Lincoln did not use his political position to affect his son’s education, but he wanted the boy to be forged in an actual social environment so he would grow up like any other kids at his age. The following words seemed to explain how it works, the boy was being allowed to flap his own wings to the world, it is hard and far, but that would teach himself things that he never experienced before.

‘Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will always have sublime faith in mankind,’ this reminds us of the inner faith that we mentioned before. Since the idea appeared in the start and end of the letter, therefore, it is believed that the undercover message of the letter is that the President wanted his son to become a confident boy. And this lesson was indeed the other values would automatically be learned from life.

Conclusion: President Lincoln wanted his son to grow up a gentleman, so he wrote the letter to the boy’s teacher in order to indirectly teach him the worthiness of life. Throughout the letter, there were no announcements of the Presidential role, but he wrote to the teacher with respect. The letter contains lessons that existed for hundreds of years, which still valuable today.

Why did Abraham Lincoln write a letter to his son teacher?

Abraham Lincoln's Letter to his son's headmaster is full of his optimism and values he believed in; this letter reflects his greatness and ideals he always held close to his heart. In this letter he urges his son's headmaster to instill in him these values to make him a great human being.

What did Lincoln request his son's teacher to teach him to learn to lose?

Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend. It will take time, I know; but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is far more valuable than five found. Teach him to learn to lose and also to enjoy winning. Steer him away from envy, if you can.

Who was the teacher of Abraham Lincoln?

Abraham Lincoln's Formal Education One of his teachers in Kentucky was Caleb Hazel who taught Lincoln between 1816-1817.