Abraham Lincoln

“Reluctant To Publish Their Failures”

Posted on June 14, 2016 Updated on May 11, 2018

Friend Weik:
I have just thought of a new fact, which is as follows: Some time about 1855 I went into a bookstore in this city and saw a book, a small one, entitled, called, I think, The Annual of Science. I looked over it casually and liked it and bought it. I took the book to Lincoln and H.’s office. Lincoln was in, reading a newspaper of value; he said to me: “Well, Billy, you have got a new book, which is good, I suppose. What is it? Let me see it.” He took the book in his hand, looked over the pages, read the title, introductions, and probably the first chapter, and saw at a glance the purpose and object of the book, which were as follows: to record, teach, and fully explain the failures and successes of experiments of all philosophies and scientists, everywher includ­ing chemistry, mechanics, etc. He instantly rose up and said that he must buy the whole set, started out and got them. On returning to the office, he said: “I have wanted such a book for years, because I some­times make experiments and have thoughts about the physical world that I do not know to be true or false. I may, by this book, correct my errors and save time and expense. I can see where scientists and phi­losophers have failed and avoid the rock on which they split or can see the means of their success and take advantage of their brains, toil, and knowledge. Men are greedy to publish the successes of efforts, but meanly shy as to publishing the failures of man. Many men are ruined by this one-sided practice of concealment of blunders and failures.” This he said substantially to me with much feeling, vim, and force. The last time that he spoke of the book to me he spoke in glowing terms.
Enclosed I send you a letter of mine, published in the Religio­Philosophical Journal of December 12, 1885.

Your friend,
W. H. HERNDON.

Quoted in Emanuel Hertz, The Hidden Lincoln, p. 113.