Skinning My Knee While Tripping Over the Past

| March 16, 2012

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It is apparent that when one reaches half a century on this Earth, it can give a feeling of having done it and seen it all … Not true!

While digging through some early 1920’s periodicals as I am researching some other subject, I ran across something so surprising that i felt like I did when I first felt “road rash” as a kid …

Why is it that when I am searching for gold, I find a diamond?

Such is the nature of digging into real history…

Reverend William John Henry Boetcker, who apparently led a fruitful life in the United States after being born in Germany in 1873 and migrating to the USA in his younger days. He passed in 1962.

He was a well liked public speaker as well as an ordained minister.

What is surprising to me is the more I find about the America of 100 years ago, the more similarities I find of today’s condition and similarities to ideological struggles.

I certainly believe in the tried and true. I also believe in new technologies and efforts to continually grow and improve. I also believe in the “Round Table” knight’s motto of “adopt, adapt and improve”.

HOWEVER – just because something is new, doesn’t make it better.

Trying to perfect what is already perfect,
results in imperfection.

(You can quote me on that!) :-)

Thus, when in 1916 Boetcker published a little pamphlet he called “10 Cannots” … its simple yet profound truth spread like wildfire across the nation.

These are tried and true.

These are not opinions.

History proves them as solid as a diamond!





  • 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.


  • You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

    – William John Henry Boetcker (1916)

    Category: Tony Rollo Blog

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