How can I instantiate a generic type in Java?

I've added a human-readable configuration file to my app using java.util.Properties and am trying to add a wrapper around it to make type conversions easier. Specifically, I want the returned value to "inherit" it's type from the provided default value. Here's what I've got so far:

protected <T> T getProperty(String key, T fallback) {
    String value = properties.getProperty(key);

    if (value == null) {
        return fallback;
    } else {
        return new T(value);
    }
}

(Full example source.)

The return value from getProperty("foo", true) would then be a boolean regardless of whether it was read from the properties file and similarly for strings, integers, doubles, &c. Of course, the above snippet doesn't actually compile:

PropertiesExample.java:35: unexpected type
found   : type parameter T
required: class
                        return new T(value);
                                   ^
1 error

Am I doing this wrong, or am I simply trying to do something which can't be done?

Edit: Usage example:

// I'm trying to simplify this...
protected void func1() {
    foobar = new Integer(properties.getProperty("foobar", "210"));
    foobaz = new Boolean(properties.getProperty("foobaz", "true"));
}

// ...into this...
protected void func2() {
    foobar = getProperty("foobar", 210);
    foobaz = getProperty("foobaz", true);
}