Five O’clock Alarms?
Every homeschooling mom knows that sometimes questions get answered in the oddest places. Researching for the Sheep Among Wolves blog has given me some great answers to questions I was asking—and sometimes to questions I wasn’t asking…
The current series on Hymns of American History has led me to delve into both hymnals and U.S. history books. While I was reading about colonial America today, I stumbled upon an unexpected little fact.
We have all heard maxims and quotes from all periods of history, about the benefits of rising early. The godly woman described in Proverbs 31 “riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household.” (v. 15), and throughout the ages wise and illustrious individuals have agreed in pointing out early hours as synonymous with industrious living. Mrs. Beeton, a writer on housekeeping in the 19th century, impresses on us that “early rising is one of the most essential qualities which enter into good Household Management.” She also goes on to quote Lord Chatham, who said “I would have inscribed on the curtains of your bed, and the walls of your chamber, ‘If you do not rise early, you can make progress in nothing.’” (The Book of Household Management, 1861, Mrs. Isabella Beeton)
As a person who doesn’t wake up easily in the morning, I must confess I cringe a little at this unbending remark. Still, I am willing to own its wisdom. But whenever I read an historical quote like this, I have an historical author’s curiosity for more details. Today, depending on your circumstances and situation, rising early might encompass anything from four o’clock to perhaps almost nine. But what about people in the past? What did they regard as an early hour?
Most of the quotations I have read were general rather than specific; but I still wondered. Today, as I was researching for an entirely unrelated post, I stumbled upon a wonderful little gem of historical reference. It was a quote from Benjamin Franklin’s Almanac: “He who would thrive must rise at five.” Delightful! Not only does it name a distinct hour, but one can reason that most of Franklin’s audience must have been agreed that five o’clock was rising early.
Of course, in the 1700’s, just as today, there were probably many different opinions about this topic. But if you find one of the characters in my next story getting up at about five o’clock… well, you can chuckle a little to yourself, and thank Benjamin Franklin.
It’s just one of those neat coincidences of looking for answers—sometimes, you find more than you bargained for.
And if any of you can think of a similar citation, I am always interested in collecting historical facts. Just use the comments section below!
I started this practice some time ago and believe it or not it works. I find that I am far more productive, have more time for devotion and really enjoy the time alone.
Probably “five o’clock alarms” were the secret to a lot of what Benjamin Franklin accomplished in his lifetime. There are a lot of old sayings that have the same meaning, but I liked this one because it seemed more specific – and it gave a glimpse into life in the past, which I always enjoy.