What’s in a Name?
I chose to name my blog “One Little Hour” because life is fleeting, a vapor.
The name comes from a sentence written in the 1830s by a nineteen year old New York clerk, Richard Robinson. He spent some of his leisure time visiting Helen Jewett, a prostitute serving upper class clientel. Sometime on the night of April 9th, 1836 Robinson probably murdered Jewett with an axe and attempted to burn the brothel to the ground.
In the months before this lovers’ quarrel Robinson wrote many letters expressing his feelings towards Jewett. One of his phrases appears ironically prophetic in hindsight: “At best we but live one little hour, strut at our own conceit and die.”
My “one little hour” has already contained plenty of conceited strutting. Still, self-realization can be valuable. It would be an honor to share the epitaph of a famous abolitionist: “Anthony Benezet was a Poor Creature and through divine favor, was enabled to know it.”
So you named your blog out of respect to a prostitute? . . . What? Did I miss something?
Glad to see you started this Paul. I’ve actually toyed with the idea of starting one myself over the last month or so. But now that all of life’s questions are being answered here, there is no need for me to start one.
Also glad that this blog is off to such a great start. First post and already mentioned prostitution, axe murders, and alcohol. What’s next, John McCain?
Paul, I love the quotes and look forward to reading your blog. Blogs are annoying when those with human wisdom attempt to spread the folly, interesting when those who by divine favor recognize their poorness allow us to join them on the journey.
Have you read any Imagist poetry? In the 1930s, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) wrote “Epitaph,” a poem which eerily echoes Robinson’s lamentation: “‘I died of living,/having lived one hour’” (ll. 2-3). If I had a link, I’d post it, but I don’t believe an electronic text exists. Remind me to read it to you; it’s brief.