Suffrage Singer: Keep Woman In Her Sphere
“Keep Woman in Her Sphere” is set to tune of “Auld Lang Syne”, a Scottish song not written by, but first recorded in writing by the Scottish poet & bard Robert Burns. The suffrage lyrics appear in The Woman Suffrage Campain Song Book published in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1882. The lyricist is noted as E. Estabrook. I believe this to be Experience Estabrook (1813–1894) who was appointed attorney general of Nebraska territory in 1855. His daughter, Caroline Augusta (Gussie) Estabrook Clowry was the composer G. Estabrook, who was quite the rock star of her day, selling over one million copies of sheet music.
Experience Estabrook was born in Lebanon, NH & raised in Clarence, NY outside of Buffalo in Eerie County. He attended college & law school in Pennsylvania, before being admitted to the NY Bar in 1839. Shortly thereafter, Estabrook moved to Wisconsin where he practiced law, served in the Assembly, and was Attorney General for two years. Later, he served as a territorial delegate to the 36th Congress for Nebraska, & was a prosecuting attorney.
I have sung “Keep Woman in Her Sphere” a number of times because it is one of my fellow suffrage presenter’s favorites. I sing it every time we do a program together & it concludes our anti-suffrage portion of the presentation.
Verse one of the song suggests that women must know there place, & that is in the home. One argument against enfranchising women revolved around women influencing their husbands, &, therefore, not needing the vote.
Verse two brings up the question of temperance. One of the major arguments in favor of giving women the right to vote was that women could have control over their own inheritance, wages, and custody of their children, particularly if they married a drunkard. Temperance & suffrage seemed to go hand in hand from the beginning. Susan B. Anthony was a temperance speaker first, before meeting Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851. Frances Willard & the Women Christian Temperance Union become active in the Suffrage Movement around 1890, much to the chagrin of fellow suffragist & Woman, Church, and State author Matilda Joslyn Gage.
The third verse has the narrator at last speaking to a reasonable man. He comes across as educated, &, possibly, an attorney (as Mr. Estabrook himself was). Finally, a glimmer of hope from the patriarchy.
Keep Woman In Her Sphere
1882- Lyrics: E. Estabrook, Tune: Auld Lang Syne
Verse 1
I have a neighbor, one of those
Not very hard to find,
Who know it all without debate
And never change their mind.
I asked him “What of women’s rights,”
He said in tones severe-
“My mind on that is all made up,
Keep woman in her sphere.”
Verse 2
I saw a man in tattered garb
Forth from the grog-shop come;
He squandered all his cash for drink,
And starved his wife at home;
I asked him “Should not woman vote?”
He answered with a sneer-
“I’ve taught my wife to know her place.
Keep woman in her sphere.”
Verse 3
I met an earnest, thoughtful man,
Not many days ago,
Who pondered deep all human law
The honest truth to know;
I asked him “What of woman’s cause!”
The answer came sincere-
“Her rights are just the same as mine,
Let woman choose her sphere.”
Popular anti-suffrage reasoning that women couldn’t possibly have thoughts on politics because their minds were occupied with fashion, marriage, babies, & chocolate. (Postcard circa 1905)
Listen to my stripped down version of “Keep Women in Her Sphere”: https://soundcloud.com/tisha-dolton/keep-woman-in-her-sphere-1882
A portion of this post originally appeared on my blog on 1/7/2017: https://tishadoltonmusic.weebly.com/blog/suffrage-song-saturday-1