Dear Jon,
I agree with earlier contributors that the speech is likely British 
because of the use of 'women's suffrage'.  As for dinner toasting, this 
was a prominent feature of male associational life in Britain.  Public 
and private dinners among the British middle classes had alcohol as a 
central feature, and for instance in /Public Lives /Gordon and Nair// 
show the impressive amount of alcohol mentioned in 19th-century wills.  
One of Glasgow's Lord Provosts (mayors), I think that it was Sir William 
Collins in 1877 to 1880, banned alcohol at public dinners.  Articles in 
the Scottish Temperance League's various journals referred to the 
'custom' of toasting at public and private dinners.  These are some 
examples from Scotland off the top of my head, let me know if you would 
like more concrete specifics.  I suspect that Lambert (/Drink and 
Sobriety in Victorian Wales/) and Harrison (/Drink and the Victorians/) 
will have more specific examples, and in any case are a good starting 
point for discussions of drinking in Britain.
Best,
Meg

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>Topics of the day:
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>  1. FW: Help with "A Speech on Women Suffrage"
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> Subject:
> Re: FW: Help with "A Speech on Women Suffrage"
> From:
> Jon Miller <[log in to unmask]>
> Date:
> Fri, 2 Sep 2005 17:03:20 -0400
>
>
> Thank you Pat and Ann. I had not considered the possibility of it 
> being British, but that seems right now that it's mentioned. I'm 
> certain it is sexual satire, and my guess is that the author is male. 
> It may be, or be based upon, a "toast" or speech to be delivered at 
> one of the all-male dinners that were popular among US businessmen and 
> other fraternal types around 1900. It reminds me of Mark Twain's 
> dinner speeches (collected in Mark Twain Speaking). I'm not sure if 
> British men had such dinners at the same time. Jon
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