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 -- Jon Miller, Asst. Prof. of English, Dept. of English, Univ. of Akron, Akron, OH 44326-1906. office and voice mail, 1-330-972-5717.