Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, January 1921 · page 58 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #16 — page 58: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from **Captain Billy's Whiz Bang** (a satirical magazine popular in the 1920s-30s) contains three humorous pieces with social commentary: **"Seven Ages of Man"** satirizes materialism and mortality—tracing how human ambition gradually diminishes from wanting to possess everything to ultimately accepting just a grave ("six by two foot strip"). **The street car poem** mocks spinsters, suggesting an unmarried woman's repetitive, unchanging life. **"Har Du Got a Hod?"** is an ethnic joke playing on anti-immigrant sentiment. It depicts an Irishman tricking Swedes (reflecting 1920s Minneapolis's large Swedish population) into leaving heaven by falsely claiming "free snuff in hell." The crude humor relies on ethnic stereotyping common to the era—portraying both groups as unsophisticated and easily manipulated. The final "Society Note" is a dark joke: Potter "felt cold and stiff" likely means he's dead. These pieces reflect the magazine's irreverent, sometimes mean-spirited humor typical of American satire from this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
56 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Seven Ages of Man The seven ages of man have recently been tabulated on an acquisitive basis, as follows: First Age—Sees the earth. Second Age—Wants it. Third Age—Starts to get it. Fourth Age—Decides to be satisfied with half of it. Fifth Age—Becomes still more moderate. Sixth Age—Now content to possess a six by two foot strip of it. Seventh Age—Gets the strip. * * * Under the swinging street car strap, The homely old maid stands, And stands and stands and stands and stands. And stands and stands and stands. —Luke McLuke. * * * Har Du Got a Hod? An Irishman died and went to heaven. St. Peter said, “I’m sorry, but we just got a big consignment of Swedes from Minneapolis today and there is no more room.” “Can I get in if I make room?” asked the late arrival. “Certainly,” said St. Peter. The Irish- man shouted through the gate, “Hey, you fellows, there’s free snuff in hell.” And he made room, all right. * * * Society Note: Mr. Potter of Pottersfield felt cold and stiff this morning.