Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, March 1921 · page 20 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #18 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page describes the author's observations of women coal workers in Castries (likely St. Lucia). The text uses patronizing, period-typical language ("dusky damsels," "coal-black Caryatides") to portray female laborers as physically strong but morally questionable. The satire appears aimed at two targets: (1) celebrating these women's surprising physical capability—comparing them favorably to Renaissance sculptor Benvenuto Cellini, suggesting they'd resist his historical abuse—and (2) mocking the local population's apparent poverty and alcoholism, depicted through crude stereotypes. The tone is comedic but reflects the magazine's casual racism and sexism. References to classical art (Caryatides, Michelangelo) contrast absurdly with descriptions of drunkenness and street conditions, creating the intended humor for contemporary readers who found such contrasts amusing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
18 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang must weep,” it is, “women must work and men must sleep.” The coal wenches are amazing Amazons. How they wiggled and waltzed with coal-baskets on their heads, sweating, swearing, singing snatches of French songs and swaying to the music of a carnival band that came down to the boat and acted like madcap strolling players standing on heads and hands. The girls made a few cents a basket; if one greedily ran ahead out of turn, there was a “switchman” to lash her back in line. What coal-black Caryatides! Wonderful models —not of manners or morality—but muscles that would give a sculptor fits. Sure Mike Angelo would have wrestled with them, but Ben Cellini would have thought twice before he dared throw them about as he did his model whom he grabbed by the hair, kicked and mauled so she was compelled to anoint her wounds with bacon fat while he stood around and “larfed.” These husky, dusky damsels would have brained him with a lump of coal, thrown him in the sea, or mopped up the island with him. This holiday work gave the begrimed beauties extra money. They like work and carry their burdens on, not in their heads, the baskets often weighing 150 pounds each. Streets of Castries are laid out in right angles, and many of the population were laid out in the streets at all angles. Every old soak fills up. I saw a black man and woman stagger along the walk, fall in the gutter, make love and wallow there like pigs. In the outskirts darky women were dragging their drunk lovers, brothers or husbands through the mud by heels