Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, March 1921 · page 59 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #18 — page 59: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects brief satirical jokes targeting early 20th-century American domestic and military life. The opening exchange mocks military hierarchy: a disrespectful private tells a captain to "hang on to" his rank—implying the officer is lucky to have it. Subsequent jokes target marriage and gender relations: a wife announces late nights out while the husband watches the baby (reversing traditional roles for comedic effect); a man complains his "license" to control his wife is worthless compared to his car license (the "flivver" being a cheap automobile, likely a Model T). The "Feminine Intuition" section sarcastically credits women with superior sense—noting mothers preserve baby carriages while fathers discard them, suggesting maternal foresight. "Filipino Style" advertises decorative necklaces with patronizing language ("quaintly"), while the final aphorism jokes that anyone with a new idea must talk about it constantly. The humor reflects post-WWI American attitudes: marital discord, automobile culture, and mild ethnic condescension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang 57 Officer—"Why didn't you salute? Don't you know I'm a captain?" Buck Private—"That's a darn good job. Hang on to it." * * * "Late house tonight, my love," she'll say, "Midnight or later maybe, If I'm not home till break of day, You stand to with the baby." * * * I have a wife and I have a flivver. My license to run the flivver is o. k., but my license to run my wife absolutely is the bunk. * * * Feminine Intuition Speaking of women having more sense than men, did you ever notice that when the baby gets big enough to walk father wants to give away the baby carriage, but mother puts it in the garret? * * * Filipino Style At the Quaint Shop in Sterling, Ill., one can buy bead necklaces, "so beautiful," as the shop quaintly puts it, "that every woman will want a string to wear if she hasn't anything else." * * * A new idea is like an egg—the responsible party simply can't help talking about it.