Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1921 · page 45 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #21 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang* (a popular WWI-era humor magazine) contains two satirical pieces mocking courtship and changing social norms. **"The Maiden's Lament"** parodies a popular WWI song ("Hinky Dinky Parlez Vous"). A girl complains that Perkins' boy is "awfully slow"—he respects her when she says "no," which frustrates her. The joke inverts romantic expectations: she wants a more aggressive suitor, not one who honors her refusals. **"A Lady's Query"** by W.D. Nesbit catalogs modern behaviors—giggling, winking, riding astride, drinking, smoking, joking, boasting about wealth, even burglary—then repeatedly asks if each is "ladylike." The cumulative effect satirizes the tension between traditional feminine propriety and women's emerging independence and social freedoms in the 1920s. The final line questions whether true ladyhood even exists anymore. Both pieces humorously reflect post-WWI social upheaval and changing gender roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
44 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang The Maiden's Lament That Perkins' boy is awfully slow Parley vou. That Perkins' boy is awfully slow Parley vou. That Perkins' boy is awfully slow He believes me when I tell him "no." Hinkey dinkey parley vou. * * * A Lady's Query By W. D. Nesbit Is it ladylike to giggle? Is it ladylike to wink? Is it ladylike to ride a horse a-straddle? Is it ladylike to wiggle? Is it ladylike to drink? Is it ladylike upon the beach to paddle? Is it ladylike to mutter? Is it ladylike to stare? Is it ladylike to do those fancy dances? Is it ladylike to sputter? Is it ladylike to swear? Is it ladylike to use expressive glances? Is it ladylike to gurgle? Is it ladylike to joke? Is it ladylike to boast of being wealthy? Is it ladylike to burgle? Is it ladylike to smoke? Is it ladylike to know that you are healthy? Is it ladylike to shiver? Is it ladylike to weep? Is it ladylike to walk through forests shady? Is it ladylike to quiver? Is it ladylike to peep? Is it ladylike to be a little lady?