Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 24 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains four humorous verses from an early 20th-century satirical magazine, each mocking contemporary social trends: 1. **"Shoo Fly, Oil Man!"** - An extended metaphor comparing an oil derrick ("horse-fly") drilling into land to an insect boring into a cow's hide. The joke satirizes the oil industry's invasive extraction practices. 2. **"Fastidious"** - Mocks 1920s flappers' affectation of hygiene concerns as an excuse to refuse advances. The woman's claim that kissing is "unsanitary" suggests she's using pseudo-scientific pretense to appear modern while rejecting traditional romance. 3. **"Bawl of a Brute Bachelor"** - Nostalgic criticism of modern women (likely flappers again), contrasting them unfavorably with idealized Victorian wives who were domestic, obedient, and child-focused rather than independent. 4. **Final dialogue** - The maid's sassy response to the lady of the house reveals working-class confidence and familiarity—a subtle jab at changing class dynamics and servant insubordination. The overall tone expresses conservative anxiety about rapid social change, particularly regarding women's independence and behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
22 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Shoo Fly, Oil Man! A horse-fly lit on the old cow's skin, Hung his tools and spudded in. Bowed his back and jiggered his pole And all the time he was making a hole. The cow browsed on, in her usual way, Till the horse-fly's bit struck regular “pay,” Then she swung her tail with a vicious dig And deftly skidded the horse-fly's rig. * * * Fastidious A handsome young fellow named Bertie, Was out with a flapper named Gertie; “Come, kiss me,” he said, But she nodded her head And cried, “I think kissing's too unsanitary.” * * * Bawl of a Brute Bachelor Here's to the woman of days gone by; (May we meet her kind above!) The woman for whom a man would die, The woman who ruled by love; Who didn't harangue and who didn't parade, In whose home it was sweet to dwell; Who believed in raising children, And not in raising hell! * * * “Why so thin, my pretty maid?” “I'm on a fast, kind sir,” she said. “And how fast are you now?” he said, “That's none of your affair,” she said. * * * Lady of the House—You may go to your room now and change your dress. John, the butler, will show you the way. Maid (fussed)—Oh, I know how myself, missus.