Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 33 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*—a bawdy American humor magazine—contains three separate jokes typical of the publication's irreverent style. The first two items are brief, risqué quips: one plays on police inspecting a woman (likely a sex worker), the other jokes about a convalescent whose thirst for alcohol outpaces his recovery. The main story, "Another Jellyfish," satirizes Victorian-era schoolmaster prudishness. A boy is severely flogged for answering that a woman is "the most beautiful thing in the world"—apparently deemed immoral or impertinent. The punchline subverts authority: when the boy reports the flogging to his father, they both conclude the *master* is the abnormal one for punishing such a natural answer. The joke mocks excessive, repressive morality disguised as education, suggesting the schoolmaster's reaction reveals suspicious prudery rather than proper virtue.
📄 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 31 Dear Doctor Bill—Why, oh why, did the police inspect her?—The Duke o’ Dubuque. Possibly to help the “deek” detect her. * * * A convalescent requiring whisky and beer for rapid recovery is convalescent all over except his thirst, and that’s in the acute stages. * * * Another Jellyfish “Boys,” asked the school master, “what do you consider the most beautiful thing in the world?” “Sunshine,” hazarded one boy. “Flowers,” ventured another. Both answers were received with favor, and the turn went to a hefty youth. “A woman,” announced he gruffly. “Come out here,” commanded the master, sternly. A good flogging was administered; and then the offender was bidden to go home and tell his father that he had been flogged, and why. Next morning the floggee was again hauled up. “Did you tell your father that you had been flogged?” asked the master. “Yes, sir.” “Did you tell him why?” “Yes, sir.” “What did he say?” “Please, sir, dad and I talked it all over between us, and we’ve come to the conclusion that there’s some- thing funny about you.”