Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 46: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains two separate literary pieces rather than cartoons. The first excerpt presents a melancholic song about military life, referencing **Brest** (likely a WWI military encampment). The speaker recalls homesick soldiers singing nostalgic ballads during "long days" and "stockades under arrest," suggesting the author criticizes how wartime authorities suppressed or modified soldiers' traditional songs to remove morale-damaging content. The second piece, "Tribute to the Painted Girl" by Grayce Moody, celebrates a woman who wears makeup—then considered morally questionable, especially for "proper" girls. The poem defends this "painted" woman as loyal, dependable, and kind despite social judgment, positioning her as superior to conventionally "respectable" girls. This reflects 1920s debates about changing female social roles and cosmetic use.