Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, August 1921 · page 62 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #23 — page 62: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three humorous pieces typical of 1920s satirical magazines: **"Essence of Joy, By Gum"** is a comedic poem about a young woman who agrees to kiss a youth only if he buys her chewing gum. The joke plays on her obsessive gum-chewing—as the moment approaches, she chews faster and faster, eventually swallowing her gum mid-kiss and lamenting the loss of the gum more than enjoying the romantic moment. The satire targets consumerism and the triviality of modern romance. **"His First Offense"** presents a brief ethnic comedy (likely featuring Yiddish-inflected speech from a character named "Abe," suggesting Jewish immigrant humor). The joke: when a jail bath attendant asks if the prisoner ever bathed before, he replies he's never been arrested before—implying poor hygiene correlates with criminal activity. **The final couplet** is conventional romantic verse with no apparent satirical content. These pieces reflect Whiz Bang's focus on risqué humor, consumer culture mockery, and ethnic stereotypes typical of American humor magazines of that era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
60 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Essence of Joy, By Gum By L. J. Messenger Please kiss me, dear, the youth insisted, As 'round her waist, his arms he twisted. I will, says she, if you'll agree To buy some chewing gum for me. So the youth was wise and bought the gum, And told his dearie he wanted one. All right, he heard her softly sigh, The gum for me you'll ne'er deny. Now this is a thing I've never done, Kisses, my dear, I always shun, But I know I'll like them as well as you, If they're as good as the gum I chew. So she sat right down upon a chair, She chewed her gum and fussed her hair, And the nearer she came to the "bargained fun" The faster she chewed her chewing gum. Suddenly she chewed with all her might, And placed her arms around him tight, She swallowed her gum, and cried, "Don't miss. I love my gum, but oh, djer kiss." * * * His First Offense In New York City, all those who are sent to jail for thirty days are required to take a bath. A bath attendant upon noticing that Ike Kabibble's person was none too clean, suddenly exclaimed: "Hey, there, you guy! Did you ever take a bath before?" "Vell," Abe replied, "I nefer vas arrested be- fore." * * * She said to him beneath the tree, "Well, I'll love you if you love me." The kiss he gave with love did burn, She gave him ditto in return.