Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, August 1921 · page 65 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #23 — page 65: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine contains three humorous pieces about gender and courtship. The opening dialogue satirizes youthful male priorities and cockiness. A young man chooses helping a girl swim over club competition, then boasts of superior knowledge while seducing his father into funding a Paris trip—a common trope for young men seeking adventure (and moral freedom) abroad. The joke mocks both adolescent swagger and paternal indulgence. "The Sphere Feminine" is a pro-women's rights poem asserting that women's influence permeates all human activity, countering the Victorian notion of separate "spheres" limiting women to domestic life. It advocates for female significance across all endeavors. "Certainty" is a lighthearted romantic poem where a man admits his lover reminds him of other women until—in a playful twist—he's confident kissing proves it's actually *her*. It gently mocks the superficiality of romantic attraction while celebrating physical intimacy as proof of authentic connection. Together, these pieces blend satirical social commentary with era-typical romance humor.
📄 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 63 "You didn't go help your club try and win?" "No. I'd much rather help a girl try and swim." "And how much learning, my boy, can you show?" "I've forgotten more than you'll ever know." "I'm glad to see that my son is a man." "Yes. I can do more than you ever can." "My boy, I see you're a lad of my heart." "All right—make it Paris. When do we start?" * * * The Sphere Feminine They talk about a woman's sphere As though it had a limit; There's not a place in earth or heaven, There's not a task to mankind given; There's not a blessing or a woe, There's not a whispered yes or no; There's not a life, there's not a birth, That has a feather's weight of worth— Without some woman in it! * * * Certainty Is it you I love, dear? I can scarcely tell, When you smile, your eyes, dear, Make me think of Nell. When you're sad, your mouth. dear, Makes me think of Sue. But, dearest, when I kiss you I am surely sure it's you.