Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, April 1922 · page 27 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #32 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine contains several brief jokes and humorous pieces typical of 1920s humor: **"Walking with a Purpose"** is a bawdy joke: a man enjoys a lengthy solo walk through the park, then reveals the punchline—he "picked her up," implying he met a woman, likely for illicit purposes. **"Coffin Nail Epitaph"** is dark humor about cigarettes, calling them "coffin nails" (a period slang term for cigarettes due to health risks). The joke claims a man named Willie Betts died at age "ten cigarettes." **"A Warning to Flappers"** mocks 1920s "flapper" women (young, modern, rebellious females) with a crude moral rhyme: virtuous girls go to heaven, bad ones don't. The other pieces—proverbs and song titles—are nonsensical or absurdist humor. Overall, this reflects *Whiz Bang*'s style: crude sexual innuendo, anti-modern sentiment (particularly toward independent women), and smoking jokes targeting contemporary vices.
📄 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 25 Walking with a Purpose I love to walk. Last Sunday I took the most wonderful stroll. I went for quite some distance through the park, thoroughly enjoying every breath of the cool, crisp air. I felt like a new man as I hastened onward, increasing my speed at every step. I walked on and on, drinking in the beauty of all about me. It was wonderful. Finally I picked her up. * * * Coffin Nail Epitaph Here lies my good friend Willie Betts; His age was ten— Cigarettes. * * * Our Monthly Proverb A stitch in time gathers no moss. * * * In the vernacular of the Bowery, “DE OILY BOID CATCHES DE WOIM.” * * * A Warning to Flappers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, all good girlies go to Heaven, 8, 9, 10, e-leven, 12, all bad girlies don't. * * * Our Latest Song Hit “A Cat Has Nine Lives, But a Bull Frog Croaks Every Night.”