Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1922 · page 60 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #35 — page 60: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from a 1920s satirical magazine contains short jokes and aphorisms rather than cartoons. The humor targets contemporary social anxieties: **"To the Old Guard"** mocks aging men trying to appear youthful around women ("chickens"—period slang for attractive women)—they want to "crow" (boast) but can only "cackle" (gossip). **"Race suicide"** joke references early-1900s fears about declining birth rates among white Americans, sardonically suggesting labor-saving devices won't reduce reproduction. **Sky pilots/hell** satirizes modern clergy rejecting hellfire doctrine while businessmen experience financial "hell." **Olaf's chicken complaint** uses "bird" as slang for woman, making it a joke about women leaving for other men. The page reflects Jazz Age anxieties: aging, changing gender dynamics, commercialism, and secularization—all delivered in quick, cynical quips typical of Whiz Bang's irreverent tone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
59 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang To the Old Guard There is nothing more distressing And there's nothing more depressing Than to think of all you've seen and all you know; When you're out with real live chickens, There is nothing that so sickens As to "cackle" when you really want to "crow." * * * At a recent Minneapolis building show, sev- eral devices were shown which were described as "labor saving." Don't be deceived, Gwen- dolyn, they had nothing to do with race suicide. * * * One of the anomalies of this imperfect world is that what some people call a temptation others call an opportunity. * * * This Month's Maxim The greater the truth the greater the scan- dal. * * * Lots of modern "sky pilots" refuse to be- lieve in a hell. Nevertheless, the average mod- ern business man does. In fact, he insists it is where his trade has gone. * * * Olaf sez: "I don't like chickens. They are always hungry and as soon as I fatten 'em some other 'bird' grabs 'em off." * * * Poor Alex Rose Alex Rose sat on a tack. Poor Alex Rose. * * * Jazz is a lot of syncopated discords.