Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, March 1924 · page 35 of 71
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #57 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Whiz-Bang*, a 1920s satirical magazine, contains three separate humor pieces: **"A Fellow Feeling of Brotherly Love"** satirizes young courtship. A man tries bribing his girlfriend's little brother to leave so they can be alone—offering increasingly larger sums (dime, quarter, half-dollar). The joke's punchline: the boy refuses all money because he wants to *watch* them—implying voyeuristic curiosity and the awkwardness of chaperones/lack of privacy in that era. **The philosophical aside** makes a democratic joke about human equality. **"The Passing of Maud"** parodies sentimental Victorian poetry (particularly "Casabianca," the famous "boy stood on the burning deck" poem) by applying it absurdly to a mule dying in a fire. The repetitive "he-haw!" braying mimics the original's dramatic refrain, creating dark comedy through bathos—treating a mule's death with mock-heroic language meant for human tragedy. All three pieces exemplify *Whiz-Bang's* irreverent, often crude humor style targeting middle-class conventions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Farmyard Fun and Filosofy 33 A Fellow Feeling of Brotherly Love He had just comfortably settled himself in the parlor with his sweetheart on his lap when her little brother bobbed up and took a seat opposite. "Here's a dime," said he to the boy, "go get yourself some candy." "Don't want any candy," said the boy. "Well, here's a quarter; chase yourself." "Don't want a quarter, neither." "Well, then, here's a half; take a walk." "Don't want a half, neither." "Well, what the devil do you want, son?" "I want to watch!" All men were created equal—to the extent that all were born naked. The Passing of Maud The mule stood on the burning deck—he-haw! The fire grew hot, Maud stretched her neck—he-haw! And with the parting of her jaws—he-haw! Sent up mule prayers to Santa Claus—he-haw! But cruel flames rolled up en masse—he-haw! And Santa could not save the ass—he-haw! The deck went down with braying beast—he-haw! Maud's soul went up like baker's yeast—he-haw! From that dim pasture land beyond—he-haw! Comes echoes of the voice so fond—he-haw! And like a robin, sweet and clear—he-haw! Maud's angel song I seem to hear—he-haw! he-haw! The Smart Set Magazine describes marriage as love's fleeting moment petrified.