Life, 1901-07-11 · page 13 of 20
Life — July 11, 1901 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of satire: **"The Other Fellow"** (left): A poem by William Wallace Whitelock satirizing competitive envy and petty rivalry. The narrator claims to love everyone except one man who has consistently outcompeted him—winning school prizes, scholarships, job opportunities, and even his romantic interest Annie Bell. The satire works by having the narrator declare he wouldn't actually harm this rival while simultaneously expressing violent rage ("make him howl and bellow"), exposing how trivial grievances can fuel disproportionate hatred. It's social commentary on how people rationalize resentment. **"The Past"** (right): A brief dialogue joke about the Philippine-American War. The humor lies in the phrase "Ever since the first time the war ended"—implying the war had *multiple* endings, likely referencing the conflict's ongoing nature despite official declarations of peace. It mocks the ambiguous or cyclical nature of the conflict rather than its definitive conclusion. Both pieces use humor to critique human behavior and contemporary events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Other Fellow. F all who dwell upon the earth There’s none I wish to harm, There's none who, seeing me approach, Need feel the least alarm ; My heart is filled with love for all, Save one whom I detest— But, oh, the way I hate that man Makes up for all the rest! I will not write his name, lest he Should chance to read my rhyme, And learning of his danger, flit To some far distant clime ; But just to show how he has used Me like a canine yellow, I'll give some reasons why I hate That horrid ‘other fellow.” My trouble with him first began When we were boys at school, He always won the prizes, and Made me appear the fool ; And then at college later on, When reached the years more mellow, I found the scholarships all went To him, the “ other fellow.” ‘When college days were o'er, and I ‘To find a job set out, To my disgust I learned that he Knew what I was about; He'd managed to obtain the start— By telephone came, “‘ Hello! We're awfully sorry, but we've just Engaged the ‘other fellow.” And then—oh cruelest blow of all! — When love had pierced my heart, And I went begging Annie Bell To take away the smart, When I implored her to be mine— Much gold she had and yellow— She let me know, oh, wretched girl ! She loved the “‘ other fellow.” Now, tell me, don’t you think that I Have cause to hate this man, Who lies in wait at every turn To harm me if he can? If he should fall into my hands I'd make him howl and bellow— I wouldn’t do a thing to him ! — Confound that ‘other fellow!” William Wallace Whitelock. MIKE ROBES. The Past. HE: You were a long time in the Philippines, weren’t you? He: Oh, yes. Ever since the first time the war ended. EXTRACT FROM A NOVEL. “The Count could not help observing that the Senorita Fiannetta had something on her mind.” comicbooks.com