The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-16
A Versatile Genius.

Whenever New York magazine ed
itors have an especially good assign
ment for which man of quick COM
prehension, versatile genius and
clever pen is required, they Lave
habit of calling on a young writer who,
like a dozen other notable literary sue
cesses, halls from Iowa. This young
man, Rupert Hughes by name, proba-
bly, writes as many different things
we'll in the course of work year as
any other writer of the present day,
and as many of them are featured by
high grade publications. He writes
novels, he writes short stories, he
plays, he writes verse and he writes
music, and in every one of his varied
activities-he referred to them as per-
nicious activities in a recent letter
! he gives this work the stamp OF
genius.
Rupert Hughes wasn't born in Iowa,
but almost. That is, he was born half
| dozen miles across the Iowa line in
| Missouri in the town of Lancaster. To
make up for this shortcoming, Rupert
Hughes father moved into Iowa at the
first opportunity and established him
self in the practice of law at keokuk
while Rupert was a child In Keokuk
! young Hughes had his public school
education and he is RENE. nbered to
/ this day as serious and sensible lad,
| but with redeeming vein of humor,
also In Keokuk you may still hear
! tales of his drollery, especially in a
series of plays given by his Sunday
i school class. After his first year in
/ the Keokuk High school, he followed
favorite teacher to Western Re-
I serve college so that he might study
/ Greek to his hearts content. His as
ISOLATION VIII his favorite teacher,
Prof. Frederick w. Ashley, had much
/ to do in giving him wholesale inspira-
! ton and fine discrimination in matters
! literary From his mother he received
the greatest helpful influences in his
life, his fine feeling and his fine hui
man fibre. He was always much de-
voted to her and once when she was
I sick. he came home to keokuk to read
/ to her morning after morning in keo-
kuk's beautiful park. His first novel
was dedicated to my first sweetheart,
my bonnie mother"
! 1t would take a very long list to
has written, it would include several
novels, many critical musical books
and essays, numerous musical compo-
sitions and songs, a host of short
/ stories and nearly a dozen plays. The
Saturday Evening Post has recently
published several of his short stories
I Pearson's magazine recently contained
a widely discussed series of anti-oc-
! cult Seeing Things" articles, which
turned out to be answers to Hamlin
Garland's occult articles in McClures,
1 although written before Garland's ar
! ticles appeared. A new play by Mr..
Hughes will be put on soon. It's title
is "My Boy" and its hero is on Iowa
man. Moreover, a player we'll known
in Iowa will interpret the leading role
4 L iii Null IL Will VI Dc
/ produced in the spring.
/ Notwithstanding his achievements
I and accomplishments, Mi. Hughes Is
! a man of remarkable modesty, belying
( somewhat childish incident that is
told of him at Keokuk. AT the time
lis father was considering his removal
to Keokuk, the boy Rupert protested
against the sale of the old home in
Lancaster. Don't sell it. father" he
insisted. I'm going to be a great man
some day when I get big. and the
house where | was born will be worth
a lot then Mr.. Hughes is an indie
fatigabe worker. and always busy, but
I he has cordial maLcer and he is
i altogether fine type of cultured gem
tleman the real thing.
Read Gate City wants. Every day