Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1922-02-27
wins STATEWIDE
story CON TEST
Mack Kantor, Aged II
Years, Wins First in Sum-
day Register Story
Contest.
SHOWS MUCH TALENT
High Praise From Editor
and Judges of the
Contest.
SHOWS MUCH TALENT

Mack Kantor, aged II, member O
the junior class in the Webster Cit,
high school, won first prize in tn,
amateur short story contest conduct
cd by thcsSunday Des Moines Register
The story. entitled Purple" was pub
lished yesterday on the front page OF
the magazine section of the Sunday
Register. with large illustration il
,olOrs. The nom de plume of its write,
was Sheridan Rhodes"
Competition in this class was open to
anyone in the state, professions story
writers, only. being barred. That II
year old school boy should win this
prize is an unusual honor and marks
Mack as a young man of very decided
literary talent. He is Il son of Mrs.
Etlie NJ. Kantor, of this city, and. out
side his school work. has been of ma
terial assistance to his mother in her
newspaper work. He is Il very young
man. as the story, itself, indicates. The
prize offered was $50 The honor won,
however, is vastly more than the prize
money. because it gives Mack high
standing as IL story writer, and the
criticisms of the Sunday editor and the
judges are 50 favorable as to mark him
as a young man with a future as a
writer. The judges were Herbert
Quick, Virginia, Roderrick and Trum-
hull White.
Mack wrote the story last July. He
heard nothing from the Register until
he was notified last week that he had
won first prize. In the meantime, he
had given up all hope and, hence, the
surprise was most agreeable one.
4 Real Thrill.
The editor of the Sunday Register
has the following to say of the story:
1t was with Il real thrill that the
Judges opened thc envelope marked
sheridan Rhodes and discovered that
the winner of the amateur division of
INC SH'It Stols CONTEST Ndo ot'Hc
man of II years!
Ills real name is Mackinlay Kantor.
Ills home is at Webster City. He gives
his occupation, AT present with
newspaper Have been for some time.
! will probably return to school, but
90 not know when
Dir. Kantor is the youngest winner
in the three years OF the short story
contest. The judges were more nearly
unanimous for Purple" than they have
ever been before for q prize winner,
this story taking. two tirsts. The Sun
day Register cannot help but feel that
Mr. kantor has Il future as a writer.
And after You have read Purple see
il you do not agree.
What Judges Say.
The judges had the following to say
II had little difficulty in giving first
place to Purple because Of its 0rigi-
nality. and the universally of tine mes
sage its bears. together with its eX-
cellcnt style, and The many things it
Tsfrained from saving in spite of the
temptations to utter them. Herbert
Quick.
The most s,rikingly original in the
lot Has little real story value, be-
cause il has practically no plot and no
characterization. Clearly, effective told.
Personally, l suspect it ISLANDERS thel
Iowa farmers sense Of beauty and his
perception. Main Street in rural
terms. Virginia Roderick.
Purple accomplishes its authors
purpose with good deal of delicacy
and deftncss. am much more likely
10 remember that story and tell il as
an illustration Of what may befall than
any other in the list. this in spite of
the fact that the art dealers and art
cOmnoisscurs might not think it suf!i-
cit,itly grounded on the pictorial side"
-Trumbull White.