Biography George Ade

ade s house near brook

as subtle moralist aware of ironies of modern world, george ade perhaps first modern american humorist. through values implicit in fables, ade manifested ambivalence between traditional rural virtues, in raised (the virtues of horatio alger , mcguffey readers), , craftiness saw around him in booming chicago.

ade (left), john t. mccutcheon, circa 1894-1895

the united states, in ade s lifetime, underwent great population shift , transfer agricultural industrial economy. many felt nation suffered more agonizing process of shifting values toward philistinism, greed, , dishonesty. ade s prevalent practice record pragmatic efforts of little man along in such world.

ade propounds golden mean, satirizing both hidebound adherence obsolete standards , too-easy adjustment new ones. view ambiguous, ambivalent, pragmatic reaction changing scene, remains invaluable literary reflection of conflicting moral tensions resident in our national culture @ turn of century.

a striking , unique feature of ade s essays creative , liberal use of capitalization. here example:

once upon time there slim girl forehead shiny , protuberant, bartlett pear... in country around there not man came plans , specifications husband. neither there man had time her. led lonely life, dreaming of one—the ideal. big , pensive literary man, wearing prince albert coat, neat derby hat , godlike whiskers. when came enfold in arms , whisper emerson s essays her.

ade playwright author, penning such stage works artie, sultan of sulu (a musical comedy composer nathaniel d. mann , lyricist alfred george whathall), college widow, fair co-ed, , county chairman. wrote first american play football.

after twelve years in chicago, built home near town of brook, indiana (newton county). became known hosting campaign stop in 1908 william howard taft, rally theodore roosevelt s bull moose party in 1912, , homecoming soldiers , sailors in 1919.

george ade 1 of american writers publications made him rich. when land values inflated time of world war i, ade millionaire. ross-ade football stadium @ purdue university built (and david e. ross s) financial support. generously supported college fraternity, sigma chi, leading fund-raising campaign endow sigma chi mother house @ site of fraternity s original establishment @ miami university. ade famous among sigma chis author of sigma chi creed, written in 1929, 1 of central documents of fraternity s philosophies.

george ade died in brook, indiana, aged 78. buried in fairlawn cemetery in kentland. home in iroquois township, indiana, george ade house, listed on national register of historic places in 1976.