I had a deep repugnance for
his whole materialistic view. But I liked the way he jarred me.

"What I want to do," he said, "is to bust every hold that any creed ever
had on me. I don't mean only creeds in churches, I mean creeds in
politics, business and everywhere else. I want to get 'em all out of my
eyes so I can see what's really here--because I'm so sure there's an
awful lot here and an awful lot more that's coming. If I make a noise
like a knocker at times you don't want to put me down as any
Schopenhauer fan. None of that pessimistic dope for little Joey Kramer.
I never open a new book without hoping I'll find the real stuff I want,
and I never open a paper without hoping that some more of it will be
right here in the news of the day. Kid," he ended intensely, "you can
take it from me there are going to be big doings soon in this little old
world, big doings and great big ideas, as big as what caused the Civil
War and a damn sight more scientific. And the thing for you and me to do
is to get ourselves in some kind of shape so we can shake hands with 'em
when they arrive, and say, 'Hello, fellahs, come right in. You're just
what we've been waiting for.'"

When Joe gave up college at the end of the junior year, he left a small
group of us behind. "The Ishmaelites," we called ourselves. For though
most of us "couldn't quite go Joe," we had all "queered" ourselves in
college through the influence on us he had had.

There are thousands of Joe Kramers now in colleges scattered all over
the land. Each year their numbers grow, each year more deep their vague
conviction that somehow they've been cheated, more harsh and insistent
every year their questioning of all "news from the graveyard," whether
it comes from old fogey professors or from parents or preachers, eminent
lawyers or business men, great politicians or writers of books. Arrogant
and sweeping, sparing nothing sacred--young. Ignorant, confused and
groping, almost wistful--new. They are becoming no insignificant part in
this swiftly changing national life.

Joe Kramer was one of the pioneers.

CHAPTER VIII

It was with an unpleasant shock of surprise that I found Joe liked the
harbor.

When I took him home for Christmas he spent half his time down there on
the docks. He explored the whole region for miles around, in a week he
spoke in familiar terms of slips and bays and rivers that to me were
still nothing but names. Moreover, he liked my fathe