He had written much about our shortage of genuine spiritual values; about "the continual frustrations and aridities of American life." He was a member of various groups--the Imagist group, the Egoist group, the Sphericists, other groups piquantly named; versed in the new psychology, playing upon the word "pragmatism" as upon a violin.
Sharon Whipple, the Philistine, never quite knew whether pragmatism was approved or condemned by Schilsky, and once he asked the dark-faced young man what it meant.

He was told that pragmatism was a method, and felt obliged to pretend that this enlightened him.

He felt a reluctant respect for Schilsky, who could make him feel uncomfortable.
And there was the colourful, youngish widow, Mrs.Truesdale, who wrote free verse about the larger intimacies of life, and dressed noticeably.
She would be a contributing editor of the _New Dawn_, having as her special department the release of woman from her age-long slavery to certain restraints that now made her talked unpleasantly about if she dared give her soul free rein.

This lady caused Sharon to wonder about the departed Truesdale.
"Was he carried away by sorrowing friends," asked Sharon, "or did he get tired one day and move off under his own power ?" No one ever enlightened him.
Others of the younger intelligentzia came under his biased notice.

He spoke of them as "a rabble rout," who lived in a mad world--"and God bless us out of it." But Sharon timed his criticism discreetly, and the _New Dawn_ lit its pure white flame--a magazine to refresh the elect.