This observer who does not wish his name given, writes:
"Oscar had a pungent wit, and nearly all the nicknames in the school were
given by him. He was very good on the literary side of scholarship, with a
special leaning to poetry. . . . .
"We noticed that he always liked to have editions of the classics that were of
stately size with large print. . . . . He was more careful in his dress than
any other boy.
"He was a wide reader and read very fast indeed; how much he assimilated I never
could make out. He was poor at music.
"We thought him a fair scholar but nothing extraordinary. However, he startled
everyone the last year at school in the classical medal examination, by walking
easily away from us all in the "viva voce" of the Greek play ('The Agamemnon')."
I may now try and accentuate a trait or two of these photographs, so to speak,
and then realise the whole portrait by adding an account given to me by Oscar
himself. The joy in humorous romancing and the sweetness of temper recorded
by Sir Edward Sullivan were marked traits in Oscar's character all through his
life. His care in dressing too, and his delight in stately editions; his love
of literature "with a special leaning to poetry" were all qualities which
distinguished him to the end.
"Until the last year of my school life at Portora," he said to me once, "I had
nothing like the reputation of my brother Willie. I read too many English
novels, too much poetry, dreamed away too much time to master the school tasks.
"Knowledge came to me through pleasure, as it always comes, I imagine. . . . .
"I was nearly sixteen when the wonder and beauty of the old Greek life began
to dawn upon me. Suddenly I seemed to see the white figures throwing purple
shadows on the sun-baked palaestra; 'bands of nude youths and maidens'--you
remember Gautier's words--'moving across a background of deep blue as on the
frieze of the Parthenon.' I began to read Greek eagerly for love of it all,
and the more I read the more I was enthralled:
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