STEAMSHIPS AND SUBSIDIES 209 



Whitman that he never lost his turn or hesitated 

 for a word, even turning the patois of the 

 Parisian gamin into Bowery boy slang. 



As we sat on the deck a group gathered about 

 us, drawn by the rich tones and the flexible voice 

 of the versatile O'Connor, who kept us vibrating 

 between tears and laughter. Sometimes he 

 spoke in that spirit of beautiful reverence that 

 underlay his "Ghost" and his "Carpenter," fol- 

 lowing with gorgeous word painting that I have 

 never heard equaled, interspersed with intel- 

 lectual gems, product of the philosophic, agnostic 

 atmosphere of his Boston home. It was after a 

 brilliant flash of skepticism that a man who had 

 just joined the group, Dr. Samson, then presi- 

 dent of Columbian College of Washington, 

 quietly asked if he might reply and was warmly 

 welcomed by O'Connor. I never met the man 

 who was better qualified for the task before him. 

 With slow utterance and measured words, each 

 one fitting its allotted place within the breadth 

 of a hair, the doctor answered every argument, 

 pierced every sophistry, and humorously brushed 



