TRIBUTES TO T. E. LAWRENCE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 810, 4 February 1955, Page 13

TRIBUTES TO T. E. LAWRENCE

T. E. LAWRENCE, by his friends, edited by A. W. Lawrence, new edition; Jonathan Cape, English price 16/-. N 1937, two years after the death of Lawrence of Arabia, a volume of appreciations of him was published. Recently advance publicity was given to a book by a well-known English writer which was said to be highly critical of Lawrence. News of this, says his brother, Professor A. W. Lawrence, of the University College of the Gold Coast, in his editor’s preface, caused this new and abridged edition of the 1937 book to be published sooner than was intended. It may be doubted whether any man, so soon after his death, has been saluted |

at the one time by a company so great or distinguished in quality. Sir Winston Churchill considered Lawrence "one of the greatest beings alive in our time." Lord Wavell . found in him "the unmistakable stamp of greatness and goodness." To Ber-

nard Shaw he was. a genius in action and in letters. Ronald Storrs ranked him with the great Elize--bethans and Victorians. When a bust of Lawrence was unveiled in St. Paul’s, the address was given by Lord Halifax, Chancellor of Oxford and formerly Foreign Secretary. Lord Halifax spoke of Lawrence’s powers of intellect, imagination and intuitive understanding, but placed above all élse "the overwhelming conviction that he Rave of moral purpose." Among othe in this very diverse company bearing votive offerings are Dr. Weizmann, first President of Israel; Herbert Baker, architect; William Rothenstein, artist; Sir Lewis Naumier, historian; Lionel Curtis, of the Round Table; and E. M. Forster, novelist. The closing article is by Professor Lawrence. The book is well arranged and provided with biographical information about the contributors and a chronology of Lawrence’s life.

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