1920-22 Draft of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Page 441

Copy of typed letter from T.E. Lawrence to Lionel Curtis: Karachi. 28/12/27. Dear my Lord, Thank you for sending me the Times account of L.C.L. It does its best to give the externality of the act: but everything for which I hunted him and valued him is missing from their picture. He was by background, in a curious sense, the only person to whom I had never to explain the "why" of what I was doing. He was strangely understanding, and he had this personal quality into death with him. All personality is like that, except for personality of the very great writers and artists, who are sometimes able, like Hardy, to write themselves out over and over again in their work. All they have convinced us is in the works - and what their works they contained are exhausted, thereIs nobody could value Hogarth without knowing him. For the general public he will remain the water-colon would have been without Russell. In my own case I feel that I have lost what I valued at Oxford: for there was in a real sense a part of Oxford. Indeed I fancy that for me he was Oxford, entire and unqualified. He was a chap, unsingaiatedly away from the place, where yet he lived over a few years of his life. But he had what one would have wished to make the atmosphere of a common room - such a common room as would have suited six gratified peacock - and I used always to say "it and is a common and a man combined". He never struck me as a scholar, but as primarily a civilised person. However, enough of all this. You will be distressed at my fulitile to this too-personal degradation. It is part of my duty here to type so much of the technical reports as correspond-ence - and as I go on of course for my own workmen. If I do it now, then the Professor says his bit always be place. This might be well - only that sometimes he will be ill (everybody is always having days off in this place) and we are the only two 'britido boys' allowed by establishment. So sometimes I will have his job, and that is satisfying though of strengths and barked states a savage, I have contracted to learn my way about this beastly machine, and as I am very slow to learn anything, it has been already a long business and will be a long time yet. I am past the two-finger stage, and the spells and practices, and have now to exercise my leisure for an hour a day upon the vile bodies of those I know. I propose to sift out most of my back correspondence: but it is never made horrible to allot the same space to every letter, regardless of size. I am horrible to brag to single each letter separately. Yet so exact is the register of this old aid worover-excitant that only upon it for an impression without sticking afterwards is the "lil spring" all the other kiss I depart 'Em in the gate. Yes, I'm glad you are saving so much of the Ind round Oxford. I would like, though, to see not open Inn, but just quietly inhabited everywhere. I would not go sAving it from the speculator, and cot it over with little houses, put such among it the tightly it it could not be made an co tified to the landscape. Only I would prohibit the disfigurement of enclosures about each house, just writings of wall or railing. They should all open upon the common lend, and should have liberty to plant and dig its fringes, but without pretention behind a visitor. You would not men behave themselves like reasoning creatures, if you ceased to restrain them with prosecution: and you would prevent that privacy growing up. Indeed, I would a deaddetonators of our barracks. But then Top how near is the desired purpose of troops existence in the sphere of things? To ensen heir being traited and idonific