Imperial Valley press., 1931-04-21
LAWRENCE TELLS WHY HE NOW
Is PRIVATE IN ENGLISH ARMY

bound to. occur on the verge of
+ jumping. And I don't care if the
/ parachute fails to open. either"
There spoke something of the
+ fatalist, perhaps.
The other desire is ito live to
see the day when l can write for
living" Yet, stubbornly, he will
not write if his product is sold by
his name alone.
IF they won't take what l write
unless 1 sell my name with it," he
said, then I don't want to write for
them. If what I write is not good
enough for publication unless 1t is
signed by me. then it isn't worth
publishing. I'm not going to trade
on my reputation. Furthermore
writing should be so individual
that a signature should not be
necessary Like Bernard Shaws.'
Back again to the theme of am
bition-the reason SHAW" is here
in the air force. his hands grimy
with motor oil. his face blackened
by grit and grease. SHAW" once
counsellor kings and princesi
Il am far more contented than
any man of my rank at Mount Bat
ten" he said Most OF these 9th
ers want something. Some want
riches. Some want women. Some
want rank. / want nothing. l
have had almost everything worth
trying in life. I have had wealth.
l have had power. am sick and
tired of it all You must have had
all this to know what it is.
Has No Friends
Il have no friends-only millions
of acquaintances. have no inter-
est in women. To me, all food is
alike except oysters and parsley. I
don't like oysters. I'm not fond of
parsley-tastes like a gravel In
short, I've tried practically every
thing and had enough, so now I'm
perfectly contented human being,
with no desires and no ambitions
worth mentioning"
He told me, this amazing man,
how it felt to be subordinate TO n
corporal-this Col T. E. Lawrence
who dared to countermand the or
der of field marshals when he COM
manded the Arabian desert 1t is
enjoyable after having unlimited
power, to have no responsibility at
all. And that led to a discussion of
his future plans.
II have four more years TO serve" 3"
he said, then I shall retire TO my
cottage. intend TO write, but I
probably won't make much out of
it. 1 shall make what I need by
translating. All I want is three
pounds (Sl5) a week, which / have
saved already. and one pound tS5)
additional. for little luxuries 1t is
far too much trouble to work for
more"
Before becoming Lawrence Of
Arabia" he was an archaeologist.
He is an expert linguist, and his
knowledge of Arabian dialects was
responsible for much of his success
in the desert during the war But
he scoffed at stories saying that he
was many times mistaken for an
Arab"
Il never tried to pass for one," he
said. "On the contrary, my game
was to be spotted a mile away as
Lawrence. In those days I lived
ON my reputation. l succeeded by
being the only smooth-shaven Eu-
ropean in Arab dress in the entire
desert"
Thus l left him, the "contented"
aircraftsman, assigned to whatever
his superiors determine he should
do, from typing letters to repairing
machines, living as a private, ac-
cepting what comes his way and
taking his amusement in long mo-
torcycle rides or trips in his speed
boat. His spare money-from an
occasional bit of translation goes
for music, classical music played on
a gramophone.
Beyond that ne asks for nothing.
On the next story, third of a Sc