The secret of a war memorial.

[rikj]

The sculptor Eric Gill (1882-1940) was commissioned in 1917 to design and sculpt a war memorial for Leeds University. Gill had created a design the previous year for a competition to design a memorial for the employees of London City Council. It was rejected, not surprisingly as the theme was Christ driving the money lenders out of the temple. He decided to use this as the theme for the Leeds University war memorial.The commission came from Michael Sadler, then vice-chancellor of the university. Michael Sadler seemed to concur with the theme. Quite what the reasoning was that this is a suitable theme for a war memorial is open to debate. Gill said that;“the turning out of the money-changers has been chosen as a war memorial, for it commemorates the most just of all wars — the war of Justice against Cupidity — a war waged by Christ Himself”The commission was finished by 1923 and installed at the university, where it still is today. Not only did the unusual choice of theme cause controversy, but also the fact that the moneylenders were depicted as the good citizens of Leeds! Industrialists, financiers, clerks and so on, all in the dress of the day. Not surprisingly people took offence and many points of view were taken, and strong letters written. A letter signed by one J.R.R. Tolkien was sent to the YEP.Anyhow, the memorial is still there for those who wish to see it. I’m sure that most students who pass it everyday have no idea of the furore it caused. Sorry the pic isn’t very good but I was trying not to be noticed by the security man in the booth just out of shot.(I have to add that I'm not a religious man, but my views on moneylenders are fairly biblical.)