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Sir: Mr. Lamb may be an expert in accumulating money, but his naivete and disregard for precedent and the lessons of history are appalling, particularly for a onetime lawyer [Feb. 7]. If man did not occasionally look "backward through a rearview mirror," he would still be trying to invent the wheel and discover fire.
WILLIS ROKES Attorney and Professor of Business Administration University of Omaha Omaha
Sir: As a student of the law, Mr. Lamb should have acquired insight into the judicial process, respect for its refusal to render judgments that may be popular but not just, and appreciation for the manner in which it subtly, but dynamically, responds to the needs of society in flux.
As a businessman, Mr. Lamb should know that, but for the existence of precedent and its probabilities, no executive could make decisions affecting his company with any degree of certainty.
ALLAN E. CONE Beverly Hills, Calif.
Bootstrapper
Senor: Muchas gracias for your wonderful article on Puerto Rico's progress [Feb. 14]. We Puertoriquehos in the city of New York are so proud of the work that our leader Luis Mufioz Marin has done. JAIME LILLY New York City
Affirmation Within Grief
Sir: Leonard Bernstein is right in thinking of the Kaddish "as less a lament for the dead than an affirmation of life in the face of death" [Feb. 7].
Originally, the Kaddish prayer had nothing to do with death. It was recited by ancient scholars who wanted to hallow God's name when they completed certain portions of their sacred studies.
Somewhat later these sages recited the prayer when one of their own died—to suggest that a portion of their work had been ended. Still later, it became a universal prayer. Much later, literal references to death were introduced.
The heart of the person who recites the prayer today may be heavy with grief, but the prayer itself is still a heroic affirmation of life.
JOSEPH R. NAROT Temple Israel of Greater Miami Miami
Women of the World
Sir: As a regular reader of TIME Magazine and as a great admirer of Senator Margaret Chase Smith, I was more than impressed when I read that she has announced she is going to run for the G.O.P. presidential nomination. This is great news! It is high time the great U.S. had a woman President.
(MISS) M. W. GITHARA
Nairobi, Kenya