Letters: Nov. 27, 1964

Block Those Leprechauns!

Sir: Your cover story is a succinct analysis of the Fighting Irish. It sends chills up the spine and echoes of the Victory March to the ears of Notre Dame men around the world.

VINCENT J. NAIMOLI (Notre Dame '59) Wayne, N.J.

Sir: As a fan of Notre Dame for more years than I care to state, I wondered if Ara would keep the "prayer before play." When he did, the word was carried that he might convert to Catholicism. When one of the team was questioned, the answer flew back: "No, the team is thinking of turning Protestant." (MRS.) ELAINE EDWARDS MCDONALD South Bend, Ind.

Sir: I've seen every Notre Dame team since 1908 play at least once, except in 1917 and 1918. I played under Rockne before and after he was made head coach. I helped coach at Notre Dame under Elmer Layden. I was a daily observer and reporter during Leahy's peak season, 1949, and his one offseason, 1950. I see in Ara Parseghian the first head coach we've had in Knute Rockne's all-round class. The supreme test, however, will come in late years, if he finds himself at the top with no place to go but down.

CHET GRANT South Bend, Ind.

Sir: Your story on the great Ara has found 50 particularly eager readers in Europe. Although trying to live like Austrians, those of us here in Notre Dame's first study program abroad have nevertheless caught the football fever. I don't believe an unsold copy of TIME remains in all of Innsbruck.

RICHARD VEIT Innsbruck, Austria

Reflections on Goldwater

Sir: Your review of NBC's Profiles in Courage [Nov. 20] set me to pondering the central theme of the book: that to follow one's beliefs wherever they may lead, regardless of expediency, pressure and probable political suicide, demands a courage rarely manifested by many politicians. The late President Kennedy lauded the particular Senators in his book for displaying such courage and fidelity to their ideals. I find it highly ironical that by exhibiting this type of political valor, Senator Goldwater satisfies, a no other political figure in America today, the idealistic criteria of President Kennedy.

ALAN DISLER Pittsburgh

Sir: Ex-Senator Goldwater emerges from his defeat not only unchastened but unenlightened. He seems to believe that 26 million Republican votes were cast in endorsement of his "attitudes."

It is a fairly safe guess that about 80% of that vote was cast by Republicans who did not want to desert the party and voted Republican in spite of the candidate.

MRS. CARLTON WHEELER SMITH San Diego

Sir: The two party system is dependent upon each party staying close enough to center and broad enough in platform so that a wide variety of ideologies can meet together. Unfortunately Senator Goldwater and his supporters were so intent on offering a clear choice that they left no room on the platform for the moderates to stand.

CALVERT W. AUDRAIN Allston, Mass.

Urban Renewal, Outside In