THERE is a time-honoured saying that " it is a long lane that has no turning," and the old saw may not inappropriately be applied at the present time to the Life-boat Saturday Fund. For the last three years the Life-boat Saturday workers up and down the country have had a severe struggle in their endeavours to maintain the financial position of the Fund in their various localities, and in many instances failure instead of success has, alas, fallen to their lot. The South African War, with all its terrible accompaniments and results, seemed to act as a devastating blight on all efforts to raise moneys for charitable purposes other than those more especially con- nected with objects aiming either at the amelioration of the condition of the sick and suffering soldier or the provision of succour and support of those he left at home. With the return of peace how- ever there have been indications that better times are at hand if they have not already begun; and although neces- sarily the country has to pay and will have to pay for some time to come the cost of the campaign—now happily a thing of the past—a reduced income-tax would seem to assure us that if the clouds have not as yet rolled by altogether, still their density is diminishing and we may expect soon to see and enjoy the " silver lining." This being so we hear from all parts of the United Kingdom that the spirits of the Life-boat Saturday Fund workers are rising and that the Committees and Ladies' Auxiliaries have during the last few months been busily engaged in active preparations and carefully thought out schemes for "capturing the country " for the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION—to enable the Committee of Management to find the means for efficiently carrying on in the future as in the past the Insti- tution's great life-saving work, including the rewarding of the gallant Life-boat crews for their excellent services, com- pensating them when unfortunately injured whilst rendering those services, and the succouring of their widows and orphans should they sadly lose their lives in their efforts to rescue others.

From the reports received we have every reason to believe that the Life-boat Saturday collections for 1903 will be considerably in excess of the amount realised during the previous year; but whether this be the case or not, it is certain that the enthusiasm, zeal and energy of the workers has been unbounded and is deserving of unqualified praise and success.