I HAVE learnt several things about my fellow men and women which have interested me very much since, some months ago, I undertook always to have one of the Prince of Wales's Life-boat Collecting Cards with me wherever I went. I think they may be of interest also to any one who is preparing notes on the " Psychological Aspects of Col- lecting for Charities," and, I hope, of practical use to members of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild who intend to take collecting cards.

The first thing I discovered really did surprise me. I had expected many people to think me a nuisance, and some even to accuse me of taking an unfair advantage of them, when I produced my card in the middle oi a friendly conversation. On the contrary, though I confess I have found a few like that, I have found very many more who not only were ready to give, but said, very heartily, that they thought every one ought to help the Life-boats, and that they welcomed the opportunity of doing it. I think they were even surprised that they had not been asked before. I lazisuppose that, however wide the net of appeal may be thrown, there are many people who escape it—absent-minded lazipeople who do not notice when they are offered a badge on a Life-boat Day, who: do not read an appeal letter when it is sent to them, and do not see the advermet advertisetisements in the papers. With such men and women the only thing is a collecting card.

The second thing I discovered was the pride, or perhaps I ought to call it shame, of many people—men, I think, more than women—with regard to charities.

I have nicknamed it " guinea-pride."!I had no idea before that there were so many who felt that it was unbecoming to give less than a guinea in response to any appeal. There must, I suppose, be a mystical dignity about this coin, because it has not existed for a hundred years. This "guinea-pride" is all very well-—when people give the guinea, Unfortunately, when they cannot give it, they think the only dignified thing • left to do is to give nothing. I have found that the collecting card is an excellent way of getting such people to strike a did!mean between the two. Though they would not for a moment think of drawing a cheque for ten shillings, or buying a postal order for five, they are quite ready to write their names against those amounts on a card li I still have any difficulty with them I point out that the five-shilling piece is now almost as extinct as the guinea, and for that reason it is a sum which, especially in these hard times, any one might give with dignity.

j The last thing I have discovered, I j am sorry to say, is what I can only call— since I am being quite frank—the lazisuppose ness of most people—people with other quite positive virtues, people who are kind, charitable, generous. This lazipeople j ness, 1 really think, is the chief thing who:with which we have to contend. I have advermet men and women, for example, who have seen the Institution's advertisetisements ments asking for a million sums of five | shillings. They thought it an excellent [appeal. They wanted to be " one in a the more million." They felt that they ought to give to the Life-boats. They could afford five shillings. But somehow they had not given. The absurd truth is, that pride."!many who are ready to give will notafford the time and trouble to buy a postal order, address an envelope and put it in the post. It is absurd, but there the thing is, preventing, no one knows how much money, which people intended to give, from ever being given.

The sum of my discoveries, as a collector, is a really happy surprise to find people much more charitable and generous than I had ever expected. But this generosity remains so often passive.

I reallv believe that there are thousands of people throughout the country waiting with five shillings for the Life-boats, but—you have to go and take it from them.

Though I have made these discoveries for myself, I suppose none of them will surprise the officials of the Institution.

I think it must be because they know them already that they are so anxious to find more Life-boat woikers.

Will you take a Collecting Card and trv vour hick for the Institution ?.