H.R.H. the Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, Patron.AT the end of 1923, H.R.H. the Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, who had already shown her personal interest in the Life-boat Service by becoming Pre- sident of the Kensington Branch on its formation in 1922, accepted the invita- tion of the Committee of Management to become Patron of the Ladies' Life- boat Guild. At the same time the Duchess of Portland, who had been the Guild's President since its formation in 1921, and taken a most kind and active part in its work, became Vice-Patron, the Duchess of Norfolk accepted the Presidency, and the Marchioness of Mil- ford Haven the Vice-Presidency. In spite of the many other claims on them, both the Patron and the President took an active part in Centenary Life-boat Day in London, of which an account is given elsewhere in this issue, and the Princess Louise had already taken the earliest opportunity to become person- ally acquainted with Life-boat workers by attending the Conference of Life-boat workers of London and the South- Eastern District—one of the Conferences, preliminary to the Centenary celebra- tions, held at a dozen of the chief centres of Life-boat work—which took place in London on 22nd November, 1923. At this Conference the Princess made the following speech :— " I have the greatest pleasure in meet- ing so many of the ladies who are work- ing for the Ladies' Guild of THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, one of the finest, I might say the finest, Institutions which exist. I am indeed proud to meet so many workers and to know that I am personally identified with them, for I have had the great pleasure and distinction of being nomi- nated as Patron of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, an honour, I assure you, of which I am deeply sensible.

" No Institution has the same common interest. Its aims are the same to all nations, all creeds, to all, no matter in what station of life they may be. No Institution can go nearer the hearts of our women with more penetrating interest, love and sympathy. Are notfather, husband, brother or son almost in every family of our nation associated with the sea ? It is close and it is perilous.

" We can indeed be proud to know that our women often take an active part in the actual work of the launching of Life-boats. We are rather used to thinking of the Life-boat Service as being the province of men, and it is delightful to realize that we can be of such practical use.

" It is with sincere pleasure and deep appreciation that I recognize the great work which our women have done, and can do, for this great cause, and I know that their interest and devotion to this splendid Institution will never flag." Up to the present no attempt has been made to give the Guild any central organization. While there has been a President of the whole Guild, each Branch has formed its own Guild, elect- ing its own President and officers. This autonomous arrangement has worked so well, and is so fully in accord with the whole spirit of the Institution's work, that the Committee of Management consider that it should be permanent.

At the same time they feel that the work of the Guild would be strengthened, and the feeling of co-operation between Life- boat workers increased, if there were a General Council of the Guild, in addition to the present Women's Committee in London and the local Guild Committees throughout the country. It has there- fore been decided to form a General Council of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild, and to elect to it the principal Guild workers of the Branches.

The Ladies' Life-boat Guild has already proved of great value as a means of bringing together in a spirit of en- thusiastic service to the Life-boat cause the thousands of women of all classes who have so generously devoted their time, energies and talents to the work of the Institution during the past century, and especially during the last twenty years. Everywhere there' are signs that the Guild is taking root and flourishing, so that an ever-increasingnumber of women are becoming linked to a Service in which their sisters have many a time rendered actual personal help by acting as Launchers of the Boats in which their husbands, brothers or sons have gone forth on their errand of mercy. The Committee of Management feel confident that under the distin- guished leadership of its Royal Patron, the Princess Louise, and of the Duchess of Portland, the Duchess of North- umberland and the Marchioness of Milford Haven, the Guild will steadily increase both in numbers and in influence and thus carry the ideals of the Life- boat Service and its claims on our fellow-countrymen and women into ever-widening circles..