THE Duke of Northumberland's Life- boat Essay Competition, was held this year for the eleventh time. As in the previous year, the Institution has pre- sented eight Challenge Shields and 280 individual awards, that is to say, a Challenge Shield and thirty-five indi- vidual awards for each of the eight districts into which Great Britain and Ireland are divided for the purposes of the Competition.

In addition to this, the Institution has, for the first time, presented a Certificate to every school which took part, to be awarded by the Headmaster or Headmistress to the writer of the best essay in the school.

The number of schools taking part in the Competition was 2,354. Of these schools, 1,471 entered their essays for the inter-school competition. Last year, when only the inter-school competition was held, the number of schools which took part was 1,737. Thus, although the number taking part in the inter-school competition is 266 fewer than last year, the fact that 617 more schools wrote Life-boat essays has well justified the Institution's decision to award a Certifi- cate to every school.

London again comes first with 386 schools, as compared with 363 (251 entering for the inter-school competi- tion) . The South-East of England again comes second, with 358 schools, as compared with 246 (250 entering for the inter-school competition). The North - East of England is again third with 334 schools, as compared with 231 (192 entering for the inter-school competi- tion). The North-West of England is again fourth with 308, as compared with 215 (208 schools entering for the inter- school competition); and the Midlands are again fifth with 301, as compared with 201 (200 entering for the inter- school competition). Ireland and Wales (including Shropshire and Herefordshire) which were eighth last year, are sixth with 265 schools, as compared with 165 (153 entering for the inter-school com- petition). Scotland is again seventh with 237, as compared with 184 (165 schools entering for the inter-school competition) ; and the South-West of England has fallen from sixth to eighth with 165, as compared with 184 (110 schools entering for the inter-school competition).

Thus in every district except the South-West there has been a substantial increase in the number of schools taking part in the competition, although in only one district, the South-East, is the number entering for the inter-school competition larger than last year's number.

The Essays.

The subject set was : " There are thousands of brave men. Why do you look upon the Life-boatman as a hero among them ? " As a general description of the essays, we cannot do better than quote from the judge in two of the districts : " The essays were very well done on the whole, and it was difficult to choose only 35 from among many of almost equal merit. The best essays were varied—some quite original. All showed that the children had been carefully taught. Even in the poorer essays the facts given were usually correct, al- though the matter might be irrelevant to the question set. In some cases a story was used to illustrate the heroism of the Life-boatmen. One girl used the form of dialogue. One boy described himself as a descendant of a Coxswain who died in an attempt to rescue a shipwrecked crew; another was the grandson of a Life-boatman who was lost. . . . The dramatic instinct was very strong in some of the writers.

Quotations used were also very varied, being drawn from the Bible, Conrad, Kipling, Longfellow, Masefield, Shake- speare and Tennyson." Another judge commented on the use of florid expressions, not always, as was evident, with any very clear idea of what they meant. On the other hand, one essayist, in describing a Life-boat at sea, went straight to his own know- ledge for a simile : "It needs men of courage to go out in a small, fragile craft to be tossed about like a cork in a bath." The main criticism made was that many excellent essays were written which did not really deal with the subject. There was no doubt about the essayists' admiration for the Life- boatman. This was well expressed in a great variety of ways. But many essayists were content to express this admiration, without advancing any reasons for considering the Life-boatman a hero among heroes. The essayists as a whole, however, drew up a very comprehensive list of other heroes with whom to compare him. It included, of course, the inevitable comparison with soldiers, but it was noticeable that the essayists looked to the achievements of peace rather than of war to find examples of heroism. These heroes of peace included airmen, explorers, miners, doc- tors, big-game hunters, ambulance men, firemen and motorists.

The Pedestrian as Hero.

Even the pedestrian figures in this list. In one of the most original and closely-reasoned of the essays, the writer took as the basis of his comparison the heroism of " the pedestrian, the ordinary man in the street." " Swift motor-cars," he pointed out, "have to be eluded, and he who escapes being hurt by these land monsters is a brave man and a hero." But, as he justly points out, " the land does not move." " Imagine what it would be like if a comparatively small car braved its way through a storm, which heaved the paving-blocks up all around. . . . On land a cart cannot sink under the roadway, but a vessel can easily sink under the sea." Another essayist made a clear and just contrast between the firemen and the Life-boatmen. " A fireman is also a hero, and has work similar to that of a Life-boatman, but there is one difference, he fights against the elements on firm soil, and is urged to heroic acts by the cheers of the crowd that usually gathers when there is a fire, but the Life-boatman has land only fathoms below him." Poets and Prime Ministers.

The fact that the Life-boatmen, though rewarded for every service, is a volunteer, drawing no pay, impressed several essayists, one of whom compared him to his advantage with a finely- assorted list of salary-earners. " Other men, such as soldiers, poets, kings and Prime Ministers are mostly educated and paid for their work. The Life- boatman is merely a simple fisherman who devotes his life (without being paid wages) to the rescue of the needy." We like the idea of a school full of budding Prime Ministers.

The heroism of getting up in the middle of the night has again impressed a number of essayists. " I consider him a hero because he considers it part of his daily work to go out at night." (No: This does not hail from Erin). " The Life-boatman is often called out in the night, which would annoy most people." And again, " Would we get up on a wet or cold night and take to open boat cruising ? Not likely ! " There is no doubt, too, that the essayist who wrote, " He gets up and dresses in no end of time " was intending a well-deserved tribute to the way in which the Crews turn out in answer to the call.

"Nice Ruddy Cheeks." Several essayists attempted sketches of the Life-boatman. " He is a strong, bold, fearless, hefty, broad-shouldered man with a rough skin." " The Life- boatman is a humble fisherman who, though he has a rough exterior has a heart of gold." " Tough-looking fellows with strong hearts and sinewy hands." " His appearance is always a healthy one, nice ruddy cheeks and hard muscles." A Short Way with the Ungrateful.

Another essayist boiled with indigna- tion towards those who forget the Life- boatman and his heroism. " Men who would tremble at the sight of a wave touching1 their feet. Cowards they are, some of them. They want to be taken by the neck and thrown into the sea once or twice to see what life in the deep is like." A little severe, perhaps; but showing the right spirit.

The "Lion of the Storm." As a final tribute of the admiration of the children of Great Britain and Ireland for the Life-boatman, we will quote from four essays.

" The Life-boatman stands among the world's heroes an awe-inspiring figure— the symbol of courage, determination and physical fitness, not a figure of self-love and greediness." " Just as the lion is the King of Beasts, so the Life-boatman ought to be called the King of Heroes." " The Life-boatman is the Lion of the Storm." " So let us say ' Hats off' to this brave and golden-hearted person—the Life-boatman." The Best Essay in Great Britain and Ireland.

Among the eight essays which won the Challenge Shields, there was none of outstanding merit, but the judges had no hesitation in awarding the prize for the best essay in Great Britain and Ireland to Theresa Keaney of Our Lady's Girls' School, Cavendish Street, Birkenhead.

The Winning Schools.

Theresa Keaney has at the same time won the Challenge Shield for her school, which has now won it for the second year running. In the Midlands the Spon Street Boys' School, Coventry, has performed the same feat. If these schools succeed in winning the Shields next year they will retain possession of them. In the North-West the Demesne Road Boys' School, of Douglas, Isle of Man, has again been very successful.

In 1929 it won the Shield, and last year and this year it has been second.

Liverpool schools have also been very successful. Of the thirty-five prize- winners in the North-West no fewer than twelve come from Liverpool.

Stoke-on-Trent has been only less successful in the Midlands, where it has seven winners. In London the Shield has been won for the first time by a Willesden school, in the North-East of England for the first time by a Shields school, and in the South-West of England for the first time by a Gosport school. In Scotland a Kilmarnock school has won it for the first time, and the Orkney schools have again been very successful, no fewer than five being among the prize-winners. In Ireland and Wales the Shield has been won by the Abersychan Council School. This is the first time that it has been won by a school in Monmouthshire, and for the third year running the Irish and Welsh Shield goes to Wales.

Honours Divided between Boys and Girls.

The honours are again fairly evenly divided between boys and girls. Of the eight Challenge Shields six have been won by boys, and only two by girls, but the best essay of all comes from a girl; and of the 280 prize- winners, 152 are girls and 128 are boys.

The Awards.

Theresa Keaney, as the writer of the best essay, will be presented with a copy of the five-guinea edition of " Britain's Life-boats," by Major A. J. Dawson, signed by the Prince of Wales. Each of the other seven who head the lists for the Districts will receive a copy of the ordinary edition of " Britain's Life- boats " and a Certificate. The remain- ing 271 boys and girls in the lists will each be presented with a Certificate.

The name of the winner in each district will be inscribed on the District Challenge Shield, and the School will hold the Shield for a year. Each of these eight schools will also receive, as a permanent record of its success, a copy of the Certificate awarded to the pupil.

Each prize-winner will also receive a second Certificate, awarded to the writer of the best essay in his or her school, and the same Certificate will be awarded to all the others who entered for the inter- school Competition.

Our Thanks to the Teachers.

The Institution wishes very gratefully to acknowledge the help of the Educa- tion Authorities, not only in giving permission for the Competition to be held, but in many cases circulating the particulars and drawing attention to it in other ways. To the teachers also the Institution offers its warmest thanks, for without their cordial co- operation the Competition would be impossible.

Below will be found the complete list of prize-winners, followed by the best essay.