The Press. — London, England, 1853-07-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS. LETTERS FROM A SILENT MEMBER. LETTER H. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Housi ov COMMONS. Sir,—l recollect a merry member exclaiming, when he had listened to some splutterer for half an hour, " I am determined to learn the art of speaking myself, for I perceive it can always be learned at other people's expense." Most true ; and how lavish is our expenditure, as audience in this House, compared with the accomplishments acquired here ! Take my own example. What sums I have paid for EwAaT ilt my time, and yet he is now well-nigh as fatal to me as ho complains our law is to murderers ! The Member for Finsbury, it is said, once spoke most vilely ; but, by a lavish expenditure on the part of other members, he became the able artist that he is, and now the House in listening to " TOMMY DUNCOMBE " has no more thought of uneasiness than he of modesty ; but he wits trained by severer lessons than are now inculcated. The House is too tolerant ; parliamentary, like religious toleration, must have its limits ; we have gone fur enough, perhaps too far, in both already, and the consequence is that out of doors we have the Agapentone, and in the House we have MAxoLea. Let the Primate and the Speaker look to these things before it be too late. How awful was the first speech, nay, every speech, formerly ! Did not Mr. FAWKSS, Member for Yorkshire, say once, addressing the Speaker, "Whenever I rise to speak in .this House my nerves are in such a state that your wig, sir, seems on fire " ? But now boys leap up from the benches without fear, thought, or preparation. They see the Cotenants of linglana in Parliament assembled with the same indilierence that the " beasts who roam over the plain " saw Alexander Selkirk on his desert island, and I protest with him that, as to these young gentlemen, "Their tameness is shocking to me." Some of them seem to think that the honour of a seat in this House in bent appreciated by never sitting in it ; but it will be a strong though novel rearm,' for repealing the Septennial Act if every member is expected to be "on his legs " for the greater part of seven years. A formidable feature of our times is, that, while there are so few new Members who will study, there are so many precocities who will speak. We silent Members too often commit the suicidal error of sneering at " prepared " speeches. Nothing can be easier than to avoid this criticism ; and, if all which was not preparation was inspiration in this House, it would be full of Beam' and Prers at the present moment. But is it, or is it likely to be so ; even when the reporters have washed our dirty linen, what poor stuff it often is, compared with what the press produces ; and the reason in that we give insufficient encouragement to diligence, insufficient discouragement to slovenly mediocrity. We cheer with too little judgment, we cough with too little mercy. Cries of " Bar, bar ! " mean with us that we want to go to dinner; "Divide, divide! " that we want to go to bed; but the expression of these physical desires availed' nothing for the purpose of real criticism, and how can we hope for good orators if we show ourselves at one time impatient of a Datimmosa and at another submissive to a WILLIAMS. There is one thing—probably more, but, at all events, one thing— no longer to be endured, and that is the behaviour of the Treasury bench while Opposition members are speaking. A silent member can comment on this without suspicion of personal motives, and be assured he can name the offenders, though this week, and this week only, he refrains. I may mention, however, that my censure does not apply to Lord .11011% Itutoom., to Lord PALMERSTON, Or to Sir JAMES, who all either listen or slumber with the decorum of the old school. The old school ! No one knows exactly when' or when the old school was: it it associated in our minds with pigtails and leather breeches, yet amid all our reforms. all our laughter at it, all of us respect it, and everybody wishes that everybody else would observe its rules. There is, so to say, no new school now. no discipline, no culture; an anarchy ; a wilderness of manners. We observe now on the Treasury bench audible whisperings, perpetual titterings, ostentatious oseitation, and heels laid on the table evidently not by "command of her Majesty." What would Sir ROBERT have said to these things, he who had the greatest gift of listening I ever met with, and who, pineing the fore finger awl thumb above and below his mouth, could so articulate during smother'm speech that the orator and the Opposition imagined he had been completely silent? Certainly there is this excuse for the subordinates of Lord ABERDICEN : he ham told us, through Mr. Moxaxt.l., that it does not the least matter what any of them say, so long as they are found in the right lobby ; of course, therefore, no official need give or hope for the least attention from any of his colleagues. But a coalition Government may, like other blessings, pass away, while an Opposition is likely always to remain ; so we must assert the de mimics of office, always bearing in mind that a time may return when idem wear( de republics . ' meaut what it used to mean before Lord Assapxxs insulted Lord JOHN RUSSELL. A SILENT MENDER. SATURDAY, A PARLIAMENTARY PASTORAL.—No. I. (Occasionally end slightly altered from Virgil, and other Poets.) 6L RICHARD AND JOSEPH. SCENE :-H01.711E OF C031310N8. TIME : 7 P.M. Awake, my JOSEPH ! chosen of Montrose ; Unbar thy peepers, and becalm thy nose ! Lo! DUDLEY STUART employs his drawling art, For time to give our Mersey friends a start. * All things are green on this auspicious day ; These benches green reflect the verdant May ; Green are the Members that have lost their seats, For bribing lawyers, and for hiring cheats ; GREEN was the Chairman of our Ways and Means. The Green Isle's Members love to dine on greens. Green are the pillars that support this House ; And green the mufli whom CLARENDON can chouse. Thyself art green, and in a green old age. Then wake, my JOSEPH ! Wake, my sleeping sage ! JOSEPH. Thy voice, divine to me, oh, RICHARD dear ! Is as to dusty stokers BASS'S beer. Sweet as to cabmen is a snooze at noon, When suns are hottest in the swelering town. Come then, my guide, my genius, come along ; Friend of my soul, and burden of my song ! Of unadorn'd yet calculating mind, Born to befoul at once and fleece mankind! Begin thy stave; 10! jaded Members doze, And nought is heard but JEMMY GRAHAM'S nose. RICHARD. The last great age of happiness has come ; No more shall sound be heard of fife or drum; Ships shall decay, and naval stores shall rot; The cannon's mouth be dumb, for want of shot. No more in arms the Cossack shall be seen; (I learnt in private from a French marine); All fears of war and mad ambition cease, And even France's Louis prates of peace. Peace is the sacred theme of holy cant ; Fools fulminate on peace, and cowards rant. Blest is the II verdure of a peaceful scat Where Rion lies tugging at his Indian "teat"! All things arc peace; e'en BERNAL OSBORNE How, Once fond of arms, and foremost in a row, Pleas'd to enjoy two thousand pounds a year, Reposes sweetly in his easy-chair. Such is this state of happy equipoise, To "crumple Russia" would make too much noise; And, as I gather from thy nodding brow, The feat would clearly be superfluous now. But, hark ! soft twinklings from a chamber near Of silver hell invite to frugal cheer. Then rise, my JOSEPH ! twitch thy mantle blue, And haste to patties fresh and cutlets new. 'genie(' let us sit, and, rapt in joys divine, Complacent drink and unconfuted dine. (Exeunt.) • The sage of the Corn Laws appears to have had the poet of Mantua in his me• mory,—a proof of the vastresourres of his cultivated mind : " Nunc froudent nune annum." + The architect of the new House of Commons seems to have thought green its most appropriate colour. Whether he preferred that colour as representing and refleet ing the character of the members, it would, of course, he improper to speculate. The predominance of red in the House of Lords is equally remarkable. No par ticular reason can be assigned for the selection of this colour; unless, indeed, it was intended to hide, by overpowering, Lord Aberdeen's blushes in his new character and ottice. The Philosopher of Montrose was evidently inspired by h;s Mend's quotation of Virgil to give him as good as be brought:— " Tide tnum nobis carmen, divine poeta, guide sopor fessis in gramine, guide per tritium Hulas aqua. resonante sitim restinguere rivo." ! I The reader is once more requested to remember the colour of the benches of the House of Connuous. ON PIT. IT is nunonred in the clubs that a numerous and influential depu tation, comprising among its members the Earl of CLARENDON, Se cretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the French Ambassador. the Turkish Ambassador, Mr. I3RIoHT, Mr. FRY, Mr. GERNEY, &c., Will shortly wait upon the Honourable Member for the West Riding, in the ante-room of " the Reform," and having called his attention to the menacing and unconstitutional attitude of Russia at Constantinople, and the unsatisfactory state of affairs generally in the East,—and having likewise recalled to his memory his celebrated offer to " crumple" that power at a moment's notice, " like a bank note," which he " held in his hand ;" will request him to come f o rward in this emergency — secure an easy triumph for tho " Peace Soeiety"—and " preserve Europe from a general war." .~ -- -w