Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-09-06
THE ENGLISH HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THE ENGLISH HOUSE OF COMMONS
| recent writer in the London Quarterly Review
has an gXcellently written article the English
House of Commons, from which make the fol-
! lowing extracts:
''Of Parliamentary eloquence," says the writer in
| the Quarterly, 1--WE rather decline to speak. When
! there such things grand speeches-we are
willing to believe they very grand-they had sell
dom reporters with short pens, and most ofthem
died. Assuredy the art is extinct and there no
great speeches now. There are long speeches, and
sarcastic speeches. and crack speeches. but they
not such speeches fell from the lips of Burke Pitt
and Fox, or, more recent STILL from Canning and
Brougham.
was much wit in the House, and have never known
any variation in the reply. Very seldom, indeed, is
good thing said within these walls. Yet the House
of Commons is an ndulgent audience, where it likes
the speaker; but here elsewhere, the most senile
anecdote, eXecrably told, will be endured from IA
voritc, while unknown man will receive groan
in return for an epigram."
Of the style and manner of some of the prominent
members of the House, have brief sketches We
select few
Lord Palmerstou.-Lord Palmerston does not af-
feet eloquence, but usually speaks in frank English
manner the franker that he frequently hesitatcs
a word, making secret of the fact that he wishes
to select the best His action is energetic, in
giving brief explanation. His long experience of
business and of the House, combined with his own
keen ght into character, tell him at glance what
it would be acceptable to the House to have him
treated Though he is personally fearless and never
hcstatates close when the fight demands grapple
it is evidently pleasant for Lord PalmcrSton merely
to exchange few knghtly blows with a worthy as
saant, and then to charge upon the field, after the
manner of one of the Proissart heroes, much adj
mircd by John Graham, of Claverhouse.
Mr.. Disraeli-Of Mr. DiSraeli'S mastery passion
sionless finished delivery, have already spoken
Like the warrior to whom Norma chants her witchng
song, seldom
Lies he still, through sloth or fear,
When point and edge are glltterng near"
An ever-ready speaker, his premcditated orations,
that is to say, those over which he has had some
time-no matter how short-to ponder, are neverthe-
less infinitely better than those prompted by the
igency of the moment. He will sometimes from this
cause reply better to the earlier part of an antagon-
lists argument than to its close and his perora
ton is seldom effective as what in dramatic lam
guage, may be called the crisis of his speech. I'm
prepared he has tendency to verbiage, and to
petition of the same dea without sufficient variety
of treatment prepared and not blow misses; not
platitude rritates not u sarcasm is impeded by a
weakening phrase. The arrow, stripped of all plu-
mage except that which aids and steadieS its flight
strikes within hairs breadth Of the archer's aim
whether it finds the joint ofthe harness, shvcrs
the shield, is occasionally matter Of opinion; but
that it often wounds deeply would seem to be proved
by the exceeding ferocity with which, out of the
House. Mr. Dsraeli is assaied. In the House, it is
rare for any one but Mr.. Gladstone to mcddle with
him.
Mr.. CadStOnc-Mr. GlaQStOne Is tine most pol
ished speaker in the House of Commons. His YER
bal resources remarkable as his management
of them and his is invariably that of gen.
tleman. lie is charged with "subtlety" by coascr
minds but fancy that the English intellect which
is not distinguished for analytical power treats the
subject IN somewhat jumbling fashion. Mr.. Glad
stone inclines to the Tractaran party-Tractarians
better than Jesuits-Jesuits provcrbially
subtle-and therefore, when Mr.. Gladstone is def
ming, very deliberately, the difference between long
annuites and deferred annuites, he is talking Je-
suitically. We belive that Mr. Gladstone would be |
a more popular orator if he would be less explicit;
but, while he eXhausts the subject he sometimes
hausts the listener. His refined and scholarly peri
DDS, the creation of the moment but elegantly |
balanced and as keenly pointed if they had been
written and studied-are always marvcs of fluency,
and often specimens of eloquence
Mr.. Bright-Mr. Bright notwithstanding the dis |
advantage of advocating opinions which often |
extravagant, is among the very ablest speakers in
the House. Though it is general remark, that his |
tone, during the present session, has been less def
ant than formerly, his defect is still the
gance and intolerance ofhis language insomuch that |
friend is reported to have said of him, that, had
he not been Quaker, he would have been pugil- |
list. On the other hand he is extremely ready, and |
can both reason and declaim with unusual power
Mr.. Cobden.-Mr. Golden has down look and |
manner which is neither masculine polished. He
hammers away with narrow, rigging action of the
forearm, and his arguments partake of the
small but continuous character, till at the close you
find that despite your dislike at being olted EDWARDS
in such fashion, he has proved his case from his
premises.
Speaking generally, the Review says:
"There some earnest men, chiefly Young who
are coming up, and will, we trust do good SERVICE
for they speak sngle-minded Engshmen, who
eschew quackery and cant. Lord Stanley, on one
side. and Mr.. Layard, the member for Nineveh,' on
the other are excellent types of class to which
ook with hopefuness for the world is very weary of
Red Tape and Cotton Twist"
TLara &C.