The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-04-23
eTHEg,OUsESOFa COMMONS.

Description of the Place i'm which the
Commoners SpOut---Ladtes Compelled
to View 1t Through Gagged Windows,
Styled the GridirOn.-ROw 10 Gain
Admission.
London Cor. New York Sun.
1T is by no means an easy matter to
visit the house of commons. Admission
is to be had only byscard from mem
Der, and even the magic card itselfSis far
from insuring your admission, for enough
tickets are often issued to fill their d.
minutive strangers gallery six times
over, and tickets, moreover, are good
only for the day named thereon. A
ticket simply means this: that you may
visit the house of commons on a certain
day provided there happens to be room.
In spite of seeming difficulty in OBJ
tanning these tickets, they, nevertheless,
often come in strangely crooked ways.
The everlasting fee, or tip, to officials, is
very potent in England, and shilling or
two will often readily do what an infinite
amount of square work utterly fails to
accomplish. A few days ago a friend
said to me that if l wished to go with
him to the house of commons, he could
furnish me with card He had not
the cards then, he added, but should get
them on the following evening by meet
ing an indefinite third party, at a GER
tain place, at exactly twenty minutes
past the hour of seven. AT the appoint
ed hour, and prompt to the minute as
we waited in the light of solitary gas
lamp, near the houses of parliament, a
minor official met us, and handed over
two tickets duly signed by members. A
two shilling piece slipped into his hands
settled our debt, at least in its CONNER
cal bearing. He is employed about the
/ house, and members doubtless write out
tickets at his request, and he, thereupon,
speculates in a small way upon them
Hal we applied to the members directly
we should have been less apt to obtain
cards of admission than by this interme-
diary process which we employed. Then
we took our places in the entranceroom.
in line, and waited our turn. After
waiting an hour we were admitted. sew
eral who were but a little in advance of
us had been waiting three hours before
their turns came.
The hall Of the house of commons is
deliberately finished, but is small in com
parlson with the halls of our congress.
1T looks to me ike good-sized bandboX.
The length is - feet; width, 10 feet;
height g. feet The strangers gallery.
which is at one end, seats rather less than
eighty persons, and the diplomatic cal
erv. Just i'm front of it, rather less than
Fifty. The eighty seats mentioned are
a.i ldac are available by members tick
cts was evidently never intended
That tt general bubble should LARGELY
visit .he house of commons. The mem
aaIs seats are long. cushioned lounges.
]I facing he centre. and without da-E;
IL very uhau3y advancement for jrg-
--aUvc purposes aaeld say. Thn
" @ r.au tu ID. ngm af lhp
uue Nv The ministerial
.u ar M4 t6e Eanl eat. near the
w tire ministers themselves.
.o 0a aaser are the aDpa-
@ emuuas aaa lac leaders d.. The
u.ma. .uug tile front seat ON that
Marquis of Jar.lne-
. W @rh. oa Jaat evening.
gt .as members kent .4aIr
ministers present tf ,sar,.
room. lha la ,a.
aat u.aEe ID aee
H, .
a s.Jaa.Ia t.f.
Iae room Il, w.a
a
..a8.Ea Ind n5rUr almost
at
wish die house
5.aI...- ,..,r
WEF.