The Osceola times., 1880-03-13
THE FRENCH CHAMBER.
How the Legislative business Is Carried on
Under Monsieur Gambetta's
Superxistou,
London News.

arv things at the Palais Bourbon, is
struck at first by the mucli greater de-
corum which French NJ. Ps, exhibit as
compared with the English ones. This
impression lasts 80 long as the members
are filing into their places and until the
President has taken his seat. The mem
bers all uncover their heads and each
goes to his appointed seat, in front of
which he has a desk furnished with
writing materials. As soon as q deputy
sits down he proceeds to write letters
and only suspcnds operations for mo-
ment when a loud roll of drums in the
massage outside announces that the Pres
ident is coming. \ door is thrown open
and this exalted official walks in-not
clothed in wig and gown, but in evening
dress and holding portfolio under his
arm The President is bareheaded. He
has 4 hat hidden away somewhere un-
der his desk, but this is only property
head dress. intended TO be used on
stormy occasions when sitting must be
adjourned er abUpt0. The donning OF
his hat by the President is tantamount
10 the removal of the mace in England,
and signifies that the sitting has come
to an end. The opening of the scance is
effected 10y the President touching a bell
that hangs upon q swivel, and saying:
MeSsciurs Ia sedHcc est oureTiS. There are
no preliminary prayers, as in England.
While the Parliament sat in Versailles,
delegation from both Houses was drawn
hv lot to attend a solemn mass at the
commencement Of the session, but this
custom is not adhered to in Paris. At
the outset of n sitting every member
seems To bc profoundly and almost
mOurniully impressed by theimportance
of the duties he is going to discharge.
There is no laughing or chattering aloud.
Some members form groups and converse
in whispers. Others pull opera glasses
out of their desks and stare at the specta-
tors in the galleries, but the majority
write hard close envelopes, and heckon
TO the ushers to carry their letters to
the post.
Placed high on a platform covered
with red cloth, and csconscd in a COM
comfortable armchair, the President
commands q view OF every corner Of the
house lie has behind mm his private
secretary and two qucstors, at a desk be-
low him the four secretaries of the
House, and at another lower desk, on
the floor the four official short. hand
writers. The shane of the house being
that of an amphitheatre, the seats Of the
members are disposed in blocks and
tiers. To the extreme right sit the Le-
gitimlsts, on the next benches are array
ed the OrIcanists, while the blocks OF
right-center forms are occupied by the
Bonapartlsts. All the benches to the
Presidents. lell of the middle gangway,
,,F
shades, from the Doctrlnatres Of the
centre to the Radicals of the extreme
left The lowcrmost rows of benches,
however, all round the amphitheatre, are
reserved to members OF the government,
the ministers sitting in the middle, each
with his red portfolio open in front of
him. Most of the ministers in the pres
ent administration wear ordinary morn
ing dress in the House; but this is quite
an innovation, for 1t used always to be
the custom for ministers 10 sport even
ing clothes, along with their orders, If
they had any Under the empire the
Senators sat in uniform, and from 1915 TO
1880 il was the custom for members of
the Lower House TO do so too. In those
DAYS the ushers Of the Parliament were
imposing creatures IN ruils, swords and
plumcd hats. Nowadays the ushers
simply wear silver chains around their
necks, and act az general servants to the
members, to carry letters, messages, bal
lot-boxes, and occasionally shouting,
"silence, gentlemen" when the Presi-
dents bell rings pcals of distress.
The quietude which an Enghshman
so much admiIes when first entering the
Palais Bourbon, soon gives way to ram
pagcous noise once debating has begun.
The members do not speak from their
places, but from rostrum, and this ar
rangemcnt, byputting the most insigniii-
cant orator IN the position of an actor on
stage, exposed to all eyes, furnishes
incessant cause for interruption.
Their party spirit runs so high that
from the moment when speaker has
sounded his keynote he becomes a butt
for the iihcs of his opponents. If he
speaks lluently and well, he eXcltes
roars of disapprobation: if he talter, he
is treated to volleys Of derislve applause,
and 10 a running accompaniment of
music formed by the banging of desk
lids, The President is almost pOwerlcss
to stopthesc riots for when all the mem
bers are excited, no attention Is paid 70
the ringing Of his bell, and sometimes,
when aggressive personalities have been
exchanged, one may see dozens OF mem
bers descend to the floor of the House,
and threaten one another with their fists.
The dcmeanor of the strangers in the
galleries helps not a little, as a rule, to
promote strife rather than allay II. for
there are always plenty of ladies, and
they cannot be withheld from evlnclng
10y voice and gesture, what amount OF
interest they take in the proceedings.
ne strangers are distributed among a
number of trbunes or boxes, each of
which has its special designation. There
is one for the corps diplOmatiquc, anoth-
cr for senators, a third for quondam dep
uties. fourth for the army, and 50 on,
The President has a box for his private
friends, and the representatives of the
native and foreign press have a large
tribune all to themselves. This last box
often called "a loge inlcrRale," Is that
whence most noise issues when strife Is
waxing warm below. The irritable race
of sCribes, who, in their daily columns,
preach all sorts of sermons about good
manners and common sense to the pub
lie are apt to be unruly as school-boys
Nor do they cOnlinc themselves TO Jeer-
ing at speakers whom they dislike on
applauding those whom they admire
they must needs go and have wrangles
among one another, which not untrc-
quently end in duels. As for the ladies
when the debate fails to interest them
they contrivo to draw the attention OF
members on themselves by lluttering
their fans, handing thcirsmcIing bottles
about. nibblng bon-bons, and using thcu
opera glasses rs if they were at play,
Tho Votinu takes plare i'm the Frenci