Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-13
COMMONS MANNERS.
Scenes During a Session OF the Lower
House OF the British Par
lament.
Some Queer DOiBgs-Gladstone's OratOry
Personal Appearance OF the
British Premier.
London Letter.

The House of Commons meeting-room is
a little bit of place, only large enough, /
am told, to contain about hall the members.
Sill it is seldom crowded. for the average
member OF Parliament stays away from his
duty with pertinacity that would do credit to
United States senator from Nevada. The
room IL not more than 100 feet long by fifty
wide. There is an open space running along
almost the entire length Of the center Of the
apartment, some fifteen feet wide l should
say. On each side OF this space rows OF
pews gradually ascend, one above the other,
to The walls, like two straight thsater ball
comics facing each other. In these straight
pews the members sit. Above them, entirely
circling the hall, is a shallow gallery for
yisitors-that part Of the gallery crossing
the innermost end of the room being re-
served for the newspaper stenographer5
Still above these people there is a series OF
tall grated windows which look like the
spertures in the side of prison.
Behind those gratings one can see here and
there pretty face, set off by bright ribbon
or a bunch oil flowers, and he presently learns
that be is looking at the ladies' gallery.
Exactly why they are fenced off in this dark
loft nobody about the place seems TO know.
But there they must go if they waut to see
the Legislators at work, and there they must
sit like lot Of well-clad iail-birds. Below
the reporter gallery, in the open space be-
tween the rows of members, Is The Speakers
chair. It is high backed affair, like the OAK
furniture we sometimes see in pulpi,s. II is
set under kind of canopy, also of carved
oak, some fifteen feet high, 1 should think.
The Speaker is clean shaver man, SEEM
ingly about fifty years old, though ii is next
10 impossible to correctly estimate his age,
by reason of the white wig which hangs
down over his shoulders on each side like a
pair OF gray saddiebsgs. He also wears a
black gown, and when called upon
for bis decision of any bubble that
NAV come up, he rises slowly, adj
yances a step or two, and delivers his
opinion in low but distinct and well mod
ulated voice. His msnaer is exceedingly
impressive, but TO the American eye it seems
that the digui6ed and well-poised bearing of
this official would DO greatly enhanced by
the removal OF what in our country would be
regarded as masqueradIng toggery. In front
of the Speaker there sit two clerks, likewise
wigged and robed. But these are not i'm
pressive parties, and only aggravate the no.
ton OF the American about the grotesque
effect of these garments. Que OF the things
which strikes the stranger most forcibly is
the fact that nearly all the members wear
their "plug" hats while sitting in the house.
They only remove these articles of head gear
when they rise 10 speak or when the Speaker
aIIudes to one OF them. ALI in all, the hat
sample of the manners OF the assem-
blsge. If speaker begins to talk upon
topic which has no particular inter-
est, about three quarters of the members
will bolt for the doors. Then some
body calls for count, and they stroll
back again until the count is completed,
when they trot rig bit out into the lobbIes once
more. II man is particularly obnoxious
to them, they begin concerted system OF
cal hav No al 81 tynf
than to drown his words. II they like
man or what he has TO say they howl "Hear!
hear p' for two or three minutes sometimes,
and it is always hard to tell when they
laugh whether it is done in irony or appre-
ciativeness of some humorous point.
hardly think, however, that the latter sppli-
cation frequently exists, partly because
humorous points are not of momentary &C.
currence in the speeches of the House, and
partly because the House wouldn't know it
if they were. Such another cha bling,
hem and having lot of takers l never
heard. The great bulk OF them have no
ideas to convey, and only very few Of those
who have understand how to convey them,
either with force or elegance.
Mr.. Gladstone is one of the clearesi, readi-
est takers l have ever heard. He sits in
the front row of the members pews, on the
left hand side, facing the Speaker, close by
the end of the table which stands in front of
the white-wigged clerks. Perhaps l should
have said he reclined there, for he doesn't
exactly sit. His head is thrown back, and
rests upon the upper edge OF the pew-back,
his hands are clasped in his lap, his legs are
sprawled out 10 front, and he has the general
appearance of a man sound asleep. But he
isn't. Now and then the eyelids half open,
and a shade of expression crosses the wrin-
killed. f. atures, as the old man mentally notes
a point for future use. When his opponent
has ceased speaking, Mr.. Gladstone comes to
his feet with surprising agility, and advances
step or two to The end of the table. There
is little red box here, containing his docu-
ments, and he places the end OF his right
hand fingers up. N this box. He lifts hls chin
rather above its normal height, like man
used to talking to a gallery, and, as the
words flow freely from between his lips. he
emphasizes them by prodding the box with
the tips OF his Strengthened fingers. As MIR.
Gladstone talka, he grows. In silence and
repose you see a thin and shriveled old
man, with long, slender legs, swollen lnints,
a hooked nose, sunken eyes, sparsely-
clothed head, rather narrow through the
temples, but broad and high over the
ears, struggling white whiskers, which |
shamble down the sides of his face and
under his throat, and general air OF physi-
cal decay that is not altogether reassurIng. |
But, as his chin goes up, and his chest pro-
trudes, and the words begin to roll out with |
rapidly and resonance, as the eyes kindle |
and the smile of conscious power spreads
over the old face, you begin 10
feel the reason OF the premier's grip |
upon the politics of Great Britain. He !
has the perfect confidence OF the practiced |
speaker, and that eloquence of manner, no
less th an of words, which proclaim the ora |
tor. He is by all odds the most admirable
talker have heard in England. He uses no
notes, and as soon as he has finished what he
has to cay, he slouches back upon the seat
in that state of complete physical
collapse which Charles Dickens ascribes to |
the old paralytic, who is always throwing |
his pillow at some one and Immediately fall |
ing helpless in his chair.