Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-29

oak, some Is feet high, 1 should think.
The speaker Is clean-shaven man, SEEM
ingly about fifty years old. though it is
next to impossible to correctly estimate his
age, BY reason of the white wig which hangs
down over his shoulders on each side like
pair OF gray saddlebags. He also wears . black
gown, and, when called upon for his de
cisaOn OF any bubble that may come up, he rises
opinion in low but distinct and well modulated
voice. His manner Is exceedingly impressive,
but to the American eye it seems that the digni-
ned and well-poised bearing of this official would
be 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 r0bed. But these
are not impressive parties, and only aggrayate
the notion OF the American about the grotesque
erect OF these garments. One Of the things
the fact that nearly ali the members wear
snelr plug" hats while sitting in the House.
They only remove these articles of head
gear when they rise TO speak, or when the
speaker aiudes t0AOne of them. All in all,
this hat-wearing business may be regarded as
fair sample of the manners of the assemblage.
II speaker begins to talk upon topic which
has no particular interest about three-quarters
OF the members will bolt for the doors. Then
somebody calls for count, and they stroll back
again until the count Is completed, when they
trot right out into the Hobbies once more. If
man Is particularly obnoxiousto them they begin
concerted system of coughing, which can have
no other effect than to drown his words. If they
IKE man. or what he has to say, they howl:
Hear! hear" for two or three minutes some
times, and it Is always hard to tell when they
laugh whether it is done In irony or apprecia
tiveness of some humorous point. l hardly
tmnk, however, that the~latter application fire.
quently exists, partly because humorous points
are not OF momentary occurrence in the speeches
OF the house, and partly because the house
wouldn't know it if they were. Such another
shambllng, Remembering lot of takers 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 clearest, readiest takers have
ever heard. He sits in the front row of the men,
bers' pew, 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 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,
MS hands are clasped in his lap. his legs are
sprawled out in front. and he has the general
appearance OF man sound asleep. But he isn't.
NOW and then the eyelidS half Open and a shade
OF expression crosses the wrinkled features. as
the OLD man mentally notes point for future
use. When his opponent has ceased speaking.
MIR. 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, con-
tanning his documents, and he places the ends of
his right-hand fingers upon this box. He lifts
his chin rather above its normal height, like
man used to talking to gallery, .and. as the
words flow freely from between his lips, he en-
phasizes them by predding the box with the tips
OF his Strengthened fingers. AS Mr.. Glad
you see thin and shrvelled old man. with long,
slender legs, swollen joints. a.hooked nose,
sunken eyes. a 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 physical de-
cay that is not altogether reassuring But as his
chin goes up, and his chest protrudes, and the
words begin to roll out with rapidty and reson-
ance, as the eyes kndle and the smile Of con-
scious power spreads over the old face, you
begin to feel the reason Of the premier's grip
upon the politics of Great Britain He has the
perfect confidence of the practised speaker. and
That eoquence OF manner. no less than of words.
which procaims the orator. He is by all odds
the most admirable talker have heard in Eng
land. He uses no notes. and. as soon as he has
finished what he has to say. he slouches back
upon the seat, apparently in that state Of COM
plete physical collapse which Charles Dickens
ascribes to the old paralytic, who is always
throwing his pillow at some one and Immediately
falling helpless in his chair Mr. Gladstone's
bostering up of the Bradaugh cause is said to
be due to his friendship and respect for Mr..
Labouchere, who is nnquestiOnably the
STRONGEST uSDEB-suRFACE NAN
in English politics at this time. That is to say,
Mr.. LabOuchere seldom permits himself to ap-
pear as the father of any important movement.
but, perhaps, more than any other individual
member of the house Of commons, is he felt in
such affairs as may interest him. He is not
widely liked, for the same reason that prevents
most people from cherishing conspicuous ten
derness for q hornet. The difference is that Mr..
Labouchere's sting lies in his bead.
Mr.. Forster, the chief secretary for Ireland.
was not present when visited the House. He
was. In fact. being hooted in Limerick by the
general Inhabitants of that tempting spot He
was represented by a sharp, glib spoken man,
with high forehead, gray side-whiskers and
very decided manner. think his name was
Johnson, but am not yet familiar with the
lieutenants Of the leaders. Sir Charles Dixie.
Sir William Harcourt and Mr.. John Bright
sat alongside Mr.. Gladstone and Mr.. John
son. Mr.. Bright remained quiet dur
ing the whole. evening. with his hat
planted firmly on the back of his head. his gray
side-whiskers curving briskly around his genial
old face, and his eyes intently fixed on vacancy
His arms were folded across his CHEST and he
seemed to be trying so hard to be interested in
the proceedingsmand falling every time.that
Northcote, the leader Of the opposition. sat
across the room. He spoke only once during
the evening, and then on q matter of no conse-
quence. He seems to me to be a man capable
of saying good things, but wholly without the
power to say them well. This is the way with
the best Of these cold-blooded English states
men. 1t is. fancy, almost wholly due to their
complete absence Of feeling that they cannot
fire up in their oratory. In the Irish ranks. one
sees Mr.. Justin Mccarthy. who takes matters
easily, and does not apparently allow himself to
be heated by the discussions in hand, whatever
they may be. He is rather smaller than the
average man, has a full blonde beard, q bright
open face and smiling blue eyes, that sparkle
brightly through his gold-bowed spectacles. He
is considered one of the heaviest guns in Mr.
Parnells battery.
1t is not an easy matter for outsiders to get into
the galleries Of the house of commons There
Is only room for $50 or so visitors and on every
important day Of the session the number of ap-
plicants for admission runs from 5000 to Is. CO.,
On other days, of course nobody wants to go.
Every member Is entitled to one outside ad-
mission each day; but as the place only holds
quarter of what the whole number would be
three quarters Of the members are disap-
pointed most OF the time. This state OF affairs
is aggravated in the case Of the ladies' There
are very few places in their portion of the house.
and so the members ballot for their admission