Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-12
THE L0RDSIN SESSION.

out of It,"
THE LORDS IN SESSION.
Studies and Sketches of the House of Peers
How England'S Blue Coated Lawmakers
Look.
Pail Mall Budget
Very few people know how busy places
the Houses are long before the Lords and
Commons begin their sessions. As earIv
as IL O'Clock the other morning l thought
l caug hit glimpse of Lord Clauricaren
and his eyeglass strolling along the cor
ridors. My particular business was to
look out for sweaters victims who might
be about in order to give evidence before
the Sweating Committee of the House of
Lords. There is a stand such as one
places piece of music on, in one OF the
passages, which tells you that this partlc-
ular committee begins at u, indicating
the room.
After passing one or two officials, one
OF whom was exploring a black flag, I
found my way to dark passage paneIed
with oak, with picture of sea fight
hung on the wall-a very dirty and neg
lected canvas. Here was quite small
congregation waiting for the doors to
open. About 11:50 the Archbishop of
Canterbury walked sharply along, looking
very little in his workday garments. I
read an article in an American paper the
other day in which the writer, lady,
should mention, described how a ballet
girl put her t stage costume on.
When 1 gazed with some awe upon the
first prelate of the realm, and noticed the
tight fit of his neither garments, and the
elaborate nature of his toilet it occurred
to me that an extremely interesting ar
ticle might be made (for an American
journal, of course) out of an bishops
toggery. Twelve O'Clock struck, but the
aristocratic Cerberus still stood before the
door, toying with his gold badge of Office.
Then Lord Dunraven came up, smart,
spruce and military, his hat beautiful
brushed, and his coat fitting him like
glove. Then other noble lords passed In
and left the victims of the boot an0
trouser sweater, their friends and pack
of journalists out in the cold p~ssage, in
which there was not a seat.
Mr.. Arnold White who looks ry hale,
and who Gays he'll be drilling in the
tropics in months time, had got the
first place at the door, being a pushing
man, and had various passages with his
friends and foes during the wait. Mr..
White is a bit of dandy, and though he
is a friend of the poor and has been
dock laborer, does not despise the fall of
a nice frock coat, the attraction of a shin
ing tall hat, besides paying particular at
tent1on to the curliness OF luxuriant
mustacbe. The lords were evidently de-
liberating upon some point which they
wished to be kept out of the news papers,
but at II 80 O'Clock the doors were thrown
open by the official and we all marched
in.
The room in which the Sweater Com
mittee is working is large and lofty, com
manding d lovely view of the river. A
dado of oaken panels runs round the
room, which has two doors, one for the
common crowd, the other for the peers,
hung with bit of bright red drapery,
which gave a pleasant bit of color to the
surroundings. The tables are arranged
in the form of a square, the top and
sides of which are occupied by the peers,
and the .ottOm by the press, the witness
and a s4r.4oe-haired and dulcet-toned peers
photographic sitting at table in the
middle of the square.
Lord Dunraven makes a really good
chairman, though his task is not very
difficult one, as there are no contentious
spirits among the assembled peers. Like
Lord Randolph Churchhill, the most not
able feature on his face is a pair of fierce
mustaches of the buffalo horn pattern,
which reminds one of the noble lords
famous trip in the great Northwest, be-
fore the trippers drove the trappers out
of it. One gradually becomes accustomed
to these, and the eye travels to his pince-
nez, and then to his thinning hair, his
military bearing and his admirably fitting
garments. On his left sits the Arch
bishop of Canterbury, whose mild and
saint like face remains immobile and ap
rarently unreceptive. His Grace made
an ascension when the court rose for
lunch and was seen no more. On the
cheirman's right was Lord Thring, the
famous parliamentary draughtsman, an
old gentleman with white hair, who follow
ed the witnesses very thoughtfully.
Lord Onslow is of sandy complexion,
and a little gruff in his address to the wit
nesses, Lord Rothschild sat at the table,
silent and apparently rather bored. The
great millionaire, who is said to be the
real king of France, is bald, with short
black beard tinged with grey, and thick
black moustache-a somber, melancholy
looking man, who generally keeps his
eyes closed, the only indication that the
financial lion is awake being an occasional
movement of his hand as he strokes his
beard or gives tug at his black tie.
There was nothing sensational in the evil
dence, and nothing very remarkable ex-
cept the statements of Lewis Lyons about
West End sweating, in which some facts
came out about the Civil Service stores,
and Messrs. Nicol of Regent street.