The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-30
PRAYERS IN THE COMMONS
Not Many Members in Their Places Durin &
the Hour OF DeNotion.

The house OF commons is unique
among the legislatures of the world
in having no complete accommodation
for its members There are altogether
six hundred and seventy members of
the house, and there are exactly four
hundred and thirty seats, of which
only three hundred and six are on the
floor. The speaker takes the chair NJ
three o'clock, except on Wednes-
DAYS. unless the house has agreed to
what are called morning sittings,"
which begin at two o'clock. Three
o'clock is sufficiently late in the after
noon. Judging by the example of other
legislatures: but it Is too early for the
men of business, the practising law
vers, and the men of fashion. who still
form so large factor in the MEM
bership of parliament. 1t is rare
IL, therefore. that there are more
than few members in attend
ance at that hour. Another reason
for this abstention may be that this Is
the hour of devotion. Each sitting OF
the house is begun bv the solemn read
ing Of prayers by the speakers chaplain
at present the wcll-knowu Archdea-
con Farrar. Those who attend prayers
reap an immediate and earthly reward.
On the large ia bic that stands in front
of the speakers chair there Is box
which contains Il number of cards with
the word Prayers" printed upon them.
The mem Der who has attended pray
ers writes his name on this card, and
thereafter places IL in the small slot
which is at the back of each seat in the
house: and for that particular evening
that seat is his He may leave the seat
for hours, but he is entitled TO il when
ever he returns. and can expel any per-
son who may have taken it during his
absence. There are only two classes
OF persons in the house who have
anv settled rights with regard to seats
The front bench on the right-hand side
of the speakers chair Is called the
treasury bench, and on this sit the
members of the existing administra-
ton. The bench immediat tely opposite
is called the front opposition bench,
and on this sit the members of the
previous administration.
There are IL will be thus easily un-
derstood, two peculiarities under these
circumstances about the attendance at
PRAYERS First, the gentlemen usually
present are not always those most dis
tinguished for their pietv. The caustio
editor of Truth has taken. in recent
years, to laying the foundation stones
of non-conformist places of worship,
1 l.. i A Y
up a claim for special piety than
Mr.. Labouchere. Nevertheless. every
night of the week Mr.. La abouohere
listened with pious attention to the
ministrations of the chaplain. The
secret reason is that the first seat on
the front bench below the eapgway is
n place peculiarly well suited for the
guerilla that is ever on the watch for
the moment to make an onslaught on
a wicked administration, and MIR. La
bouchere as the chief of the guerillas,
is especially fond of this seat, and has
occupied it for years. This incum-
bency, though sanctified by SO many
wears of usage, has still to be
won by regular attendance at
every evenings prayers; the rule is
xible-except ia the cases already
mentioned that a seat can be held
only for one night, and that then il
sha4 be won by attendance at prayers.
The second popularity is that the men
who are most in want of tina assistance
of prayers, as having the heaviest re-
spopsibility upon their shouldsrs-ths
mem bers of the administration and the
leaders of parties-are always con
spicsous1 absent. DARN prayer-tims
the front benches are always yawn
ing desert, unbroken BY the form Of =
single member Of the adrninistrat tion
great or small. Thomas Power OCon
nor, in Earpers Magazine.