The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-29
WHERE CEREMONY COUNTS
The Opening Rites Of Three Very
Celebrated Bodies.

Supreme Court Leads Off-Vice Presi-
dent Stevenson Has Given Great
Dignity and Impressiveness to the
Senate Work - Rev. Bagby in the
House.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Washington, D. c., April 15.-It is well
worth your while to come to Washington
for three days in the beginning of the
week to witness the ceremony of opening
the daily session of the Senate, of the
House and of the supreme court. AS
they all open at noon, you would have to
take three days for it, and as the SUI
preme court never sits on Saturday, and
the Senate rarely sits on that day, and
does fpt sit on Friday, if it can help it,
you would have to come early in the
week.
The supreme court, as the most digni-
fled and ceremonious of the three bodies,
has the most impressive opening, al
| though it is the only one which has no
chaplain, and, therefore, no prayer. Five
minutes before II o'clock all the members
of the court who are able to be present
and that means all who are not ACTUALLY
ill, are assembled in the consultation
room, across the corridor from the su
preme court room. Each of them is
arrayed IN MS long. shining, much-tuck-
cred black satin robe, which is in some
cases an heirloom and in others a present.
prepared for the opening ceremony.
IL Is one OF the points Ofetiquette in this
body, which is more p1nctilious than any
| other in the United States, that every
member shall be ready on the minute for
the grand entrance. In the corridor out
side the colored messengers of the court.
mostly gray-haired and fine looking. who
are practically body servants, and who
think the justices the greatest mer on
earth-immeasurably superior to SEN
ators and representatives, e to say nothing
OF ordinary untitled citizens-are stand
ing, waiting with the air of expecting a
great event. At one minute before ~
these men produce ropes of black velvet
and stretch then across the corridor so as
TO stop the stream of pedestrians. and
stand holding the ropes, erect and notion
less, like so many fence POSTS As soon as
they are in place the doors of the con-
sultatlon room and the doors of the
private entrance to the court room.
directly across the corridor, are gently
opened by other Colored messengers. and
the stately procession of Judges in rust
ling gowns marches slowly and solemnlv
NtAN
velvetand Africans, and into the passage
way behind the chamber, The doors are
closed, the fences melt away and the com
mon throng streams by.
HuIrying to the court room you will be
Just in time to see little Chief Justice
Fuller, with his long white hair and his
long white mustache. leading the process
sion into the chamber at the rear of what
is known as the bench, " the raised place
with the nine comfortable arm chairs
behind the long mahogany desk. As the
procession enters everybody rises and
remains standing as the marshal of the
court formally announces 1.-The honorable
the chief justice and theassociate justices
OF the supreme court Of the United
states and while the judges ascend to
their places and stand through the
proclamation that the court is now in
session, when the judges all bow at once
TO the audience, everybody bows back TO
them, and all sit down There is a
partition just behind it looking out
through windows on the capitol park.