The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-13
ODD REGULATION
HOW THE HOUSE OF COMMONS GETS
MEMBERS TO PRAYERS.

Piety Not Always the Incentive to Punctu-
AIity-spurred by the Desire to Sit Dur
ing the Days Proceedings-The Cere-
monisI of Opening the House.
The house of commons is unique
among the legislatures of the world in
having no complete accommodation for
its members. There are altogether go
members of the house. and there are
exactly 43O seats. of which only 500
are on the floor. The speaker takes the
chair at 3 o'clock. except OF Wednes-
DAYS. and unless the house has agreed
70 what are called morning sittings.
which begin 1t O'Clock. Three O'Clock
Is sufficiently late in the afternoon.
judglng by the example Of other legis-
l~atures. Int il is TOO early for the men
of business. the practicilg lawyers and
the men of fashion. VIII still form so
large a factor in the meIl bership of par
Lament. Ii l. rartl therefore that
there are more than q few members in
attendance at that 10 r.. Another rCa-
son for this Austen N may be that
this is the hour Of 4 yotion. Each sit
ting Of the shouse begun by the sol
,mn reading Of pra rs by the speakers
chaplain, at preset the well known
Archdeacon Farra Those who attend
prayers reap an Immediate and earthly
reward. On the .tTge table that stands
in front OF the peak5r's chair there is
a box whichcortains a number Of cards
with the word Prayers printed upon
them.
The member who has attended pray
ers writes his name on this card and
thereafter places it 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
Tor hours. but he j. entitled II it when
ever be returns and can expel any per
son who may have taken it during his
absence. There are only two classes Of
persons il the house who have any set
tied rights with regard To seats. The
front bench on the right hand sd" ii
the speakers chair l. called the treas
urv bench. anil ou this sit tn various
members Of tn ny.-tius ADMINISTRATION
The bench INN .'la' or ,r. Is call
ell til. front op.1 itia- bench. g.i'.
this sIt the 1aIu..l~ # tie Irsrlu
administration.
There are. it Will o.. TINS sa-ily VA
derstood, two pucUL..r.r..a r-s. r. .-"
circuLg>taU. Hin-r i.s at u. .Hn.' 3.
prayers. First. IT,. u.a r q rsU-a
present are L,t always q. l.,~t a.-
t~ingulshed for their ligtE. The c,.~ue
editor Of Truth h- taken IN r..-i
years 10 laying the foundation stones ..
u~oucoufuru.-- places Of worship lr.
nobody would la .s-- likely to st mp 4"
claim for special Vlaty tlau Mr. Lnaur.
chere. Nerarlhrt@--. every night ct
the week Sir. Lab.uenure listens Win
pIous attention 10 tine miui~tgatious 81
the chaplain. The secret reason Is that
the first seat ca the front bench t,.a"
the gangwav = a place peculiarly we'll
suited fDr the guerrilla that l. ever uu
the watch for the moment To make aa
onslaught ou "a wicked administration
ana III. L~a.rgnLaru. a. the chief Of tho
guerrilla. Is --p-eially fond Of this seat
and na- occupied 1t for years. This
iuculuIsucy, though -aEcrIied by SC
mauE wears Of Usage. has still to he won
by regular attendance at every even
Al- = ~. ahFar NV AHl' - AAAAAa-NADA'f
except in tie cases already mentioned.
that a seat can he held only for one
might, and that then i shall be won by
attendance AZ prayers The second pc
culiaritv l. that tho men who are most
IN want OF the assistance Of prayers. as
having tine heaviest responsibility upon
their shOuldeTs-the members of the adj
ministration and the leaders of parties
ARE always c~Onspicuously absent.
just before prayers are begun the
procession of the speaker to his place
in the house takes place. Enough OF
the old ceremonial still exists to make
this a quaint and interesting spectacle.
The speaker still wears the large, full
bottomed wig of state occasions, is
dressed in a short tailed coat, covered
by a sweeping robe, wears knee breeches
and low shoes with large buckles. Be
hind and before him is a small cohort
of attendants-the sergeant-at-arIns
bearing the mace, the chaplain with
prayerbook in hand, the trainbearer
holding up the train and two or three
other attendants, the exact purpose OF
whom il is impossible to tell beyond
the desire to make the procession more
imposing in point Of numbers. The
ser9eant-at-arms, like the speaker, Is
arrayed in knee breeches, with low
shoes. He carries a sword by his side
but is allowed odispense with the wig.
The ceremonial is made more imposing
by the policemen and attendants, who
about along the corridors which sepa-
rate the speakers house from the house
Of Speaker. Speaker a
shout which has a strange, i~ndefinable
effect. however often heard. and stir-
the blood somewhat as the dreams OF
De Quincy were moved by the recOl.