The record-union., 1896-11-08
considerable quantity of money.-Nev
York Herald.
INCIDENTS IN PARLIAMENT.
Some Ludicrous and Others of q
Pathetic Character.

| fierce verbal wrangling, and hot party
feeling, there now and then occurs in
! the House of Commons some incident,
/ trifiing in itself, perhaps, when weigh
ed against the business of the national
assembly, but SO surcharged with hu-
/ NOR as to plunge the House into roll
| ing sea of laughter. AT other times a
| simple scene, permeated with pathos,
| has sufficed to change in a moment
! stout hearts to tender, and to bring
tears into the eyes of men which a
! moment before had had nothing but
flashes of anger in them.
/ Under the former category comes a
very funny incident that happened some
| four or five years ago. There was un-
der discussion at the time a motion con-
nected with some question of postal
reform, and full house had mustered
to hear certain member, an authority
eli the subject, deliver a speech in sup
port of the proposition. Duly the turn
! of the eminent member came. He rose,
| doTed his hat, and commenced his
| speech. Amid a respectful silence, he
| delivered his carefully carved phrases
| leading portentously up to his first
| point. He had been speaking for about
| two minutes, and was in the middle of
| an exceptionally mellifuous sentence,
| when suddenly from behind him there
! spread ripple of laughter. Thinking
this was in no way occasioned by HIM
| self, the eminent member continued his
| advocation of postal reform. But as
he went on he found that the more i'm
pressive his remarks, the more general
| the laughter grew. The orator turned
red Mr.. Speaker sternly called for or
| der. Nothing, however, seemed to
check the hlarity of the honorable
| members present, or rather that sec
/ ton of them seated behind the gentle
man who was on his feet. The mem
hers opposite were solemn enough. and
indeed looked puzzled at the unusual
| spectacle of the orators own party
laughing at him. The postal reformer
valantly went on with his speech, de-
spite continual low laughter and nudg-
| ing among the members. Evidently
| something very funny must have oc-
| CURED to occasion SO prolonged an out
| burst. But it was not till he sat down
| that the speaker learned what it was
| 1t was then discovered that during the
time he had been advocating postal re-
| form, four penny stamps had attached
| themselves to his absolutely bald head
| Just before entering the House the
| speaker had placed the stamps in the
| lining of his hat. Somehow they had
| slipped down and attached themselves
| to his shiny pate. This ludicrous Incl
dent had the effect of completely stulti
| flying the really able speech which the
| member had delivered.
| Here is another very different
scene. Controversy had been the order
IF the day at Westminster, and high
| feelings had reigned. A member was
making an eloquent speech, occasioning
cheers from his party and counter
cheers from his opponents. Presently an
attendant attracted the orators atten
| ton. The latter paused and took a
! telegram which the attendant handed
to him. He read it, turned pale and
reeled a little. A moment before he
had been flushed with the pride of tri-
umphant debate, and had swayed the
House with his words. Now he was
dumbfounded white and trembling.
The House looked on, waiting for him
to resume his unfinished speech. But
the member only rose and murmured
| in a broken voice: "Mr. Speaker, / say
nc more. / have finished" Immediate
ly after he left the House, to the utter
amazement of every one present. Ten
minutes later everyone knew the reason.
The telegram had been sent by his wife
stating that their only daughter had
met with severe accident and was on
the point of death. At once the whole
demeanor of the House changed. All the
Bitterness of feeling which the debate
had occasioned Immediately changed
to feelings of genuine sympathy and
oommiseration.
little thing will often make stern
men weep. A member of Parliament
lecountS how on one occasion Mr..
Gladstone, having forgotten his glasses,
tried in vain to read some notes he had
prepared. He struggled for time with
his eyes close to the paper, but in vain.
With a gentle, pathetic smile he hand
ed the paper to John Morley to read.
Trifing and bald as the incident may
appear, it had the effect of reducing
the majority of those present toa tate
bordering on tears.-Casselfs Saturday
Journal.