The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-09-01
THE HAT IN PARLIAMENT
ODD CUSTOMS IN CONNECTION
WITH 1T.
Members Must Come Into the House
and Go Out Uncovered, but Wear
Their Hats While Seated.

Their Hats While Seated.
The hat plays an important part
in parliamentary customs, writes
Michael McDonagh, in the Nineteenth
Century. 1t also contributes OCCASION
ally to the gaiety of life i'm the House
of Commons. No incident is greeted
with more hearty laughter that that
of member, after a magnificent pc
roration, Pumping down on his silk
hat on the bench behind him. The
bashful and awkward member gener-
ally figures i'm these accidents. Most
members have sufficient self-posses-
sion while speaking to remove their
! hats from the seats before sitting
| down; but the misfortune of forget
| fulness has befallen even old and cool
| parliamentary hands, and the result
IA misshapen hat-has completely
| spoiled the effect of some of their
| most eloquent speeches. y few years
| ago a London member sat down af-
ter his maiden speech on a new silk
hat which he had provided in honor
of the suspicious occasion. and as he
was ruefully surveying his battered
headgear, to the amusement of the
unfeeling spectators, an Irish repre-
sentative rose and gravely said, "Mr.
| Speaker. permit me to congratulate
| the honorable member on the happy
circumstance that when he sat on his
! hat his head was not in it." The call
| to "Order. Order" from the speaker
was drowned i'm roars of laughter.
This London representative enjoyed
the unenviable reputation of being
known as "the member who sat on his
| hat" until some other absent minded
| legislator Internationally established
his claim to the title by crushing his
| headgear in a similarly awkward man
ner.
When men meet together in public
assemblies or i'm social life-as in a
theater or at reception-the ordi-
nary custom is to uncover while they
are seated, and to wear their hats as
they enter or leave the place. In par
liamentary life the rule is reversed.
Members have their heads covered as
they fit about the Palace of Westmin-
ster, but in the chamber they wear
their hats only when they are seat
ed on the benches. AS they walk to
their seats or rise to leave the cham
Der they must be uncovered. This
custom is the source of much confu-
sion to new members, and has given
rise to many funny "contretemps. $
The house never fails to show its re-
sentiment of a breach of etiquette,
however trivial. 1t Will. without dis
tinction of party, unanimously roar
with indignation at a new member,
who ignorant or unmindful of the
parliamentary custom, wears his hat
as he walks up or down the floor of
the Chamber.
But the story of the humors of the
parliamentary hat is not yet ended.
When member is alluded to in the
course of a speech he raises his hat
and he performs a similar act of po-
likeness when minister answers a
question put to him. 4 member adj
dressing the house stands, of course
uncovered. But that rule does not
always prevail. There is an occasion
when it is positively out of order for
a member to speak on his feet with his
hat off. He must speak from his seat
with his hat on his head. When a de.
bate is terminated, and the question
which has been discussed has been
put from the chair, an interval of two
Misunderstanding which the electric
division bells ring out their summons
all over the precincts of st. Stephens
is allowed to enable members to get
to the chamber. The time is taken
up a sandglass on the table, and when
it has elapsed the doors of the cham.
Der are locked. 1t is ar this particu.
lar juncture that a member who de-
sireS to address the chair on point
B of order should retain his scat and
wear his hat. If he were to follow
the ordinary practice, and stand NJ
uncovered, he would be roared al
and shouted at from all sides of the
house for this breach of etiquette.
Mr.. Gladstone had occasion a few
years ago to address the chair lust
as a division was about to be taken
and, forgetful of the rule for the mo
ment, he rose to his feet \ shout
of "Order, order!" drawing his atten
tiOnJto his mistake. he sat down agar
andras he never brought his hat into
the chamber ian example which is fol
lowed by most ministers), he was
obliged to put on the headgear of one
of his lieutenants who sat on the
bench beside him. Now, Mr. Glad
stones head was of am abnormal size
He had to get his own hats made tC
order. 1t is improbable that the hal
of any member in the house would fl
him, but the hat available on the oc
casion of which | write only Just GOV
cred his crown, and members made
the rafters ring with laughter at hi.
comical efforts to balance it on his
head for the few minutes he occupied
To- -. L