The times., 1899-09-17


If they were the fashion now l am afraid
that half dozen ladies' would be as many
as could get into the gallery at once. AS
it is, lady wearing dress which takes
up a lot of room has much difficulty in
preventing herself from being the cause OF
annoyance to other ladies. The gallery is
divided into two parts. The smaller, on the
right as you enter, is norninally the prf-
yate gallery of the wife of the Speaker.
Here have sat all of the great women OF
he day-the Princess of Wales, the Duchess
of York, other PrinceEses of our royal
family, members of other royal families
Viscountess Beaconsfield Mrs. Gladstone,
Lady Harcourt, Mrs Chamberlain, and
many more. There is accommodation for
eight or nine ladies here, but on very big
night have seen crowded together nearly
forty ladies, each of whom lived in the
lap of luxury and comfort.
For the larger part tickets are obtained
through the members, who ballot for them.
With this the wives and daughters and
friends of the members who are not lead
ing politicians have to be content, and it is
this portion of the gallery that | have
spent SO many enjoyable and instructive
evenings. There is room for forty ladies,
but any number from that up to about
eighty often manage to squeeze them
selves in. The wealth of dress which one
sees in the course of an evening in the gall
lery is remarkable. Ladies coming from
dinner parties or waiting for their hus-
bands to take them on to an evening par
ty or ball drop into the gallery for half an
hour while their consorts record their votes
in the divisions get leave to go from the
whips
The history of the admission of ladies
into the House TO hear the debates is in
teresting. almost as interesting as the his
tory OF the attempts which have been made
to open the doors OF the House itself to
them. For many years it was the practice
for ladies to take their places with gen.
tlemen in the public gallery, and 1t has
often been suggested that the public gal
lery should again be used for the mixed
gathering. The ladies of last century, so
different to those of our time misbehayed
themselves | nthe House 1t happened on
certain day in ITS. A member, by name
Captain Johnstone, was bringing before the
House pet theme of his, and was par
ticularly anxious that the public gallery
should contain as many as possible of his
gentlemen friends. Judge, therefore, CT
the chagrin of Captain Johnstone when he
arose to address the House and found that
the public gallery was full OF ladies'. His
subject went completely out of his head,
and all that he could do was TO move that
Sli dHSSAS lut uOLiOu WAS Car
ried but the ladies refused to move Per-
suason, gentle and otherwise. conquered
in the end. but it took two hours. and l
do not know how many officers, to empty
the gallery of its obstinate occupants.
The incidents of that afternoon cost the
ladies a great deal, for they were forbid
den TO enter the House again. Not woman
was seen listening TO the debates in the
House for more than half a century. In
81 - ht.rr. I'D
down, and Barry in his new building
made place for the ladies. The old order
was forgotten, the misbehavior forgiven,
and ladies were allowed TO hear the de-
bates behind a peculiar sort of brass trel-
liswork which has come to be Familiarity
know as the Grille Nov. l do not think
that there is any part of the beautiful
buildings which We call our Houses OF
Parliament which has been so much dis
cussed as the Grille" Debates take place
on it, or, rather, about it, every session.
and sometimes more than once during a
session; leaders are written about it in the
newspapers; and il is considered at almost
every "at home" at which the House of
Commons and the ladies' gallery are men,
toned.
There are many objections to the
! Grille" Members object to it because it
prevents them from seeing the occupants
it shuts them out from the view of the
members. Then there are some who pro-
| test against its removal because they re-
gard 1t as most convenient arrangement,
! enabling ladies to leave when they like.
! or TO have a little quiet chat together
when some uninteresting member is on
/ his legs. / often wonder what Barry's
idea was when he put the Grille" there,
but / cannot say that regard its removal
+al1v
| 1t does not interfere with the view or the
hearing of the occupants of the gallery,
and l am not sure that the members are
really anxious to see the ladies who are
/ behind the Grille" Then ii shuts the
| gallery off from the House, which is
| good thing, in my opinion. l hope TO have
! the pleasure OF making many more visits
to the House, and I sincerely hope that
shall never arrive to find the Grille"
gone Much of the character and attrac-
tion Of the gallery would go with it, | am
afraid.
Ladies have a privilege which is accord
ed to no other visitor to the House. They
are allowed to listen 10 the chaplain read
ing the prayers at the commencement of
| the sitting, and to the responses OF the
| Speaker. / have heard the responses of
three Speakers H. Brand. Mr. Peel,
and Mr.. Gully. The public and press GAL
leries remain empty during these proceed
ings. but are filled with great rapidity
| afterward. Demonstrations OF any kind
are prohibited in the House OF Commons
galleries, and especially in the ladies' gal
lery.
Occasions have been known, however
when the order has been infringed in that
part of the House with which / am now
dealing. There is no subject which at
tracts such large number of ladies to the
gallery as that of woman suffrage | re-
member one night, not many sessions ago
when this topic was under discussion, and
when the gallery was crowded member
he is great friend of my husband--was
just addressing the House. and had Just
made rather important point, when the
clapping OF pair of hands was heard all
over the House 1t caused some sensation
/ not only in the ladies' gallery, where it had
occurred, but also on the floor of the House
for each member who had introduced a lady
into the gallery that evening naturally
thought the defaulter was the occupant fol
whom he was responsible. The attendant
| courteously asked the offender to leave the
gallery. This she did. thoroughly sorry,
have no doubt for what she had uninten-
tionally done and what happened afterward
do not know. There an afternoon il
the session which has just ended when q
| demonstration took place in the ladies gal.
lery An occupant had with her a charm
ing boy, about four years of age, who Seem
ed particularly anxious to see as much as
he could. His little hands clasped tht
Grille" and he gazed about the House
with all the seriousness of a judge. Sud
denly he cried: There's papa!" in small
chirping voice, which could be heard al
over the House Papa looked up. angry
The good lady picked up the boy and car
ried him out, as he cried 81 don't want tc
go away: / want to see papa" Such in
cidents are very rare.-The London Tele-
graph.