The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-02
.HATSIN HOUSE OF COMMONS

~ NE looks at the members and rubs
his eyes in establishment, says a
- most interesting article in Apple
/ toms Magazine for December, for in this
august assemblage, in the presence OF
the speaker in all the majesty OF wig
and gown, undeterred by the sergeant-at-
arms and his sword, fully half the MEM
bers are wearing their hats! And they
wear them in the most devil-may-ca
sort of way; not at all as if they were
ashamed, but rather as IL 1t was matter
of pride with them to have cultivated
the most acute angle at which hat
could be worn and still remain on the
head They wear them almost touching
their noses they wear then almost touch
ing their necks; they wear them tilted far
back on their heads; they wear them
well over their ears; and they loll back
against the benches and fold their arms
and in quiet times gently slumber; but
the hat is always there. 1t is very pecu-
liar.
A member may wear his hat in the
House so long as he Is sitting, but the
moment he rises he must uncover; and OF
course no one remains covered when he
addresses the chair. But here is one OF
those paradoxes that make the House
always SO delightfully."- interesting and
its rules SO unlike those of any other
legislative body. When the House is d.
vding and a member desires to raise a
point of order, the rules require that he
must speak sitting and covered. On
one occasion Mr.. Gladstone raised point
of order and for the moment forgot the
II - lz1xrf 60 N l.
than the House shouted at him Hat.
hiatt" Every cabinet member has pri.
vate room where he leaves his hat, and
Mr. Gladstone as usual entered the House
hatess, and so had all the other minis
tiers around him. There was frantic
search for a hat, much to the malicious
delight of the opposition, and finally a
hat was snatched up and Gladstone put
1t on his head But Gladstone's head
was the largest in the House and the hat
belonged to member with a very small
head, and it perched on his head like
vaudeville artists tile" Gladstone
was always a man of tremendous energy
in speaking and as he spoke the little
hat wabbled all over his crown and was
In danger of falling off. To prevent this
catastrophe a member sitting behind him
leaned o-er him and carefully held the
hat in place until Mr.. Gladstone had
stated his point of order. Last summer
member raised a point of order and,
like Mr.. Gladstone, found himself with
out u hat. fellow member quickly
folded up his order paper into cooked
; hat such as children wear when play
| ing soldier, and offered 1t to his friend,
who gravely wore it. much to the amuse-
ment of the House, and thus complied
with the technical requirement of the rule
of being covered"
The House likewise has its own code in
regard to the partaking of liquid and solid
refreshments. A member making a long
speech may take a drink, and the House
| Is liberal enough not to care whether
| the color of the contents of the glass
IL white or brown or black, whether, In
| fact, the glass holds water or whisky or
beer. Mr.. .Gladstone's egg fips, which has
wife carefully compounded for him and
he brought to the House in bottle, are
classic. But woe betide the man who
scorns drink and must have meat. Con-
temporary recollection only recalls one
member rash enough to disregard this
rule. 1t was about fifteen years ago in
the stormy time of the home-rule de-
bates, that an Irish member, in the small
hours of the morning. produced from his
pocket a paper bag. and drew out bun
which he proceeded calmly to eat. The
| House was instantly in an uproar, there
were load cries of Order, Order!" and
| that bun was never finished.
F.! No member may read a newspaper In
I the House. IF he had the temarity To