The Washington herald., 1907-03-10
HATS IN HOUSE OF COMMONS
Changes in Manners and Customs Of
the British Parliament.
Ancient Practice of Keeping Head
gear on During Sessions of the
House on the Wane.

The beginning Of the end o. the old
practise OF members Of the House Of
Commons wearing their hats I'm the cham
Der Will be rightly ascribed by the future
historian OF parliamentary manners TO
the session Of 1896. according TO the Pail
Mali Gazette. In early nineteenth cen
fury prints Of the House OF Commons only
the OCCUPANTS Of the two front benches.
the ministers and ex-ministers. are seen
uncovered. There was a rule then-Tjgid
though unwritten-that private members
must wear their hats in the House. II
was regarded as "a gross breach Of Ell
quette for any member save minister,
an ex-minister, or a whip 10 appear in
the chamber OF in the Hobbies without his
hat For at least three-quaTters Of the
century a member was also expected TO
wear the morning attire ordained by fash
ion. or the speaker the duty fell Of
reprimanGlug breaches of the conventions
as regards dress
OF course If a member Of Parliament
chose 20 defy these unwritteu laws there
was no power in the House 20 say him
ray. Instead OF wearing the regulation
tall hat and frock coat he might appear
tn a lounge suit and a wide-awake and the
doorkecpers dare not refuse him admis-
sion 20 the House But be would have 10
reckon with the authority Of the chair,
as well as with the resentment Of his bad
form on the part of his fell0w-mem-
beers. As q rule, a private request from
the speaker was sufficient 10 induce the
member 70 return TO c0nvenuonauty in
attire. Once, however, a member an
sweTed the message OF Mr.. Speaker Shaw
Lefevre with the defiant reply that he
should wear what he pleased. Very
well" replied the speaker, no matter
how often you may rise TO address the
House. 1 shall never see you" Time after
time the member tried TO catch the speak
er's eye. but never succeeded. and at last
his constituents began 90 complain THAI
no was q useless. silent member Then
ne was driven 20 the sensible conclusion
that IL was ridiculous being condemned 20
obscurIty FOR The sake OF a tweed suit.
This law as regards TO dress began in
the 'S0's 10 be more honored In the breach
than in the observance. Members might
appear I'm any dress they liked, in broad
cloth or lin holden gray and a that
as Burns would say. in silk hat. or bowl
or. or Caroline. Indeed. Mr. Kier HardiC
first presented himself TO tie House OF
Commons-so far as headgear is con-
cerneG-in a tweed cap. But the rule that
members should be covered sitting iH the
House or walking about its precincts was
not generally departed from until the
election Of the present Parliament Dur
ing the last session the vast majority OF
members never brought their hats into
the House leaving them. with overcoats
and umbrellas. in the cloak room.
This remarkable departure from very
ancient usage of the House of Commons
was due. Of course, entirely % want OF
knowledge on the part of the enormous
crowd OF new members. They could not
be expected TO know OF the existence OF
q rule which is not embodied in a stand
ing order IN fact. most Of the new mem
bers left their hats in the cloak room be-
cause they considered 10 would be q
breach OF docOsum, or III least an UUWar-
rarted act of impUdence on the part OF
those recently elected. to bring them int
the House. Indeed, they thought it was q
mark OF distinction restricted to old and
hon0red members TO be allowed to wea,
ones hat In the awful presence of Mr.
Speaker a misrepresentation which Will
appear natural enough when il IS remem-
beTed that by common usage outside Par
lament To sit OF stand uncovered is IN
exhibition OF respect and Difference. Al
any rate, another old parliamentary prac
tice is on the wane. The custom is still
strictly observed IN the House of Lords
but in the House Of Commons It has be
come quite the exception