New-York tribune., 1910-11-27
House of Commons Needs Reforming Well the Lords
Eyes of World Now Fixed on 'rlotFer OF Par'iamehI>
AS Each House Struggles for
Supremacy.

? ROsebery. Yet in the opinion or many II
it Just because Of his gifts Of eloquence
that the bulk of the English people are
so little inclined to accord TO him their
political confidence
Another thing to which the members
OF both houses Of Parliament object ls
omniscience Thus. when on the very
first night OF the late Sir George Camp
bells appearance in Pariiament-he was
a very brilliant man and a wonderfully
clever spea ker-he found something 10
say about crops in India, about VINE IA
France. about land tenure in Ireland ana
about roads and bridges in Scotland ne
was then and there forever damned ana
unable to make any position for himself
in Parliament or TO put his great aoil-
tiles 10 any public use
1 have referred just NOW to the silk
hats of the members of Parliament So
/ far as am aware il is the only national
assembly, either in the Old World or in
the New. where the members sit with
their hats on But while the member
/ may wear il sitting. he must carry It
/ when he walks. He must not move
/ yard along a bench without removing II.
! or some stickIer for parliamentary
decorum will raise shouts of order.
ORDER" When he is alluded TO in
! speech he will raise his hat from his
7 head in Acknowledgements When he for
| maHy submits motion he raises IL
again.
Indeed, the hat is an integral part Of
Great Britains legislative machinery
There are times when without IL the
| working of the English constitution
| would come to a standst.U- When a
division has been called and a member
desires TO address the chair. not only
must he speak seated, but he must have
has hat on. and naturally the humOrists
of the Commons endeavor that the raiser
of a point OF order should be unable TO
find his hat. A point Of order on a
division Is a serious matter. but the
| House is sometimes reduced to convul-
sions of laughter when with a silk hat
borrowed in haste which comes down
over his ears and would extinguish his
head entirely If he did not hold II up
with his hands. a member, with the
sravest countenance. submits a point or
order to the decision Of Mr.. Speaker
II was on one such occasion that Glad
stone was subjected 10 the unique ex-
perience of exposing himself to ridicule
He had a very large head, and had left
his hat in the Prenier's roon1-he was IN
/, office He wished TO address the Cnalr
in a hurry, on point Of order, and
! quickly snatched at the first hat that
was handed to him 1t was many sizes
too small for HIM Yet there he sar.
addressing the Speaker, balancing the
insignificant little hat on his Olympian
head. for all the world like an acrobat
balancing a glass of water on his fore
head. and even his greatest admirers
were compelled to admit that for once
in a way the Grand Old Man looked
excruciatingIy absurd
OF course. when the member rises r
speak he invariably doffs his hat. gen
orally putting it on his seat behind him
| and it is by no means infrequent, espe
| ciauy with new members, that aftel
| finishing their speech with a glowing
| peroratfon they will sit down on then
hats, and then regard the wreck with &
| rueful countenance. This is one OF the
quickest ways OF attracting Parlia
mentary attention II is also cheap
| For a silk hat serviceable for the purpose
may be obtained for s6. Sitting on hi:
! own hat renders member ar once popu
| lar. He is hailed as a humOrtst- Every
| body wants TO know his name and talk!
about him He will be pointed out &
| visitors in the lobby. Possibly there
! will even be picture of the event II
= one of the illustrated papers
r Another one Of the unwritten laws o.
r Parliament Is that the reading OF news
e papers is forbidden while the House 1:
d in session a member can talk, he car
e sprawl, he can perch his toes on the
!, back of the bench in front. he may sleep
Il Continued on nfth raxa-