The Quaint Side of Parliament.

was a debate on a motion by Mr. Chaplin in relation to the breeding of horses. It at tracted a brilliant sporting audience. The Prince of Wales was a prominent spectator in the royal seat over the clock. Suddenly the thread of Mr. Chaplin's discourse was severed by Mr. Joseph Biggar, the wellknown Irish member, who, to the amazement of the crowded House, informed the Speaker that he espied strangers. Of course, all strangers were ordered out forthwith, and out the heir to the throne and representa tives of " the Fourth Estate " had to go with the less distinguished occupants of the gal leries. But the standing order regulating the admission of strangers was at once sus pended on the motion of Mr. Disraeli, the then Leader of the House, and visitors and journalists were quickly readmitted. It was also enacted then that for the future the gal leries should only be cleared on a motion regularly moved, and, if necessary, carried on a division, power however being reserved to the Speaker, or the chairman of commit tees, to order the withdrawal of strangers whenever he thought it necessary. That or der has been put in force only once — in 1879 —when on the motion of Colonel King Hannan, which was carried on a division, the galleries were cleared for four or five hours during a debate on the murder of Lord Leitrim in Ireland. Members are not allowed to refer to each other by name in debate. The only member who is properly addressed by name is the chairman who presides over the deliberations of the House in committee. On a member rising to speak in committee he begins with "Mr. Lowther," and not with " Mr. Chair man," as at public meetings. When the Speaker is in the chair, the formula is " Mr. Speaker, Sir." In debate a member is dis tinguished by the office he holds, as " The Right Honorable Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer," or by the constituency he represents, as " The Honorable Gentleman, the Member for York." Some make use

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of the terms, " My Honorable Friend," or "My Right Honorable Friend." In case of family relations the same form is usually ob served. Occasionally " My Honorable Rela tive," or " My Right Honorable Relative," is heard, but " My Right Honorable Father," or " My Right Honorable Brother," though no doubt allowable, has not been hitherto used. During the session of 1879, Mr. James Lowther, the chief secretary for Ireland, rose from his seat and was hurriedly leaving the House just as Mr. Lyman, an Irish rep resentative, with a very loud voice, began to call attention to some Irish grievance. An other Irish member, thinking it strange that the chief secretary should leave the chamber when a question relating to Ireland was be ing brought forward, called out, "Hi, Hi! Lowther, where are you going? " And turn ing as he reached the door, Mr. Lowther coolly replied, " I'm going out on the terrace to hear Lyman." But the chair does not en courage these familiarities between members in the House. The rule is in every case, when referring to a member, to use the words " Honorable" or " Right Honorable." This custom un doubtedly tends to keep the standard of de bate on a high level of order, courtesy and dignity, but it has sometimes led to odd re sults. During the Parliament of 1886-92 two members were ignominiously expelled from the House after their conviction for gross immoral offences, and yet in the dis cussion that took place on each occasion the criminal was still punctiliously described as "The Honorable Gentleman." Again, law yers are styled " Honorable and Learned," and officers of the army and navy " Honora ble and Gallant." The late Mr. W. H. Smith, who was not a lawyer, was once re ferred to in a speech as " The Right Honor able and Learned Gentleman." "No, no!" exclaimed the simple old gentleman, not without a touch of humor, disclaiming the distinction amid the merriment of the House,