" The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the
Day," and the Clerk, with a copy of the Order Paper in his
hand, reads the title of the first of the list of Bills down for
consideration. It mav be the second reading or the third



250 THE PAGEANT OF PARLIAMENT

reading stage, at which, on all great Bills, there is usually
a big debate. Disraeli is said to have described the House
of Commons as a dull place, with some great moments. In
my opinion, it would be difficult for the House of Commons
ever to be downright dull. Its great moments are, indeed,
many. The variety and vitality of the questions at issue
there and its personalities secure it against tediousness. For
Disraeli — as for most of those who have once breathed its
intoxicating atmosphere — it always had an absorbing charm.
Joseph Gilles Biggar, one of the best known of the Irish
Party, lived in the House and for the House. Outside it
he had no interest or amusement. I happened to be talking
to him in the Lobby during a sitting that was supposed
to be dull, when a colleague asked him whether he might
go to a theatre for the evening. Biggar was then the
Chief Whip of the Nationalist Party, and a stern martinet.
" Theatre ! " he exclaimed contemptuously. " This is better
than a play. Mister. It is all real here." Yet he was
the man who, by the invention of obstruction, and its
use, did most violence to its time-honoured and dearly
cherished customs. The House of Commons is, indeed, a
most alluring place. It has an interest of the highest
dramatic intensity on the occasion of a big debate relating
to the predominant political question of the day, which
deeply stirs Party passions and prejudices, and brings down
into the arena of the floor the great chiefs to fight for
principle with the keen and subtle weapon of the tongue.

" Mr. Speaker." So begins each Member who rises to
address the House. Of all the speakers in the Chamber,
Mr. Speaker speaks seldomest, and in the fewest words.
The Speaker sits in his high canopied Chair, not to talk
but to listen to talkers. Hours may pass, and " Order,
order," may be the only words spoken by Mr. Speaker. He
guides the deliberations of the House. He names the Member
who is to continue the debate. This is not a matter simply
of " catching the Speaker's eye," as it is popularly called.
The Speaker does not always name the Member upon whom
his eye may first rest. On both sides of the House Members
jump to their feet, eager to join in the debate, each straining
forward, or shaking his notes to attract the attention of



A NIGHT IN THE COMMONS 251

Mr. Speaker. The Speaker's selection of one from among
these competitors to fix liis wandering eye is careful and
deliberate. If an opponent of the Bill has just spoken, it
is almost certain that a supporter will be selected to follow.
The aim of the Speaker is to secure that, as far as possible,
every phase of opinion shall find expression. In this he
is assisted by lists given to him beforehand by the Whips
of the different Parties, containing the names of their chief
spokesmen in the debate. Therefore it is that Members
on opposite sides follow each other alternately, the only
exception to the rule being that should a Minister, or one
of the leading occupants of the Front Opposition Bench,
intervene at any moment, he has the right, more or less
prescriptive, to be called on by the Speaker.

The Speaker follows the flow of discursive talk with what
appears to be the most absorbing interest. Indeed, it is
into his ears that the Member " in possession of the House "
— to use the traditional phrase — pours all his views and
prognostications, all his fears and expectations. It is, "Now,
Mr. Speaker, let me say," or " With great resj^ect, Mr.
Speaker, I submit." Accordingly, the Speaker may not
betake himself, even for a little while, to his own select
and profitable thoughts. He must always be seized of
the drift of the argument of the Member who is addressing
him. At any moment he may be called upon to rule a point
of order. His faculties must always be wide awake. At
any moment some emergency may arise, without the least
forewarning, when all his authority, tact, and common
sense will be needed.

It is said there are Judges of the High Court who can
sleep during the speeches of counsel, and wake up at the
moment that the slumberous presentation of argument is
concluded. The atmosphere of the House of Commons is
often drowsy. Members may be seen asleep on the benches
at all hours. Yet it is a remarkable fact that there is only
one instance on record of a Speaker— impassive figure though
he be, in a big wig and a flowing gown, reclining in a large
Chair under a spreading canopy — having been caught nodding
or napping. It was to Shaw Lefevre, the only Speaker over
whom tired Nature asserted itself, and whose weighted lids,



252 THE PAGEANT OF PARLIAMENT

despite his desperate resistance, were finally closed in
slumber, that Mackworth Praed addressed these lines :

Sleep, Mr. Speaker ; it's only fair,

If you don't in your bed, you should in your Chair,

Longer and longer still they grow,

Tory and Radical, Aye and No.

Talking by night and talking by day ;

Sleep, Mr. Speaker, sleep while you may.



End Vol. I.



Printed in Great Britain by

UNWIN BB0THER9, LIMITED
WOKING AND LONDON



UNWIN'S "CHATS"

CJT7 T> TXT C PRACTICAL HANDBOOKS
OrLlVlrLO FOR collectors

Most people nowadays are collectors in a small
way of Autographs, China, Furniture, Prints,
Miniatures, or Silver, and would take up these
fascinating hobbies more extensively, and collect
with profit, if they had a knowledge of the subject.

It is to the beginner and would-be collector that
Unwin's " Chats " Series of practical handbooks
especially appeal. They are the recognized stan-
dard guides to collecting, each volume being the
work of an expert on the subject dealt with.

Each volume is profusely illustrated with carefully-
chosen specimens of the various styles and periods.

Full Indices, Bibliographies, and Lists of Sale Prices
at Public Auctions are included in the volumes.

" As this is the age of collectors, so it is the age of books for their guidanoa.
Mr. Unwin's series of books for collectors now includes twenty-one
voliimes, and if bargains are missed it is certainly not the fault of the
various writers." The Nation.

HOW TO COLLECT WITH PROFIT

is the keynote of the series. The phenomenal prices realized at
auction sales are obtained by those who have collected wisely.
Prices are still rising, and those who have the knowledge are buying
for future rises. Ask always for and see that you get UNWIN'S
"Chats" Series — the standard popular handbooks on collecting.

THE "CHATS" SERIES IS ON SALE AT ALL BOOKSELLERS
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND IS PUBLISHED BY
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UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

LIST OF VOLUMES

Chats on English China. By Arthur Hayden. Illus-
trated with reproductions of 156 marks and 89 specimens
of china. Cloth, 15s. net. Fourth Edition,

This is the standard work on the subject. The volume
will enable the possessors of old china to determine
the factories at which their ware was produced.
'' It gives in a few chapters just what the beginner wants to know
about the principal varieties of English ware. We can warmly
commend the book to the china collector." Pall Mall Oazeite,

" So simply yet so thoroughly written, that it is a sage guide to the
veriest tyro in china collecting." Bookman,

Chats on Old Furniture. By Arthur Hayden. With
a coloured frontispiece and 104 other Illustrations. Cloth,
I2s. 6d. net. Fourth Edition. Eleventh Impression.

" The hints to collectors are the best and clearest we have seen ; so
that altogether this is a model book of its kind." Athenceum.

" A fully illustrated practical guide for collectors." The Times.

" Mr. Hayden has worked at his subject on systematic lines, and
has made his book what it purports to be — a practical guide for the
collector." The Saturday Review.

Chats on Old Prints. How to Collect and Identify.
By Arthur Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece and
72 full-page plates. Cloth, 15s. net. Sixth Impression.

Every branch of the subject is carefully and explicitly
handled in this book, and valuable information as to
technical processes and identification of prints is given.
" If there is a better book of its kind on print collecting we have not
yet come across it." Daily Graphic.

*' A very useful handbook for beginners, intended to help any reader
of artistic tastes, but very moderate means, to collect to good pur-
pose." The Times,

Chats on Costume. By G. Woolliscroft Rhead, R.E.
With a coloured frontispiece and 117 other Illustrations.
Cloth, 10s. 6d. net. Second Impression.

A practical guide to historic dress. " Clothes " is
a subject that has been neglected by collectors,
and this book will be a useful guide to those who
desire to repair that neglect by forming a collection.
" A book that is at once the work of an authority on the subject
of costumes, and one that helps to enlarge our range of selec-
tion." Pall Mall Gazette.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON. W.C.2



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

Chats on Old Miniatures. By J. J. Foster, F.S.A.
With a coloured frontispiece and 116 other Illustra-
tions. Cloth, 6s. net.

This book presents in a concise and popular form a variety
of valuable information on the collection and preservation
of miniatures, on the leading English and French artists,
and on the specimens exhibited in public galleries.

" Mr. Foster is truly a guide, philosopher and friend. He tells us
not only how to judge and how to buy miniatures, but how to take
proper care of them. . . . The splendid photographs by which the
book is enriched adds in a great measure to its attractiveness and
utility." Aberdeen Free Presa.

Chats on Old Lace and Needlework. By Mrs. Lowes.
With a frontispiece and 74 other Illustrations. Cloth,
10s. 6d. net. Third Impression.

Written by an expert and enthusiast in these most
interesting branches of art. The low price at which
the work is issued is exceptional in dealing with
these subjects, and it is remarkable in view of the
technical knowledge displayed and the many photo-
graphic illustrations which practically interleave the book.

" In commendable, clear and concise stj'le Mrs. Lowes explains the
technical features distinguishing each example, making the book the
utmost value in identifying samples of old lace." — TFejfdon's Ladies^ Jour.



Chats on Oriental China. By J. F. Blacker. With
a coloured frontispiece and 70 other Illustratidns. Cloth,
10s. 6d. net. Fourth Impression.

Will be of the utmost service to collectors and to all who
may have old Chinese and Japanese porcelain in their
possession. It deals with oriental china from the various
standpoints of history, technique, age, marks and values,
and is richly illustrated with admirable reproductions.

"A treatise that is so informing and comprehensive that it commanda
the prompt recognisation of all who value the choice productions of
the oriental artists. . . . The illustrations are numerous and invalu-
able to the attainment of expert knowledge, and the result is a hand-
book that is as indispensable as it is unique." Pall Mall Gazette.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON. W.C. 2



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

Chats on English Earthenware. A companion volume
to " Chats on English China." By Arthur Hayden.
With a coloured frontispiece, 150 Illustrations and tables
of over 200 illustrated marks. Cloth,

10s. 6d. net. Third Impression.

" To the ever-increasing number of collectors who are taking
an interest in old English pottery . . . will be found one of
the most delightful, as it is a practical work on a fascinating
subject." Hearth and Home.

" Here we have a handbook, written by a well-known authority,
which gives in the concisest possible form all the information that
the beginner in earthenware collecting is likely to need. Moreover,
it contains one or two features that are not usually found in the
multifarious ' guides ' that are produced to-day." Nation.

Chats on Autographs. By A. M. Broadley. With
180 Illustrations. Cloth, 6s. net.

" Being an expert collector, Mr. Broadley not only discourses on
the kinds of autograph he owns, but gives some excellent cautionary
advice and a valuable ' caveat emptor ' chapter for the benefit of
other collectors." Westminster Gazette.

" It is assuredly the best work of the kind yet given to the public ;
and supplies the intending collector with the various sources of infor-
mation necessary to his equipment." Manchester Guardian.

Chats on Old Pewter. By H. J. L. J. Masse, M.A. With
52 half-tone and numerous other Illustrations. Cloth,
10s. 6d. net. Second Impression.

" It is a remarkably thorough and well-arranged guide to the subject,
supplied with useful illustrations and with lists of pewterera and of
their marks so complete as to make it a very complete and satis-
factory book of reference." Manchester Guardian.
" Before setting out to collect old pewter it would be as well to read
Mr. Mass^'s book, which is exhaustive in its information and its
lists of pewterers, analytical index, and historical and technical
chapters." Spectator.

Chats on Postage Stamps. By Fred J. Melville.
With 57 half-tone and 17 line Illustrations. Cloth,

10s. 6d. net. Second Impression.

" The whole book, with its numerous illustrations of excellent quality,
is a vade mecum for stamp collectors, even though their efforts may
be but modest ; we congratulate Mr. Melville on a remarkably good
guide, which makes fascinating reading." Academy,

" There is no doubt that Mr. Melville's book fills a void. There is
nothing exactly like it. Agreeably written in a popular style and
adequately illustrated, it is certainly one of the best guides to phila-
telic knowledge that have yet been published." World.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON. W.C.S



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets. By MacIver

Percival. With nearly 300 Illustrations. Cloth, 6s. net.

" The book is very thorough, dealing as it does with classic, antique
and modern ornaments ; with gold, silver, steel and pinchbeck ; with
the precious stones, the commoner stones and imitation." — Outlook.
" ' Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets ' is a book which will enable
every woman to turn over her jewel-caee with a fresh interest and
a new intelligence ; a practical guide for the himable but anxious
collector. ... A good glossary of technicalities and many excel-
lent illustrations complete a valuable contribution to collector's
lore." Illustrated London News.

Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture. A com-
panion volume to " Chats on Old Furniture." By Arthur
Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece and 75 other
Illustrations. Cloth, 15s. net. Third Impression.

" One gets very much for one's money in this book. Seventy-three
full-page illustrations in half-tone embellish a letterpress which is
replete with wise description and valuable hints." Vanity Fair.

" Mr. Hayden's book is a guide to all sorts of desirable and simple
furniture, from Stuart to Georgian, and it is a delight to read as well
as a sure help to selection." Pall Mall Gazette.

" Mr. Hayden writes lucidly and is careful and accurate in his state-
ments ; while the advice he gives to collectors is both sound and
reasonable." Westminster Gazette.

Chats on Old Coins. By Fred W. Burgess. With a
coloured frontispiece and 258 other Illustrations. Cloth,
10s. 6d. net. Second Impression.

" A most useful and instructive book . . . will prove a boon to the
intending collector of old coins and tokens, and full of interest to
every collector. As was to be expected of any voliime of this series,
the illustrations are numerous and good, and greatly assist the reader
to grasp the essentials of the author's descriptions." Outlook.

" The author has not only produced ' a practical guide for the col-
lector ' but a handy book of reference for all. The vohune is wonder-
fully cheap." Notes and Queries.

Chats on Old Copper and Brass. By Fred W.
Burgess. With a coloured frontispiece and 86 other
Illustrations. Cloth, 6s. net.

" Mr. F. W. Burgess is an expert on old copper and bronze, and in hia
book there is little information lacking which the most ardent
collector might want." The Observer.

" Italian bronzes, African charms, Chinese and Japanese enamels,
bells, mortars, Indian idols, dials, candlesticks, and snuff boxes,
all come in for their share of attention, and the reader who has
mastered Mr. Burgess's pages can face his rival in the auction-
room or the dealer in his shop with little fear of sufiering by the
transaction." The Nation.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON, W.C.2



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

Chats on Household Curios. By Fred W. Burgess.
With 94 Illustrations. Cloth, 6s. net.

" Mr. Burgess gives much information about such attractive antiques
as old glass and enamels, old leather work, old clocks and watches,
old pipes, old seals, musical instruments, and even old samplers and
children's toys. The book is, in short, an excellent and compre-
hensive guide for what one may call the general collector, that is,
the collector who does not confine himself to one class of antique,
but buys whatever he comes across in the curio line, provided that
it is interesting and at moderate price." Aberdeen Free Press.

Chats on Japanese Prints. By Arthur Davison
FiCKE. With a coloured frontispiece and 56 Illustra-
tions. Cloth, 6s. net. Third Impression.
" Mr. Ficke writes with the knowledge of the expert, and his history
of Japanese printing from very early times and his criticism of the
artists' work are wonderfully interesting." Tatler.
" This is one of the most dehghtful and notable members of an
attractive series. ... A beginner who shall have mastered and made
thoroughly his own the beauty of line and the various subtlety and bold-
ness of linear composition displayed in these sixty and odd photographs
will have no mean foundation for further study." — Notes and Queries.

Chats on Old Clocks. By Arthur Hayden. With a
frontispiece and 80 Illustrations. 2nd Ed. Cloth, 10s. 6d. net.
" A practical handbook dealing with the examples of old clocks likely
to come under the observation of the collector. Charmingly written
and illustrated." Outlook.

" One specially useful feature of the work is the prominence Mr.
Hayden has given to the makers of clocks, dealing not only with
those of London, but also those of the leading provincial towns. The
lists he gives of the latter are highly valuable, as they are not to be
found in any similar book. The volume is, as usual with this series,
profusely illustrated, and may be recommended as a highly interesting
and useful general guide to collectors of clocks." The Connoisseur.

Chats on Old Silver. By Arthur Hayden. With a

frontispiece, 99 full-page Illustrations, and illustrated
table of marks. Cloth, 10s. 6d. net. Third Impression.
" Mr. Hayden's ' Chats on Old Silver ' deals very thoroughly with a
popular branch of collecting. There are a hundred full-page illus-
trations together with illustrated tables and charts, and the student
of this book can wander round the old curiosity shops of these islands
with a valuable equipment of knowledge. . . . Altogether we have
here a well-written summary of everything that one could wish to
know about this branch of collecting." The Sphere.

" The information it gives will be of exceptional value at this time,
when so many families will be forced to part with their treasures —
and old silver is among the most precious possessions of the present
day." Morning Post.

T FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON. W.C.2



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

Chats on Military Curios. By Stanley C. Johnson,
M.A., D.Sc. With a coloured frontispiece and 79 other
Illustrations. Cloth, 6s. net.

*' Mr. Johnson in this book describes many of the articles a collector
should be on the look out for, giving short but informative notes on
medals, helmet and cap badges, tunic buttons, armour, weapons of
all kinds, medallions, autographs, original documents relating to
Army work, military pictures and prints, newspaper cuttings, obso-
lete imiforms, crests, stamps, postmarks, memorial brasses, money
and curios made by prisoners of war, while there is also an excellent
biography on the subject. The author has, indeed, presented the
reader with a capital working handbook, which should prove a friendly
and reliable gxiide when he goes collecting." Field.



Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain. By Arthur
Hayden. With a frontispiece, 56 full-page Illustrations
and illustrated tables of marks. Cloth, 10s. 6d. net.

" This very beautiful and very valuable book will be eagerly wel-
comed by lovers of porcelain. . . . Mr. Hayden describes with great
skill and preciseness all the quality and beauty of technique in which
this porcelain excels ; he loves it and understands it, and the examples
he has chosen as illustrations are a valuable supplement to his
descriptions." Bookman.

Chats on Old Sheffield Plate. By Arthur Hayden.
With frontispiece and 58 full-page Illustrations, together
with makers' marks. Cloth, 21s. net.

Old plated ware has, by reason of its artistic excellence
and its technique, deservedly won favour with collectors.
The art of making plated ware, which originated at Sheffield
(hence the name " Sheffield plate "), was continued at
Birmingham and London, where a considerable amount
of " old Sheffield plate " was made, in the manner of its
first inventors, by welding sheets of silver upon copper.
The manufacture lasted roughly a hundred years. Its
best period was from 1776 (American Declaration of
Independence) to 1830 (Accession of William IV). The
author shows reasons why this old Sheffield plate should
be collected, and the volume is illustrated with many
examples giving various styles and the development of the
art, together with makers' marks. Candlesticks and

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE. LONDON. W.C. 2



UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

candelabra, tea-caddies, sugar-baskets, salt-cellars, tea-
pots, coffee-pots, salvers, spoons, and many other articles
shown and described in the volume indicate the exquisite
craftsmanship of the best period. The work stands as a
companion volume to the author's " Chats on Old Silver,"
the standard practical guide to old English silver collecting.

Bye Paths in Curio Collecting. By Arthur Hayden,
Author of " Chats on Old Silver," etc. With a frontis-
piece and 72 full-page Illustrations. Cloth,
21s. net. Second Impression.

" Every collector knows the name of Mr. Arthur Hayden, and knows
him for a wise counsellor. Upon old furniture, old china, old pottery,
and old prints there is no more knowing judge in the country ; and
in his latest volume he supplies a notable need, in the shape of a vade-
mecum exploring some of the nondescript and little traversed bye-
paths of the collector. There was never a time when the amateur
of the antique stood more in need of a competent guide. . . .
The man who wishes to avoid the pitfalls of the fraudulent will
find much salutary advice in Mr. Hayden's gossipy pages.
There are chests, for example, a fruitful field for reproduction.
Mr. Hayden gives photographs of many exquisite examples. There
is a marriage coffer of the sixteenth century, decorated with carved
figures of Cupid and Hymen, a fine Gothic chest of the fifteenth cen-
tury, with rich foliated decorations ; and a superb livery cupboard
from Haddon Hall. From Flanders come steel coffers, with a lock
of four bolts, the heavy sides strongly braized together. Then thero
are snuffers, with and without trays, tinder-boxes, snuff graters, and
metal tobacco stoppers. The most fascinating designs are shown,
with squirrels, dogs, and quaint human figures at the summit. Fans
and playing-cards provide another attractive section.

Chicken-skin, delicate, white.

Painted by Carlo van Loo.
The fan has always been an object of the collector's passion, because
of the grace of the article and its beauty as a display. Mr. Hayden
shows a particularly beautiful one, with designs after Fragonard,
the sticks of ivory with jewelled studs. Then there are watch-stands,
a little baroque in design, and table-bells, some of them shaped as
female figures with spreading skirts, old toys and picture-books, and,
of course, cradles, of which every English farm-house once boasted