Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, April 6, 1895Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, April 6, 1895
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
_House of Commons, Tuesday._--"Speakers may come, and Speakers may
go," said the Member for SARK, "but as long as the House of Commons
produces men like VICARY GIBBS the institution is safe, and the
State rocks safely on its everlasting foundations. It was, you will
remember, VICARY who directly, though undesignedly, led to the row
on that famous night in June when Home-Rule Committee was closured.
VICARY shares with Heaven the peculiarity that order is his first
law. On that particular night somebody had said something, and
VICARY wanted to have his words taken down. Amid growing uproar
his observations were inaudible to the Chair, and his presence
undistinguishable. Some men would thereupon have resumed their seat.
VICARY, his soul athirst to have something 'taken down,' moved on to
the Front Opposition Bench, and shouted his desire in MELLOR'S left
ear. Then LOGAN suddenly loomed large on the scene. HAYES FISHER
reached forth a red right hand and shook him by the collar. Next an
anonymous Irish Member fell over the bench on to SAUNDERSON'S knee,
and was there incontinently but heartily pummelled. After that chaos;
all arising out of VICARY GIBBS'S insatiable, uncontrollable desire to
have something 'taken down' in the sacred name of order."
These musings on the mighty past were occasioned by VICARY once
more unexpectedly, but sternly and effectively, interposing as the
custodian of order. WEIR broken out in epidemic of questions;
puts down eleven on the paper; runs them up to the full score by
supplementary questions, invariably prefaced by the formula "Is the
right hon. gentleman A. WEIR that----?" A poor joke, its only flash of
humour being in the subtly varied tone with which the SPEAKER eleven
times pronounced the words, "Mr. WEIR." Also grotesquely funny to hear
the reverberation of the deep chest notes, in which WEIR, with tragic
sweep of _pince-nez_ on to his nose, said in succession, "Ques-ti-on
one," "Ques-ti-on two," and so on.
Touch of tragedy came in when VICARY, managing to throw into tone and
form of question conviction that SQUIRE OF MALWOOD was secretly at
bottom of the whole business, asked him whether this was not abuse
of forms of the House, calculated to lead to curtailment of valuable
privilege. No use SQUIRE assuming air of innocence. House knew all
about it. Refreshed and revived by VICARY'S timely vindication of law
and order, proceeded to business.
_Business done._--Fourth night's Debate on Welsh Church
Disestablishment Bill. The still prevalent dulness varied by speech
from PLUNKET; witched the House by music of stately though simple
eloquence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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