THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5085, 11 July 1877, Page 3

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

(Written for the New Zealand Times.) In a previous paper on the House of Lords we drew attention to the difference to be observed between the political atmospheres of the two deliberative branches of the Supremo Legislature of Great Britain, which compose the High Court of Parliament, or, as we might almost call it, the omnipotent power in the Empire, to whose decisions all others must bow. We referred to the different “mannerism,” to use a coined word, required to gain distinction in the House of Commons, in contrast to that which is required to bring the speaker into repute in the quiet and calm atmosphere of the House of Peers. We propose now to call our readers' attention to the elective branch of the Legislature, which may be said to be the mirror which reflects the public opinion of the inhabitants of Great Britain, which has such a vast influence, not only on the British Empire itself, but on millions and millions of the human race, and which is perpetually changing as the cycles of political thought roll on, and the various relations of nations are altered. The House of Commons is perhaps the most sensitive, the most highly cultivated, and the most impressionable representative chamber in the world. The Anglo-Saxon race have undoubtedly in modern times exercised a greater influence in the

world, and spread themselves over the surface of" the globe toa', moreconsiderable extent than any other nation. Their policy has never been a policy of conquest and oppression ; it has been a policy to enable the large surplus population which had through many centuries accumulated in Great Britain to come ; forth to new pastures, to make use of the new countries discovered all over the world by those noble men who followed in the wake. of the great Christopher Columbus, and without taking and Occupying the property of others; to create new and prosperous communities, and to supply comfortable homes to many of the densely overcrowded population of Great Britain, instead of the miserable hovels which in most instances they must have continued to occupy if they had been compelled to remain in the land of their birth. The land of their adoption very soon comes to be looked upon as the land of their birth ; and after all, though old associations and memories of the past may recur to them, the bright sun, the healthy climate, and the comforts of a happy home, soon reconcile them to the change, and to. the breaking off of the ties of their old home, and the recollections of their childhood. And the House of Commons is, as we have said before, the reflex of the public opinion of the majority of the inhabitants of the British Empire, who have for so many years, we may say hundreds of years, been able to exercise so vast an influence in all parts of the world. But the influence of this great power is directed by the few chosen individuals who, for the time being, command the confidence of the English nation. We need scarcely draw the attention of our readers to the fact that the House of Commons is really the commanding power in the State. It is by them that the personnel of the responsible advisers of the Crown is decided ; it is they, in fact, who wield the power of the English nation, and sometimes at critical periods decide also the fate of nations. We may remark, incidentally here, that Kingslake, in his “ History of the Crimean War,” the first volume of which we would most strongly recommend our readers to study during the present crisis; and if they do, so, and consider how the past and the present fit together, and how another cycle of events is , coming round, how the wheel of fortune has been turned once more—Kingslake, we say, remarks that when there is any chance of an European war, the action likely to be taken by the English nation, and the line of policy to be probably followed by the Government of the day, are anxiously watched by the Continental Powers. The recollection of what she did during the ascendancy of the Emperor Napoleon, when at the beginning of this century all Europe lay prostrate at the feet of Erance, the magnificent policy begun by the elder Pitt, the great Lord Chatham, and carried out with such determination, vigor, and ability by his son, the younger Pitt, all these are full well remembered, and the nations of Europe have not yet forgotten how she stood alone against the scourge and oppressor of Europe ; how she beat him on the sea first, and then, making the best use of her resources, finally defeated him on the land, and put an end to his victorious career. And the power that we have here described, and a very great one it is, is, as we have said, virtually wielded by the House of Commons. They it is who hold the power of the purse. Without their consent neither ships can be built, armies organised, nor fortifications constrncted ; and whatever opinion might be entertained by the reigning Sovereign and the House of Lords, nothing can be done unless the money requisite is forthcoming, and this can only be granted by the will of the people through their representatives. Neither soldiers, sailors, nor contractors will fight or work for nothing. This body of elected English gentlemen, then, as we have said wields the power of the British Empire. The late Emperor of Russia, Nicholas, who died, it is supposed, heart-broken, because of his successive reverses in the Crimea, used, when he wished to create on the mind of his listener an impression of his perfect sincerity, singularly enough, the expression, “ By the word of an English genku’tnan.” And it is ,of this class of men that the English House of Commons is composed, -At one time, there was a vigorous effort made to introduce into the House what was called the “ working man.” But the common sense of the people rallied against it. The attempt to set class against class has never found favor with the majority of the English people, and it is to be hoped never will. But the very fact of the House of Commons being composed of men of the very highest education—of men possessed of the greatest business ability and experience—of men who have attained eminence in literary or scientific pursuits—and of men who, from their youth upwards, have had leisure, inclination, and powers of comprehension to enable them to study and understand the history of all time, and to profit by their learning, —all these tend to render the representatives of the people of England, as we have said before, a moat sensitive body. It is swayed backwards and forwards, not only by the current of popular opinion, which at any general election may completely change its tone and turn of thought; but more than this by the powers of oratory, the manner, the capability, and the disposition of those who happen for the time to be its party leaders. For in all representative Governments there must be parties. We think it was from the fertile brain of Mr. Disraeli that the expression “ Her Majesty’s Opposition” first came forth ; an expression which was at once accepted by the House with a cheer, and which has been used ever since as a term which gives an insight, as we may say, into the necessities and exigencies of constitutional representative government. In a House constituted as the British House of Commons is the power exercised by a great party leader is very considerable. He must be possessed of a fine presence, a good tone of voice, and a command of the English language such as is not given to the ordinary run of mortals: he must have been trained not only in the command of words but also in the pronunciation of the language, and he must be careful not to utter anything which may grate on the ears of his highlysensitive audience ; he must too be possessed of deep erudition (for the slightest fault in scholarship is detected at once in this assembly), and he must also have a fertile imagination, in order to enable him to throw in illustrations bearing upon the subject directly under discussion. The power of oratory when used by one whf> possesses the qualifications we have referred to generally maintains an unbounded influence over a popular assembly. In all ages the power of language has exerted a very large influence on the varying events of the world. To this day the effusions of the sweet Psalmist of Israel are sung and read in our churches, and are appreciated as much as when they were : first written. Innumerable instances could be given of the power which language either in prose or poetry may be made to exercise in the practical events of life. During the second Measenian war, carried on between the ancient Grecian States, "Sparta and Messena, the Spartans were commanded by an oracle to take a leader from amingst the Athenians, and thereby conquer their enemies. The Athenians selected Tyrtmus by way of ridicule, for he was a poor cripple, utterly unfitted to take the lead in war. But he was one of nature’s poets, so many of whom were born in Greece, and particularly in that palace of ancient literature, Athens. Unable. to take the field, Tyrtams, whom we may call the Byron of the ancients, composed a series of ballads, by which he so raised the martial ardor of the dispirited Spartans that f they succeeded in boating the neighboring State of Messena. “ His poems were of two kinds, viz., elegies, containing exhortations to constancy and courage, and descriptions of the glory of fighting bravely for one’s native land ; and more spirited compositions, in the Anaptestic measure, which were intended as marching songs, to be performed with the music of the flute.” Our readers will call to mind the effect on a body of troops of martial music, and the celebrated saying of Prince Bismark that the German national song was worth 100,000 men in the field. But to continue. The age in which the poet Tyrtceus flourished was about six hundred and sixty years before the Christian era, and, says the historian, “He lived to see the success of his efforts in the entire conquest of the Messenians, and their reduction to the condition of helots.” For those of our readers who are not well versed in ancient history, we may say that the best

translation of the word “helots’’,would be “ serfs.'’' " In tfie time of Philip of Macedon the Athenians were encouraged by the powerful oratory of Demosthenes ; Cicero claimed to be the saviour of Rome by his power |of speech (by-the-by, if history is true, he had a particular objection to do it by endangering his person). Alfred the Great, one of the noblest of England’s Kings, assisted as much by his ministrelsy as by his generalship in driving out of his dominions the Danish invaders ; Lord Byron, from his home at Missolonghi, poured forth the brilliant specimens of poetry which roused in the inhabitants of Greece the patriotic feelings of ancient days, which had so long been slumbering in their breasts, and helped them in their efforts to recover their independence ; and General Sherman’s army in its long march through Georgia into Virginia was continually encouraged by the sound of the war song, which at length after a long struggle led them on to victory. We have merely quoted these instances to show how all history proves most clearly that the force of language, the power of eloquence, does seriously affect the course of events in this world of ours. Now, the virtual power of the country, the force that can be wielded in the event of complications with other nations is, as we have seen, vested in the hands of the responsible advisers of the Crown, who are able to, gain the ear of the representative branch of the Legislature. The House of Lords is no doubt most useful as a revising body ; it has always the right to step in and check hasty legislation.

(To be continued. J