THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1907. YOUTH IN PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8322, 2 January 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1907. YOUTH IN PARLIAMENT.

The term Member of Parliament naturally suggests maturity of years, yet there are quite a number *of young men in the House of Commons. But people who lament what they regard as a tendency to return a greater number of young, and consequently irresponsible, young men, are reminded by Mr Spencer Leigh Hughes that in the old days things were ever so much worse in this respect. It is recorded that in the days of James I. there were forty members of the House of Commons under twenty, and some not exceeding sixteen. "It was the ancient custome for old men to make lavves for young ones," says an old chronicler, but there were children "elected into the great Councell of

the Kingdome, which comes to invade

and invest Nature, and to enact lawes to govern their fathers." Even after the solemn enactment of William's time, making void the election of a minor, Charles James Fox entered the House when he was nineteen, and Lord Stanhope — better known as Lord Chesterfield similarly 6ffended. The latter attacked with the result that he received a private hint that if he did not keep his mouth shut he [would be fined £SOO for taking his seat as a minor. The hint was taken. A man is nowadays considered 'young in the House till he is thirty, or even forty, while he must be nearly eighty before he is regarded as really old. Did not Lord Palmerston say that he thought a man was at his prime about eighty? Among the "young brigade" in the present House of Commons are Mr C. F. G. Masterman, who was rebuked by an Irish member for laughing "like a schoolboy," Mr Wedgewood Benn, of whom a motherly lady in the gallery said it was "really a shame to keep out of bed at this time of night," Lord Dalmeny, and Mr Winston Churchill. Mr Hughes notices in Mr Churchill, young as he is, the typical front bench manner. The hear him say "The answer is in the negative" is a liberal education, and when he explains that to answer a question on a certain point would not be conducive to the public interest, "the man who has rashly asked the question may well sink back and shudder." Yet the boy peeps out now and again. He grins joyously when [the [shot fired at the opposite benches hits its mark. He is by no means tamed, but the process is in progress. Mr Hughes' advice to the young is to Jet their spirits have play, and to avoid pomposity, even at the risk of being impudent.