Turkey. "IT'S WORSE FOR ME. I'VE GOT TO MAKE UP MY MIND!" (Swoons.)
ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.
THE PARLIAMENTARY TRAIN.
Porter Law. "Some of this stuff will have to be left for the relief train—if we have one."
Mr. Lloyd George. "That's all right so long as you can carry my little lot."
Monday, May 17th.—In theory the business of a Second Chamber is to revise calmly and dispassionately the legislation which has been scamped by the First. In practice what happens in our Parliament is that the Peers, after killing time with academic debates for two or three months, are suddenly called upon, whenever a Recess is in contemplation, to pass three or four Bills through all their stages in as many days. At the invitation of Lord Crawford (Lord Salisbury perfunctorily protesting) they entered upon one of these legislative spasms this afternoon, and within less than an hour gave a second reading to two Bills, and a third reading to two others, besides listening politely while Lord Newton (with him Lord Lamington) bewailed the sad fate of certain German "Templars" (a species of Teutonic Quaker and quite harmless, we were told) who, having been evicted from Palestine, are now threatened with compulsory deportation to a Fatherland which they have no desire to visit. "Some hustlers, your Peers," remarked a visitor fresh from Washington.