my discovery of england-第7章

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Liberal　Club；　or　at　one　or　other　of　the　newspaper　offices。　The　House；　however；　is　called　together　at　very　frequent　intervals　to　give　it　an　opportunity　of　hearing　the　latest　legislation　and　allowing　the　members　to　indulge　in　cheers；　sighs；　groans；　votes　and　other　expressions　of　vitality。　　After　having　cheered　as　much　as　is　good　for　it；　it　goes　back　again　to　the　lunch　rooms　and　goes　on　eating　till　needed　again。

It　is；　however；　an　entire　exaggeration　to　say　that　the　House　of　Commons　no　longer　has　a　real　share　in　the　government　of　England。　This　is　not　so。　Anybody　connected　with　the　government　values　the　House　of　Commons　in　a　high　degree。　One　of　the　leading　newspaper　proprietors　of　London　himself　told　me　that　he　has　always　felt　that　if　he　had　the　House　of　Commons　on　his　side　he　had　a　very　valuable　ally。　Many　of　the　labour　leaders　are　inclined　to　regard　the　House　of　Commons　as　of　great　utility；　while　the　leading　women's　organizations；　now　that　women　are　admitted　as　members；　may　be　said　to　regard　the　House　as　one　of　themselves。

Looking　around　to　find　just　where　the　natural　service　of　the　House　of　Commons　comes　in；　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　it　must　be　in　the　practice　of　〃asking　questions〃　in　the　House。　Whenever　anything　goes　wrong　a　member　rises　and　asks　a　question。　He　gets　up；　for　example；　with　a　little　paper　in　his　hand；　and　asks　the　government　if　ministers　are　aware　that　the　Khedive　of　Egypt　was　seen　yesterday　wearing　a　Turkish　Tarbosh。　Ministers　say　very　humbly　that　they　hadn't　known　it；　and　a　thrill　runs　through　the　whole　country。　The　members　can　apparently　ask　any　questions　they　like。　In　the　repeated　visits　which　I　made　to　the　gallery　of　the　House　of　Commons　I　was　unable　to　find　any　particular　sense　or　meaning　in　the　questions　asked；　though　no　doubt　they　had　an　intimate　bearing　on　English　politics　not　clear　to　an　outsider　like　myself。　I　heard　one　member　ask　the　government　whether　they　were　aware　that　herrings　were　being　imported　from　Hamburg　to　Harwich。　The　government　said　no。　Another　member　rose　and　asked　the　government　whether　they　considered　Shakespere　or　Moliere　the　greater　dramatic　artist。　The　government　answered　that　ministers　were　taking　this　under　their　earnest　consideration　and　that　a　report　would　be　submitted　to　Parliament。　Another　member　asked　the　government　if　they　knew　who　won　the　Queen's　Plate　this　season　at　Toronto。　They　did；in　fact　this　member　got　in　wrong；　as　this　is　the　very　thing　that　the　government　do　know。　Towards　the　close　of　the　evening　a　member　rose　and　asked　the　government　if　they　knew　what　time　it　was。　The　Speaker；　however；　ruled　this　question　out　of　order　on　the　ground　that　it　had　been　answered　before。

The　Parliament　Buildings　are　so　vast　that　it　is　not　possible　to　state　with　certainty　what　they　do；　or　do　not；　contain。　But　it　is　generally　said　that　somewhere　in　the　building　is　the　House　of　Lords。　When　they　meet　they　are　said　to　come　together　very　quietly　shortly　before　the　dinner　hour；　take　a　glass　of　dry　sherry　and　a　biscuit　（they　are　all　abstemious　men）；　reject　whatever　bills　may　be　before　them　at　the　moment；　take　another　dry　sherry　and　then　adjourn　for　two　years。

The　public　are　no　longer　allowed　unrestricted　access　to　the　Houses　of　Parliament；　its　approaches　are　now　strictly　guarded　by　policemen。　In　order　to　obtain　admission　it　is　necessary　either　to　（A）　communicate　in　writing　with　the　Speaker　of　the　House；　enclosing　certificates　of　naturalization　and　proof　of　identity；　or　（B）　give　the　policeman　five　shillings。　Method　B　is　the　one　usually　adopted。　On　great　nights；　however；　when　the　House　of　Commons　is　sitting　and　is　about　to　do　something　important；　such　as　ratifying　a　Home　Rule　Bill　or　cheering；　or　welcoming　a　new　lady　member；　it　is　not　possible　to　enter　by　merely　bribing　the　policeman　with　five　shillings；　it　takes　a　pound。　The　English　people　complain　bitterly　of　the　rich　Americans　who　have　in　this　way　corrupted　the　London　public。　Before　they　were　corrupted　they　would　do　anything　for　sixpence。

This　peculiar　vein　of　corruption　by　the　Americans　runs　like　a　thread；　I　may　say；　through　all　the　texture　of　English　life。　Among　those　who　have　been　principally　exposed　to　it　are　the　servants；especially　butlers　and　chauffeurs；　hotel　porters；　bell…boys；　railway　porters　and　guards；　all　taxi…drivers；　pew…openers；　curates；　bishops；　and　a　large　part　of　the　peerage。

The　terrible　ravages　that　have　been　made　by　the　Americans　on　English　morality　are　witnessed　on　every　hand。　Whole　classes　of　society　are　hopelessly　damaged。　I　have　it　in　the　evidence　of　the　English　themselves　and　there　seems　to　be　no　doubt　of　the　fact。　Till　the　Americans　came　to　England　the　people　were　an　honest；　law…abiding　race；　respecting　their　superiors　and　despising　those　below　them。　They　had　never　been　corrupted　by　money　and　their　employers　extended　to　them　in　this　regard　their　tenderest　solicitude。　　Then　the　Americans　came。　Servants　ceased　to　be　what　they　were；　butlers　were　hopelessly　damaged；　hotel　porters　became　a　wreck；　taxi…drivers　turned　out　thieves；　curates　could　no　longer　be　trusted　to　handle　money；　peers　sold　their　daughters　at　a　million　dollars　a　piece　or　three　for　two。　In　fact　the　whole　kingdom　began　to　deteriorate　till　it　got　where　it　is　now。　At　present　after　a　rich　American　has　stayed　in　any　English　country　house；　its　owners　find　that　they　can　do　nothing　with　the　butler；　a　wildness　has　come　over　the　man。　There　is　a　restlessness　in　his　demeanour　and　a　strange　wistful　look　in　his　eye　as　if　seeking　for　something。　In　many　cases；　so　I　understand；　after　an　American　has　stayed　in　a　country　house　the　butler　goes　insane。　He　is　found　in　his　pantry　counting　over　the　sixpence　given　to　him　by　a　Duke；　and　laughing　to　himself。　He　has　to　be　taken　in　charge　by　the　police。　With　him　generally　go　the　chauffeur；　whose　mind　has　broken　down　from　driving　a　rich　American　twenty　miles；　and　the　gardener；　who　is　found　tearing　up　raspberry　bushes　by　the　roots　to　see　if　there　is　any　money　under　them；　and　the　local　curate　whose　brain　has　collapsed　or　expanded；　I　forget　which；　when　a　rich　American　gave　him　fifty　dollars　for　his　soup　kitchen。

There　are；　it　is　true；　a　few　classes　that　have　escaped　this　contagion；　shepherds　living　in　the　hills；　drovers；　sailors；　fishermen　and　such　like。　I　remember　the　first　time　I　went　into　the　English　country…side　being　struck　with　the　clean；　honest　look　in　the　people's　faces。　I　realised　exactly　where　they　got　it：　they　had　never　seen　any　Americans。　I　remember　speaking　to　an　aged　peasant　down　in　Somerset。　〃Have　you　ever　seen　any　Americans？〃　〃Nah；〃　he　said；　〃uz　eeard　a　mowt　o'　'em；　zir；　but　uz　zeen　nowt　o'　'em。〃　It　was　clear　that　the　noble　fellow　was　quite　undamaged　by　American　contact。

Now　the　odd　thing　about　this　corruption　is　that　exactly　the　same　idea　is　held　on　the　other　side　of　the　water。　It　is　a　known　fact　that　if　a　young　English　Lord　comes　to　an　American　town　he　puts　it　to　the　bad　in　one　week。　Socially　the　whole　place　goes　to　pieces。　　Girls　whose　parents　are　in　the　hardware　business　and　who　used　to　call　their　father　〃pop〃　begin　to　talk　of　precedence　and　whether　a　Duchess　Dowager　goes　in　to　dinner　ahead　of　or　behind　a　countess　scavenger。　After　the　young　Lord　has　attended　two　dances　and　one　tea…social　in　the　Methodist　Church　Sunday　School　Building　（Adults　25　cents；　children　10　centsall　welcome。）　there　is　nothing　for　the　young　men　of　the　town　to　do　except　to　drive　him　out　or　go　further　west。

One　can　hardly　wonder　then　that　this　general　corruption　has　extended　even　to　the　policemen　who　guard　the　Houses　of　Parliament。　On　the　other　hand　this　vein　of　corruption　has　not　extended　to　English　politics。　Unlike　ours；　English　politics；one　hears　it　on　every　hand；are　pure。　Ours　unfortunately　are　known　to　be　not　so。　The　difference　seems　to　be　that　our　politicians　will　do　anything　for　money　and　the　English　politicians　won't；　they　just　take　the　money　and　won't　do　a　thing　for　it。

Somehow　there　always　seems　to　be　a　peculiar　interest　about　English　political　questions　that　we　don't　find　elsewhere。　At　home　in　Canada　our　politics　turn　on　such　things　as　how　much　money　the　Canadian　National　Railways　lose　as　compared　with　how　much　they　could　lose　if　they　really　tried；　on　whether　the　Grain　Growers　of　Manitoba　should　be　allowed　to　import