"SWEARING-IN."
PARLIAMENT AND THE BOOK. A PROTRACTED CEREMONY. The country's constitution requires members of Parliament to give an assurance, by oath, that they will not behave treasonably towards tho King or his subjects during their term of office, but the constitution does not, apparently, provide machinery for a rapid output of oaths,. The swearing-in wheels revolve slowly. Whether the slowness is part of the pomp and majesty of law designed to suitably impress the prospeeiivs makers of tho law, is something definitely known only to those who, with d".c dignity and decorum, promote the cei'emony. This morning ladies were in the gallery, with Merry Widow hats and other modern feminine nppertenances, to glorify the sombre scene, and they were curious to see what 'would happen about the Speakership, but the members had first to be sworn in, from A to W, and the spectators had to be thankful that the alphabet stopped there. Four by four tho members were summoned to the centre, and four by four they kissed the book. It was noticeable that' the legislators had no qualms about, bacilli. Each trusted that tne other would have sufficient respect for the forms and traditions of the House not to leave any malignant microbes on the pages. The book was opened, was pressed to the lips by one member, and passed on. The recipient did not bother about turning a new leaf, and he had not even watched to see the part that his predecessor had kissed. The page was taken on trust, and so went along the line. Unhappily, before one batch of four was clear of the table, another quartette was heralded. As the members had to sign on as well as swear, there was some congestion and confusion. The writing was done right in the midst of the swearing. Legislators were piled pell mell together in the narrow passages, and some of them could not have ,felt in very amiable mood by the time they managed to get into position for taking the oath of fidelity. This medley con<linued till a genius had an inspiration. When the master of ceremonies was somewhere near the M's, it occurred to somebody to suggest that the business would be facilitated if the writing was done at a remote corner of the table, instead of in the middle of the scrimmage. Thus the swearers formed a sort of circular queue, compassing the table, and the ceremony regained some of the dignity which it had been fast losing. While the long minutes were dragging on, the sworn and the unsworn busied themselves with conversation. A buzz of talk reverberated in the room. The process of solemn pledging did not awe the assembly or the spectators. It was no new thing to most of the members, and they did not feel constrained to sit in 'sedate state till the long operation was concluded. One was conscious that dignity was lost in the length of the procedure, and one could not help feeling that an application of retrenchment, a quickening, would be better for the ceremony and better for everybody.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 10 June 1909, Page 8
Word Count
517"SWEARING-IN." Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 10 June 1909, Page 8
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