In this Parliament, and at this great hour,
they appear in quite another, and perfectly new character. Amid all the
groups of this House they stand out for their unbroken and unbreakable
silence, for their unshakable self-control. Taunts, insults, gentle and
seductive invitations, are addressed to them--from the front, from
behind, from their side; they never open their lips--the silent, stony,
and eternal silence of the Sphinx is not more inflexible. And similarly
men rage, some almost seem to threaten each other with physical
violence; _they_ sit still--silent, watchful, composed. Not all, of
course. There are the young, and the vehement, and the undisciplined;
but that Old Guard which was created by Parnell--which went with him
through coercion, and the wildest of modern agitations--which contains
men that have lived for years under the shadow of the living death of
penal servitude--men who have passed the long hours of the day--the
longer hours of the night--in the cheerless, maddening, spectral silence
of the whitewashed cells--the Old Parliamentary Guard is silent.
I have been in the House of Commons for upwards of thirteen years; and
in the course of that stormy time have, of course, seen many scenes of
passion, anger, and tumult; but the scene which ensued on May 8th, after
Mr.
Pages:
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261