'Russia and India in 1903' [‎back-i] (67/68)

Demy 8vo, cloth, 414 pp. 7s. 6 d. net.
P. S. KING & SON, Orchard House, Westminster.
PARLIAMENT:
ITS ROMANCE
ITS COMEDY
ITS PATHOS.
BY
MICHAEL MACDONAGH,
Author of "The Book of Parliament," and "Irish Life and Character,'
Contents :—
The King: His Prerogatives and Disabilities—The First of our Con
stitutional Sovereigns—How Edward VII. Opened his First Parliament—
The Old House of Commons and the New—The Old House of Lords and
the New—“ Privilege ! Privilege !’’—The Great Seal of England—The
Evolution of the Parliamentary Oath—Maiden Speeches—The Quaint
Side of Parliament—Unparliamentary Expressions—The Current Coin of
Politicians—“Hansard”—The Humours of Parliamentary Reporting—
Last Speeches of Great Parliamentarians.
BOMB JRBVIBWS.
TIMES. —“ Although a good many books have already been written on our Legisla
ture, there is room for more, especially when the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. is well informed and knows how
to interest his reader.”
ST. JAMES’S GAZETTE. —“The book is well written, well informed, and is
altogether most attractive and readable.”
PALL MALL GAZETTE. —“It is the best picture of Parliament in all its aspects
that has been got together within the covers of one volume.”
DAILY EXPRESS. —“‘Parliament’ is so brightly written that no one will skip a
line of this pleasant and profitable compilation.”
ACADEMY. —“Into this wonderful theatre 01 policies and passions, of enduring
measures and passing men, Mr. MacDonagh takes us with the skill of a completely
informed guide. His chapters on the King’s prerogatives, on Queen Victoria’s relations
with her Cabinets and Parliaments, and on the Great Seal of England, are a little aside
from the rest of the book, but they are in no way superfluous. They extend our vision
into the higher parts of the Constitution and give atmosphere and explication to the
whole. . . . We have skimmed only a little of Mr. MacDonagh’s cream, and the rest we
leave with confidence, and with hearty recommendation, to the readers of this most
entertaining book.”
ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS. —“ It is still a legal maxim that ‘the King can
do no wrong.’ His Ministers may err, but he is infallible. He is also deathless, for,
according to the law, the Sovereign never dies. Moreover, he is omniscient from the
moment of his birth, and a despot in bis cradle. Nothing comes of this omniscience and
despotism, but that is the beauty of the Constitution. Mr. MacDonagh describes these
grave affairs with unfailing erudition and a sly humour which is very taking. Nothing
better than his narrative of the adventures of the Great Seal of England (once used for
making pancakes) is to be found in the works of Mr. W. S. Gilbert.”