privileged and distinguished visitors, and Lady Selby, the wife of the late Lord Selby — better known, perhaps, as Mr. Gully, who died in 1909, and who retired from the Speakership of the House of Commons in 1905, being succeeded by the present Speaker, the Rt. Hon. J. W. Lowther — more than once acted as hostess to Royalty in that gallery. Mr. and Mrs. Qully Mr. Gully was Speaker of the House of Commons for ten years, from 1895 to 1905, and was fortunate in possessing a wife whose charm, tact, and discretion were no less marked than her accomplishments. Unlike Mrs. J. W. Lowther, who cares little for society. Lady Selby was often to be seen at fashionable functions, and prior to her husband being appointed to the Speaker's chair took a lively interest in politics. A striking illustration, by the way, of the regard in which the Speaker is held by all parties is furnished by the fact that while Lord Selby, who was Speaker during the time Conservatives were mostly in power, was a Liberal, Mr. Lowther, who has been Speaker during the Liberal administration, is really a Conservative. The Speaker, however, does not cease to hold office when a dissolution terminates the existence of Parliament. Once elected, he is Speaker until he retires or is raised to the peerage, unless, of course, a party strongly objects to him retaining the office. A peerage is invariably bestowed upon the Speaker after a number of years. It is one of the rewards of the office, together with a retiring pension of ;^4,ooo a year. This recalls a story to the effect that when Mr. Lowther was offered his present dignity he is said to have remarked : " This means a peerage, which I don't want ; a town house, which I have already ; and ;^5,ooo a year, which I can do without." Political Crises At times of political crises, the Speaker's wife has cause for no little anxiety, for, although her husband takes no sides in legislative warfare, the country looks to him for the smooth running of the parliamentary machine, and the least slip on his part in the House, or on hers in connection with social duties, might give rise to further bitterness between the respective parties. Take the time, for instance, of the Home Rule split, 1885-86, when Viscount Peel, Lord Selby's predecessor, was Speaker of the House, " Mr. Speaker " was then in a most remarkable dilemma, and had to take the extraordinary but undoubtedly wise course of leaving one of the very greatest statesmen of the day out of all his parties, t because he would not fit exactly into any of i them. This was the late Duke of Devonshire. T then the Marquis of Hartington. Similarly/, his wife, who died in 1890, during the time her husband held the Speakership, had to I use very careful judgment in the selection of 747 LADY OF QUALITY her guests ; for feeling ran high at that time, and by inviting two people antagonistic to each other she might have set a spark to an explosion in the political world, the result of which might have been very serious. It is just the same to-day. While adopt- ing an impartial attitude to all, it is, of course, Mrs. Lowther's duty to bring to- gether at her receptions only those people who, although they may be enemies in politics, are quite friendly in private. We have not yet reached that ideal state of things when all political enemies can say that enmity ends when social functions begin, and it is in consequence of this that each particular reception or dinner at the Speaker's house is set aside for certain people. Bombs In the House Many were the exciting episodes which marked Viscount Peel's Speakership. He was once told by the secret police that a man with bombs entered the Ladies' Gallery one day disguised as a woman. On another occasion he saw the House of Commons after a bomb had exploded in the Peers' Gallery. " The woodwork hung in shreds," says the viscount. " The back of the Speaker's chair was pierced with a piece of metal, and it would have passed through the Speaker, but, fortunately, he was not sitting there." It is generally admitted by men of all parties that the House has not for many years had a more popular Speaker than " Jimmy " Lowther, as he is known to his intimates. He is a man whose quiet, tactful, and pleasant ways have earned for him the esteem of all members. To his sporting proclivities, however, as well as to his patience and humour, " Jimmy" owes much of his popularity. He combines hunting with golfing and fencing, being an adept with the foils, while indoors he finds recrea- tion in caricaturing his friends. Many are the stories told of how Mr. Lowther has " saved the situation," by his quiet humour. One day the Unionists were pressing Mr. Winston Churchill to answer a question which he preferred to ignore. The Speaker was appeale'd to by a member, who demanded to know whether the Minister could not be made to give an answer. " You can't get blood out of a stone," came the prompt reply ; and there the incident ended. Savins: the Situation On another occasion, a Liberal member put a question to a Minister, who ignored it. "Is it not a fact, Mr. Speaker," he said, " that a private member has a right to ask any question of a Minister ? " " Certainly," replied the Speaker gravely, " members have the right to ask any ques- tion " — cheers from the Liberal benches — " but," he continued after a pause, " that does not necessarily mean that Ministers are compelled to answer them." I
