The House of Commons amused itself on Tuesday with one
of those discussions about its own business of which it has so many, but which so seldom advance business ODR step. Mr. C. Forster wanted Parliament to meet in the last week of November, instead of the first week of February, arguing that if it did the Session might break up in June, and members enjoy some of the pleasant part of the year. He showed, which was easy, that a vast amount of public business is left undone, and tried to show, which is difficult, that hunting would not be interfered with. Mr. Gladstone concurred in the principle of the motion, and was quite pathetic over the fate of Londoners who never see a leaf in June, but doubted the early closing of the Session, unless much more serious changes were attempted. Mr. Whitbread (a possible Speaker) thought a modification of Mr. Forster's plan would work best, the House commencing its sittings with the year—a proposal which might be carried—bat, like Mr. Forster's, would not shorten the Session. Work might be better done, but there would be more of it, and the Administration would be quite worn out. Only picked lives can stand Treasury work as it is, and six weeks more of the double strain would be too much even for picked lives. It is the hardest of tasks to alter a nation's habits, and our habit is to live in London when nature is beautiful, and live in the country when the trees are leafless.
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