our party stops in front of a quaint old chair of oak. "That is the coronation chair," whispers one of the girls excitedly.

THE CORONATION CHAIR

it. On coronation day it is The sword of state and the are there beside the chair."

"What is that old stone under it?" inquires another of the party.

"The Stone of Scone," explains his father. "It was once the emblem of the Scotch Princes, and it is said to be the stone Jacob used for a pillow. King Edward I brought it to London in 1297, after Scotland had been conquered by the English." "Was the present King crowned in that chair?"

"Yes, and every English monarch since Edward I has also been crowned in covered with gold brocade. shield of King Edward III

Not far from Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament stand on the banks of the Thames. They cover eight acres of ground and cost over $15,000,000. They are best seen from the river, where their frontage is over nine hundred feet, and they present a very beautiful appearance with their three great towers and many little spires and turrets. When Parliament is sitting, the union flag is flying from the highest tower, the Victoria, in the daytime, while a light shines in the Clock Tower at night. Up in the Clock Tower is a bell which the London

people call "Big Ben." It is one of the largest bells in the world, and weighs thirteen tons. On a calm day, its heavy deep-toned strokes can be heard throughout the great city.

The Houses of Parliament contain a hundred staircases, eleven courts, and eleven hundred apartments. In these buildings there are statues of the English rulers, beginning with William the Conqueror, and in almost

every room are costly paintings and elaborate decorations. The two rooms which are of special interest to us are those in which the two "houses" meet the House of Commons and the House of Lords - which, in a way, are like our Congress and Senate at Washington.

Through the invitation of a member of Parliament, we are fortunate in being admitted to the House of Commons when it is in session. Our first impression of the

room is disappointing, for it is smaller than we had expected. At the right of the Speaker, or President, are the seats of the party in power, and the front bench is occupied by the Ministers of the Empire. On the left of the Speaker are seated the men who belong to the Opposition, the leaders occupying the front bench. Directly in front of the Speaker is the clerk's table on which the mace, the symbol of the Speaker's authority, lies when the House is " sitting." On each side of the House of Commons is a room known as a "division lobby." When a vote is taken, members who vote "Aye" pass into the lobby at the Speaker's right, while those who vote "No" go to that on his left, where all are counted.

Although the House of Commons consists of nearly seven hundred members, there are seats for only 476; so that, when an exciting bill is being discussed, and all the members are present, many of them must stand. No one has a desk before him, as our members of Congress have,

THE LOWER HOUSE

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and if a member wishes to write, he generally uses his hat for a desk. The Speaker is dressed in a long black robe, and wears a gray peruke that falls below his shoulders. We find it all very strange and interesting.

The House of Commons is the strongest ruling force in England, having really more power than the House of Lords, or even the King himself. Indeed, it is said that the King of England has less power than the President

of the United States, and some say that the mayor of one of our great cities is a more powerful ruler than is the King of Great Britain. But the House of Commons is strong only because it represents the people; and if the man who is elected does not truly represent those who elect him, he is very soon compelled to give up his place to one who will.

In the House of Lords the conditions are different, for every member there owes his seat to his rank. There are

about six hundred peers or lords. The rule is for the eldest son to inherit the rank of his father. These peers include the five orders of nobility, — dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons.

The room in which the House of Peers assemble is very elaborately furnished, the benches for its five hundred and fifty members being luxuriously upholstered in red leather. Representations of all the kings and queens since the Conquest are to be seen in the twelve stained-glass windows, and in the niches between the windows are statues of the barons who compelled King John to grant the Magna Charta which gave the English people many of their most highly prized rights. On the walls and on the beautifully carved ceilings are various emblems and paintings of royal personages.

In the House of Lords is the great throne of the Sovereign of England. It is covered with a gilded canopy, and is a little higher than the throne of the Prince of Wales, which is on its right. On the other side of it is a throne for the Queen. In front of the throne is a small cushioned stool, which is the Lord Chancellor's "woolsack." In the days of Queen Elizabeth, when it was believed that wool was the greatest source of wealth, an act of Parliament was passed to prevent wool from being sent out of the country. In order to help the judges and others to keep this fact in mind, woolsacks were placed in the House of Peers. Upon these the judges and the Lord Chancellor were to sit, and the custom continues to this day.

Until 1858, the House of Commons, four times every year, used to attend service in state in St. Margaret's Church near by. Neither the age nor the beautiful windows of this church are so interesting to us as is the fact that Sir Walter Raleigh's body, after his execution in 1618 in