Parliament is to meet on Thursday, February 21st, —that is,
next Thursday fortnight, —for the transaction of business. That is about a fortnight later than usual, by way of making up for the very late and very protracted Autumn Session, which only ended on Christmas Eve. Let us hope that some way may be found to cut short the debate on the Address, which has recently wasted, and worse than wasted, from a fortnight to three weeks of the time of the House of Commons. Why have not the constituencies yet made up their minds to promise their support to dumb, if not also deaf representatives, or at least to representatives who, for the next Session or two at least, will promise to act as though they were dumb in the House of Commons ? Perhaps evolution may be destined to find a final cause for dumbness in the usefulness of the dumb to the House of Commons, and a final cause for the House of Commons, in the field it may provide for the discipline and encouragement of the dumb.
