84
Denkend aan recente ontwikkelingen in het Nederlandse
parlement bezorgt deze passage het feest der herkenning.
Hierbij levert Dickens als illustratie het parlementslid Elijah Pogram.
Martin Chuzzlewit ontmoet Pogram, die tijdens het reces van het
Congress door het land reist om de achterban beter te leren kennen.
Een omstander spreekt over de "Pogram Defiance
"What is the Pogram Defiance?" asked Martin, thinking, perhaps, it
was the sign of a public-house.
"An o-ration, sir" returned his friend.
"Oh! to be sure," cried Martin. "What arn 1 thinking of! It defied-"
"It defied the world sir," said the other, gravely. "Defied the world in
general to com-pete with our country upon any hook; and devellop'd
our internal resources for making war upon the universal airth. You
would like to know Elijah Pogram, sir?".
Elijah Pogram ontmoet Martin en vraagt hem:
"You are from Eden, sir? How did you like Eden?"
Martin said what he thought of that part of the country, in pretty
strong terms.
"It is strange," said Pogram, looking round upon the group, "this
hatred of our country, and her Institutions! This national antipathy is
deeply rooted in the British mind!"
"Good Heaven, sir," cried Martin. "Is the Eden Land Corporation,
with Mr Scadder at its head, and all the misery it has worked, at its
door, an Institution of America? A part of any form of government
that ever was known or heard of?"
"I con-sider the cause of this to be," said Pogram, looking round
again and taking himself up where Martin had interrupted him,
"partly jealousy and pre-judice, and partly the nat'ral unfitness of the
British people to appreciate the ex-alted Institutions of our native
land. I expect, sir," turning to Martin again, "that a gentleman named
Chollop happened in upon you during your lo-cation in the town of
Eden?"
"Yes," answered Martin; "but my friend can answer this better than I
can, for I was very ill at the time. Mark! The gentleman is speaking
of Mr Chollop."
"Oh. Yes, sir. Yes. I see him," observed Mark.
"A splendid example of our na-tive raw material, sir?" said Pogram,
interrogatively.
"Indeed, sir!" cried Mark.
The Honourable Elijah Pogram glanced at his friends as though he
would have said, "Observe this! See what follows!" and they
rendered tribute to the Pogram genius by a gentle munnur.
