Lagura: The brilliant professor and his smart chauffeur

Fr. Flor Lagura SVD

HIS name had attained so much fame that people in the academic and scientific circles spoke of Dr. Albert Einstein with much reverence and respect.

Nobody recalled his forgettable high school years in Germany. Nor did his performance in college merit high praise. His professors could not understand and even disagreed with his answers to questions they posed.

As a high school math teacher, he was still so-so. But, unnoticed to most people, the genius in Albert Einstein slowly but surely emerged, most especially when he startled the scientific world with his Theory of Relativity.

Fame and recognition came from all over the world. Princeton University offered him a professorial chair. Invitations to lecture came from well-known colleges and universities.

To cope with these demands, Einstein hired a driver. Together they toured practically the whole of the United States and Canada.

At one point, his driver dared to suggest, saying: “Dr. Einstein, for several months, I have heard your lecture over a hundred times. By now, I know your lecture by heart. Why don’t you allow me to deliver the lecture in the next university?” To which the professor meekly agreed. So they changed places, even exchanged clothes: the driver with the professor’s robe, Einstein with the chauffeur’s cap.

At the end of the lecture, the audience gave a standing ovation. Then, the question and answer session followed.

A professor from the local university posed a highly complex question. Without batting an eyelash, the driver-disguised-as-professor calmly replied: “That question, Sir, is a very easy.” Then turning to and directing his finger at Einstein, the driver simply said, “Even my driver here can answer that!”

(N.B. No one knows the fate of the driver.)

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