Gladstone clever, or Disraeli clever?
The following story was recounted by Princess Marie Louise, grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, and is recorded in The Faber Book of Anecdotes:-
A young lady was taken to dinner one evening by Gladstone and the following evening by Disraeli. Asked what impressions these two celebrated men had made upon her, she replied, “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.
This prompts me to reflect that there are, amongst teachers, two types of cleverness. There is, on the one hand, the person who makes the listener think: “He must be very clever; I don’t understand a word of what he is saying.” Then, on the other hand, there is the teacher to whom people respond: “Now I understand! I’m not so stupid after all!”
I know which type I would rather be.