The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-01
AN INpIANIAN ABROAD.


Thanks to President McKinley's apprecia-
ton of merit and his patriotic desire to
have the United States properly represented
in foreign countries, there are several In
dianians abroad, bat it is not of these that
the Journal would speak at present. Nor
yet of those natives or citizens of the State
who are travelling abroad purely for pleas
ure or for the purpose of seeing how many
new garments they can bring back with
them, duty free, under the Dingley tariff.
All these Indianians have their proper place
in the scale of merit, but they are not en-
braced in the scope of this article. 1t re-
lates to only one Indianian abroad and who
is there ION his own hook, as it were,
without any commission from the President
and for the sole purpose of demonstrating
to foreigners that, in the language of Col.
David Crockett, some things can be done
as we'll as Others by Americans. We re-
fer to Mr. Sloan, of Kokomo, better known
as TOD Sloan, the jockey" Our ambassa-
doris, ministers, consuls general and con-
suls in foreign countries are welcome to
their titles of Hon., general, colonel, or
Tod, without even a middle name. Just now
he is attracting more attention than any
other American abroad, and as he has
achieved international fame by his own
merit and accomplishments the Journal
takes pleasure in extending to him across
the ocean the glad hand of Hoosier fellow
ship. For be it known that Tod Sloan was
to-, T1Iro ND hat
he lived in that town until his ambition
and achievements outgrew it, when he
sought a wider field. The boy was father of
the man, and it was Indiana soil and lndi-
ana food that developed in Tod the qualities
that were to make him famous-strength,
courage, daring, energy, self-confdence
and rare talent for good luck. These are
good qualities whether they belong to
statesman or a jockey. Moreover, Tod has
shown that he is possessed of a good heart,
for ever since fortune has been smiling on
him he has remembered with substantial
presents his foster parents in Kokomo, who
cared for him in his orphaned childhood.
Like many other men of genius he tried
many things with Indifferent success, until
he found his mission and struck his gait in
riding race horses. Providence seems to
have designed him for a jockey for, be-
sides possessing the qualities above named,
he weighs only ninety pounds at the age OF
twenty three years. Providence made no
mistake, for Tod is at once the smallest and
the most celebrated jockey in the world.
He went to London to teach Englishmen
how to ride and win races, and he is doing
it. When Sir Joshua Reynolds, the great
portrait painter, was asked what he mixed
his paints with, he answered, with
brains'' Tod rides with brains. He tells
Englishmen frankly that he has no fixed
rules or method of riding. but that he rides
different horses and different races in diff
ferent ways. He rides to win, and he fas
demonstrated the soundness of his method
to the extent that has captured the British
sporting world as it has never been cap
tured before. Going there stranger and
subject to the prejudice attaching to an
American interloper he has beat the British
riders at their own game, on their own
ground, and brought all the breeders, own
ers and trainers of English race horses to
his feet. Moreover, he is living in elegant
apartments at one of the best hotels in Lon
don, and, though he is a jockey by protes-
sion, he has the manners of an independent
self-respecting American Pope says:
Honor and fame from no condition rise;
Act well your part, there all the honor lies.
An honest jockey who understands ms
business is more to be respected than dis
honest statesman who does not Tod Sloan
has shown the British that he is past
master in sport of which they claim to be
masters. He is an Indianian abroad of
whom we are proud.