Mr. Sinclair withdrew all Horses from the remaining Races. He would
withdraw them for Life if he knew it would restore this Kid who worked
for him, back to normal again.
Now what made this One Hundred and Ten Pounds (half portion of physical
manhood) beloved by not only the racing Public but by the masses who
never bet a cent on a Horse race in their lives? The same thing that
will make a man great in any line--his absolute HONESTY. The racing
public are very fickle and when they lose they are apt to lay blame on
almost any quarter. But win or lose, they knew it was not Sande. To
have insinuated to one of them that he ever pulled a Horse, would have
been taking your Life in your hands. What do you suppose he could have
gotten out of some bunch of betting Crooks to have pulled Zev in the
big International Race? Why, enough to retire on and never have to take
another chance with his Life by riding. He could have done it on the
back stretch and no one would have ever known.
Ability is all right but if it is not backed up by Honesty and Public
confidence you will never be a Sande. A man that don’t love a Horse,
there is something the matter with him. If he has no sympathy for the
man that does love Horses then there is something worse the matter
with him. The best a Man can do is to arrive at the top of his chosen
profession. I have always maintained that one Profession is deserving
of as much honor as another provided it is honorable.
Through some unknown process of reasoning we have certain things that
are called Arts, and to be connected with them raises you above your
fellow Man. Say, how do they get that way? If a Man happens to take up
Painting and becomes only a mediocre painter, why should he be classed
above the Bricklayer who has excelled every other Bricklayer? The
Bricklayer is a true Artist in his line or he could not have reached
the top. The Painter has not been acclaimed the best in his line hence
the Bricklayer is superior. Competition is just as keen in either line.
In fact there are more good bricklayers than Painters. If you are the
best Taxi Driver you are as much an Artist as Kreisler. You save lives
by your skilful driving. That’s a meritorious profession, is it not?
A Writer calls himself a Literary Man or an Artist. There are thousands
of them, and all, simply because they write, are termed Artists. Is
there a Sande among them? Caruso was great, but he had only to show
ability. He didn’t have to demonstrate any honesty. Nobody tried to
keep him from singing his best by bribery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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