The Osceola times., 1884-11-01
THE VICTIM OF TATTOO.
The Difference of standpoint Between
Fourteen and Forty.

TtSftls WIN Eftditf DliUtffltsS tidu any
of his sins, however scarlet, and that is
his mania for having been tattooed II
came upon him before he was sophisti-
Gated, when his mind was uniformed and
totally unable to comprehend the sin
against taste he was about TO commit.
He wonders, as he thinks it over from
the settled standpoint of forty years,
how he could ever have been such fool
Why he should have planned and con
spired and suffered in order 10 have hi
person disfgured, under the hallucina-
ton that II was being beautifed he can
not now understand He simply realiz
es that the mind at forty looks at things
very different from what it did at four
teen.
There is something sad as well as lu-
dicrous in his recollections of the days
when he had his epidermis indelibly H.
lustrated. He recalls the anxious thought
he gave to the subject, the days when he
talked it over with admired chums who
were far in advance Of him in exterior
decoration, and whose legs and arms
and hands and feet, were covered with
every device known TO tattoo artists
And the fear of parental disapproval he
remembers very distinctly; but it did
not save him future humiliation. He
wonders why he was possessed of 50
much temerity and so little sense, How
anxious he was to have it done, let the
lash of parental wrath fall heavily as i.
might. What thought he gave to II,
how inflamed his mind became as he lay
wakeful night after night thinking ofthis
momentous event.
And afer he lad decided to take all
risks and have it done, what severe
thought he gave to the style of picture
and the notices which were to be put up.
on him. Tattooing being perpetuated
| by seaiaring men, most ol its designs are
of maritime character Ships, anchors
| flags, stars, crosses and inhabitants o.
of the deep figure extensively.
The mature victim of tattooing gives q
smile of pity TO his early self as he re-
members that one of the arguments
which lured him on in tattoo.ng deprav.
ity was that once on the design could
never be taken off. This peculiarly
which then seemed so admirable has
been the grief Of his manhood. He was
not content to have his arms and legs il
lustfated, he let the tattooer's fancy
have iull swing on the back of one OF
his hands. There it is, in full sight
ahaming him with the vulgar tastes OF
his boyhood through long and esthetiC
life.
He resorts 10 gloves whenever it is
possible 20 do SO but when he dimes
among fair women ana brave men the
anchor on his hand chains him to earth
as nothing else could. How can he soar
with that indelible proof of early vulgar
! ity before al! mems eyes? He magnifes
this modest picture into a panorama OF
hideous scenes. He hates it worse than
he hates all his vices, open and conceal
ed. u the midst of his success it re-
Dukes him when his pride is most ex-
alted it humb,es him. If his conscience
were half so capable of calling him TO
order his life would be freer rom mis-
takes.
His horror of the embellishments on
his hand is largely enhanced by the
knowledge that his arm is covered with
notices and the flags of all nations. In
his green and salad days he took great
fancy to the motto OF Chevalier Bayard
without fear aud without reproach, y
and had it put on his arm indelihly
When he is cringing with shame over
his disiigrred hand he thinks oil this and
bushes redder than ever.
! In his days of love-making he tells
| his sweetheart how much ashamed OF
| his India-ink decorations he is; grows
confidential and bemoans his boyish
folly, then tries to laugh about it in his
mirthless way.
When he sees another man all
scrawled over with maritime emblems
he is made as diabolically happy as a
tame parrot when he sees one of his own
kind, native to the forest, ensnared. Fol
/ the time it seems to relieve him of his
own miser,.
! He doesn't mind what other men think
or say about his dlsfgurements, but he
/ is miserable when he remembers how
women hate such things. And there is
no help for him. His sins, his weakness
| ses, his follies he can conceal. but thi.
honey stamp of bovish idiocy goads
him worse than any other lash. 1t cuts
into his vanity, not his conscience, and
any wound in that tender locality is
very painful and slow to heal.
He exaggerate the hideousness of the
decorations on his epidermis. Really
| others scarcely give them a thought, but
he can't realize that He is the great
| firure in the universe in his opinlon
and anything like blot upon his fair
exterior is a continual menace to his
peace of mind.
Perhaps it is heart with a dagger
through it which ornaments the back OF
his hand. This being the case, he is
compelled to hear a thousand witless
witticisms about wearing his heart even
more conspicuOusly than upon his sleeve
He would be willing to go back and
live his life all over again if he could
just for the sake of going through il
without those hateful marks upon him.
He sighs as he remembers that they will
60 with him 20 his grave. Il
The man who dyes his hair gsr
smiling through life unconscious ofcoru
figure he cuts, and never losing ,Si.rts
OF sleep on account of wounded Va.
Even the man who wears a wig, the cot+
pulent man and the man with queer
eyes are cheerful and apparently with.
out fragment of worriment on their
minds, while the man with few foolish
daubs of pigment on his hand or wrist
spends hours in self-torture over what
is simply looked upon as the record of a
childish fincy.
There are, in all probability, velv