The St. Johns herald., 1894-08-02
ARTISTS IN THE NAVY.
How Jolly Jack Loves to Decorate
 His Body.
TattooIng Still Flourishes as 8 Profession, Especially Among the Man-O'-Wars Men-It Is Not Painful. Nor Is k1, It Very Beautiful.

1t IS hard to say, but It Is certain that about nine-tenths of the seafaring men of the world are tattooed on some parts of their bodies. Among the uncivilized of almost every cline this custom of marking and defacing the body has been quite common, and it is very probable that the sailors, in their cruises to foreign lands untraveled by civilized people. picked up the custom. In my experience among sailors, writes Dion Williams in the Washington Star, have often noticed the many queer devices tattooed all over the bodies, or on some part of these hardy, good-natured fellows that love "a life on the ocean wave better than the dry land.
 It is probably among men-o'-war's men that the custom is most near ly universal, and there is scarcely ship in the navy but has some blue jacket aboard who is an artist with the tattooing needle. It is said that the Chinese are the most expert at this queer trade, and their designs are often artistic-that is, artistic in the sense of the dragon and snake style of art peculiar to Japan and China.
 The outfit of tattooing artist con- sists of few needle points stuck in the end of fine stick, forming sort of steel comb. a few sticks of India ink, generally black, blue and red, and a few mixing cups, and always book of samples in which are crudely drawn in chalk the flashing designs that the artist is able to make. Seated on a ditty box or the deck, the artist first takes the arm or the place to be tattooed and draws in ink the design to be made. He then draws the skin tightly and with the steel needle points punctures the skin along the design, first dipping the needle points into the color to be used. The operation is not particularly painful, no more so than sticking a sharp needle through the skin, which, if anyone tries to do with deliberation, he will find not particu- larly painful. The place tattooed then becomes sore to an extent depending upon the size of the design and the place tattooed, but it generally com pletely heals within ten days, and the design in colors is indelibly incorpo- rated into the skin. There is no known means of removing it after it is once on, except to remove the skin tattooed, which would, of course, leave a severe scar.
 On board a man-of-war in the early morning after reveille the men all over the decks take off their clothing and wash themselves, and it is then that have found the best opportunity to notice the.queer designs in tattooing on back, breast, legs and arms. The adsssslgRGS7J are EieGRe in toF oEafta i5ance, el IS
 grizzled old tar with messy breast. whose back is covered with a ship un- der full sail, with the men on her decks ten times too big for proper propor- tions. Another has on his breast a picture which his fond imagination paints into the glorious fight in Mobile bay, with Farragut and the Hartford in the foreground and cannon below ing red clouds of fire all around. The old jackey points with pride to it and tells an admiring crowd of young ap- prentice boys, who stand around, of that glorious summer day when Farra- gut, ever dear to the navy as their Grand Old Admiral said: "D-n the torpedoes," and led the squadron to victory in the old Hartford. She was then the pride of the navy, and now is being rebuilt to be put in active serv- ice, according to an act of congress, which provides for keeping the Hart ford and Kearsarge in the service in commemoration of their gallant record in the civil way.
 Many bluejacllets have a picture of the crucifiXion tattooed upon them, though one whom saw with it cover ing the whole of his back seemed little fitted to bear so devout an ornament, for when another sailor stepped on his bare foot such torrents of real sailor profanity came from his mouth that there could be little doubt that he had forgotten the day of repentance when he had the cross tattooed on his back. These large designs cause such great expanse of skin to become irritated that they become quite painful if done all at once, so they are generally done in sections, sometimes so unsl1illfully | that the marks show, making a sort of | checkerboard picture. Some Of the de- signs are very grotesque. 1 remember | one very well done, one of a monkey on mans leg, that always caused a smile ! among those who saw it. The blue jackets often have pictures of their sweethearts tattooed on their arms or breast, and it makes little difference 1 if the sweetheart herself changes from l time to time, for the picture will look | as much like one as another, and the | wearer's imagination will do the rest. | How History Might Have Been Changed. |
 An interesting incident" of the | career of the great Napoleon has been brought to light by Prof. Rambaud, who has just been rewarded for his | ''History of Russia with the cross of | the Legion of Honor. Bonaparte, as is | well known, was at one time disgusted 1 with the slowness of his promotion and entertained serious thoughts of di-