The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-08-22
SPOILED HIS SERMON
WHY ONE NAVAL OFFICER STOPPED
JAWiNG ABOUT TArToolNc.


ed Remarks ON the subject to lose
Force, Putting the Laugh ON Him
At the Same Time ~ Well.
"There was an officer of the line put
on the retired list the other day. said
an old time messenger at the navy de-
partment who put in many cruises as
q petty officer in the United States sea
service, "who got himself into an odd
pickle one morning by taking a shower
bath.
This officer was fine sailorman to
serve under, and the men were mighty
fond of him. But he had one kink.
That was his opposition to the practice
Of tattooing He was first luff' or
executive officer of the ship at the
time I'm speaking Of, and, while he
was particularly easy on his crew, he
certainly had a habit of coming down
on 'em like thousand Of brick for the
tattooing business. There were a lot
of men in the crew that did tattooing,
and the first luff' kept an eye on them.
He didn't want any of the new young
chaps in the service to get themselves
marked up, and when he caught the
lads with new punches of ink on their
persons he Invariably berated them
sOundly and sent the tattooers to the
mast There was no regulation then,
as there is now, against tattooing, and
SO the executive officer couldn't punish
the tattooers, but he always lectured
them pretty soundly at that. But he
couldn't stamp out the practice. The
young fellows entering the service as
landsman weren't little bit contented
until they'd got themselves marked up
like the old Flatfeet.
This executive officer, however, con-
sidered the practice foolish and bar
barous and idiotic. as it no doubt is, al
though I've got the ink scattered over
q good deal of my old frame. l remem-
Der that while l was attached to the
ship Of which this officer was the first
luf' l went ashore at Nagasaki, ia
pan, one afternoon and came across a
Jap tattooer whose work was high
grade. had a small vacant space
being good deal younger then than l
am now and bit under the sake, 1
doubt not at that, had this Jap tattoo
list needle me the American flag and
the Irish emblem intertwined on that
vacant space. Well, the next morning
l was doing my stunt on deck, with
my sleeves rolled up and that raised
left arm. The executive officer caught
sight of it, and he rounded on me in
stantly.
"'Well. you ought to have 80 days in
some lubbers' JAIL said he to me. An
old jack like you getting himself scrap
ed up like any beach comber after all
your years in deep water! You ought
to be ashamed of yourselfv
Il felt pretty sheepish. of course. but
l told him that l wouldn't ha' had it
done if it hadn't been for bit too
much rice wine the afternoon before,
but he only snorted and walked aft.
'Well, only two mornings after that
this kindly first luff' showed himself
up and got the terrible laugh from the
whole ships company for'ard. The Of
ficers had rugged up a shower bath on
the after deck, under which. with only
a pair of small trunks on, they'd stand
when they got up on the hot mornings
to get cooled off. The apparatus had
only been up for couple of days when
on this morning that I'm speaking of
the executive officer, who was an ex
ceedingly absentminded man. pranced
,, out with his little pair of new trunks
and. turning the water on. stood under
the shower. gasping and enjoying him
self. 1t was about an hour after all
hands in the morning. and all the men
were on deck. Well. when they saw
the first lutf' stripped that way there
went up shout from that ships COM
pany that sounded like a homeward
bound roar.
"For the executive officer was just
one mass Of fine tattooing from his
neck to his middle. 1t was all Japa-
nese work-dragons, eagles. snakes,
dainty garden scenes and all that sort
of stuff-in all Of the japanese tattoo
| er's colors. His arms had all kinds of
adders and pythons and boa constric-
! tors cOiled around them, and, all in all,
uOu UelleNe any VI US III Tie crew
| had ever seen a man. for'ard or aft, so
completely tattooed up as that first
luf' of ours was.
when he heard the tremendous
| laugh. the executive officer looked up in
surprise. and when he saw the whole
ships company doing nothing but stare
at him with grins he turned as red as
beet, looked down at himself and
hustled for his room at the gallop. He
looked pretty sheepish and red when
he emerged about half an hour later in
uniform. but he took it all good natur-
edly. and that afternoon he said to me
on the quiet:
| "'You lads for'ard have got it ON me
sure enough. but l had those imbecile
things needed on me when l was a
pinhead of cadet. thinking it was fine.
Anyhow. it's not a case Of doing as
do, but of doing as sayv
Il could only grin in reply. and he
snorted and then grinned and went aft
"From then on until the wind up of
The cruise he never said another word
against Washington Star.
The Independence of Riches.
"My daughter" said the lady with
the chin that Tapped over itself, "is