Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
IA1Too|NG IN THE NAVY
PRACTICE STILL HAS A STRONG
HOLD ON THE SAILoRlKAN.
Natives Of the South Sea Islands
Probably the originators Of
the Custom.

''Tattooing in the Navy is the subject
of report made by Surgeon Ammen
Farenholt of the navy as a result OF his
observations while serving on the receive
ing ship Independence at the navy yard,
Mare Island. Cal
why this form of personal adorn-
ment." says Surgeon Farenholt. should
be so popular with those whose profession
1t Is to follow the sea is difficult to ex-
plain: but custom and sentiment without
doubt keep alive a practice which. in the
early days. was the mark of true deep
water sailor and a necessary requisite to
the beau ideal. The custom probably
originated among the natives OF the South
Sea Islands. where at one time II was al
most universally In vogue, whence N wds
carried by admiring voyagers to home
ports and In turn initiated by the envious.
The name Is considered to have been de-
the same meaning.
Abandoned by Savages.
While tattooing originated as an adorn-
ment of uncivilized peoples. IL is TAR less
common among them today than it was
formerly. partly through the influence of
missionaries, partly through the influence
OF public sentiment and. partly through
government interference, as Is at present
the case in Japan. On the other hand,
the total extent of this habit has prob
ably never been greater than 1t Is at the
present time. Although it may be there
is slight decrease in the percentage OF
tattooed persons who adopt the sea as q
means of livelihood. there is certainly a
marked increase among those who travel
and even among those who live at dis
lance from the influences Of the sea.
There is hardly any large city but has one
or more professional tattooers, often ex-
man-of-warsmen or Japanese, who adj
vertise freely and who cater to the lure
Of this fascination. Lombroso states that
few people, with the fortunate exception
Of sailors. are tattooed who are not OF
the criminal class or degenerate While
on shore 1t is probable that the custom Is
chiefly confined to the lower orders of So
ciety. the same cannot be said Of the Sea-
going population"
DR.. Farenholt examined the enlistment
records OF 1872 men. being the enlist
ments on the Independence for eight and
one-half years. These records show that
the percentage found tattooed on exam
ination for second and subsequent enlist
ments was 1881 and the percentage found
tattooed on examination for first enlist
ment was 23.O1. The opinion Is expressed
that about 90 per cent of persons who
have served over ten years In the navy
are tattooed.
DR.. Farenholt says it is not fair to as
sumo from the figures that % per cent of
all male citizens are tattoOed. as a con-
siderable proportion of applicants for Ell
listment are seafaring men. He was sur
prised to find so many. probably per
cent of the recruits. who are tattooed
and who denied having been at sea or
even having lived in seaport towns. In
his opinion the custom is more common
in camps and In places where. men are
collected in large numbers than is ordi.
uarily imagined.
Location Of the Marks.
Statistics are given regarding the To-
cation of tattoo marks and the fire.
quency Of various designs. and then Sur
geon Farenholt Gays: Letters. notices,
initials and allied devices lead the list
and constitute about % per cent of all
ink marks. Coats of arms and national
emblems follow with about - per cent,
then flags. anchors, etc. Female figures
are shown In Is per cent Of all tattooing;
but if all figures in which women are
shown, such as nude women. Gibson
heads. sailor and girl. and portraits, are
included, the percentage rises to 33. one
in every three men tattoOed selecting a
design some part of which is female
figure. Less than 1 per cent show inde-
cent subjects; almost invariably such
designs have been covered by other work,
as also frequently have letters, names
and the once common tombstone scene.
The usual types were found among them
such as "Holdfast" "a letter on the
back OF each finger; apprentice knot; pig
on dorsum of foot. which among the
older men was supposed to shield its pos
SCISSOR from death by drowning; crucitx.
which In case of death would insure
Christian burial in a Christian country.
and Jerusalem cr6ss.' which would an
swer the same purpose on Moslem shores.
OF the latter there were IA. all In re-
enlisted men. One man was adorned
with sock covering each foot anu ex-
tending above the ankles; another with
a fox-hunting scene. the dogs in full cry
over the abdomen, up over the shoulder
down the back. and the fox almost reach
ing the buttocks. The entire back was
covered in one case by large Masonic
column and globe. little Egypt figured
In two cases and a copy of beer trade
mark in one. The following designs were
found to be more popular on re-enlist-
ment than among those who came d.
rectly from civil life: Goddess of liberty.
ships, eagles, pigs and apprentice knots"