Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-06-23
TATTOOlNG OUT OF STYLE.
Odd Facts About Custom That is
Referred To in the Bible.

One Of the customs of the past ages,
which is now going out of use almQs,
entirely. is that of tattoOing. or mark
ing the skin indelibly by puncturing
it and inserting a coloring matter. The
practice of tattooing arose among prim-
tive people in many different ways.
With some it was mark which served
to signify subordinatiOn to a chief,
very much as farmers at this day brand
their cattle. Among the Sandwich Is
landers it indicated the district in
which the person lived. With many
others it had religious significance.
and sacred emblems were marked upon
the body.
Some superstitious service Of the
dead was evidently indicated in early
Bible times by tattooing, for the book
of Leviticus contains this command
Eye shall not make any cuttings on
your flesh for the dead, nor print any
marks upon you"
Among other people tattooing has
been resorted to from sheer vanity,
and the practice, so far as it has sur
vivcd IN modern times, has been the
result of mixture of vanity and SUI
perstitiOn. Occasionally the dime
shows and the "sde shows" contain
a tattooed man, some of whom were
willingly marked over their bodies
while others We're tattooed by their
captors when they were taken prison.
ers in savage wars.
At the present day it is sailors and
soldiers. among civilized people, who
practice it chiefly, and their arms and
the backs of their hands are often dec
GRATED with anchors. shields, and all
ligious emblemS.
in Europe wOrkingmen frequently
decorate their arms with entire SEN
fences. Some one of the great iron
works at Neuily. France has been OBJ
Serving the tatooed arms of the work
men and has found upon them the fol-
lowing sentences. the first three being
very common among French working
men:
mo luck" Child of misfortune"
"'fhin for life" Death to the unfaith-
full" porn under an unlucky STAR"
"Glory, honor. fatherland," and" All
for the fair
Many representations of clasped
hands and emblems of occupations.
such as hammers, squares, compasses,
or anchors were also found.
Some extraordinary tattooing has
been observed among the native re-
cruits for the French service in Algeria.
One soldier had tattooed upon his
breast an elaborate picture of a lion
hunt, while his back was ornamented
with a representation of cavalry
charge. AS the process Of tattoOing is
painful the man who bore these works
Of art must have suffered greatly.
Many men who have had the backs
OF their hands tattooed in youth, and
have at that time regarded the deco
rations~as something to be very proud
Of or who. as workmen. have been
proud to bear the emblem of their
trade, have very earnestly wished, in
reaching maturity or in working their
way to wealth or social position, that
they might be rid of the marks which
they took such pains to get, but the
marks remain tenaciously and indicate
with almost perfect certainty that he
who bears them was either a very
foolish boy or that his early life was
passed among bad associates or in
mental occupation.
There are, however, fewer and few
or men who bear such decorations, and
it is probable that tattooing will, be-
fore manv generations disappear
among enlightened people-Pittsburg
Gazette I1mes. Asssnek n122fa VI s