Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-29
TORTURE BOOKS" AND
TATTOOING LATEST CRAZE.
nee Of The Star.
LONDON, Januar,

LONDON, January 20. 1910.
y the summer houses of the river man.
sions, in historic castles and great
London houses and In the casinos OF
continental resorts, both the chic young
married woman and the smart girl about
town"-as the belle of the day is defined
in London-have metaphorically speaking
their torture books up their sleeves.
SO that they may be at hand when the OPP
portunity comes to pounce on any inter-
esting subject whom they may wish to de-
pfct himself therein.
Torture books are for the moment the
craze and the burden of society. and It In
a wary celebrity who can dodge the own
ers. The keenest rivalry exists between
those who possess them as to the interest
and the Importance of the people who fig
ure In their pages and indeed many a
friendship has been split because Mrs
Jones Smithe secured portrait Of Ca
russo by himself. or some other celebrity
before Lady Robinson had time to apply
for 1t. There Is usually d whole set Of
these torture volumes five being the cor
rect number. They are bound in every
thing, from pasteboard to gold and silver
Now they are carved. again inset with
jewels. The leaves are of satin. or vel
lum. or parchment Possessors who love
their needle make delicate embroidery
covers for them.
The most important book OF the set 10,
that in which the unhappy acquaintance:
OF the owner are asked to draw. blindfold
pictures of themselves. The fact that you,
never had pencil in your hand in your
life Is no excuse whatever for failure to
comply with the request
Il could not draw a straight line to save,
my life,' was what the king said to Miss,
Shontz, when she requested him to depict
himself in her volume.
Your most gracious majesty" she re-
piled, that has nothing to do with the
matter"
Much amused. the king called his neph-
ew. Prince Arthur of Connaught, and de-,
puted him to draw his own figure for tina
young lady. His royal highness said hel
could only accomplish this II Miss Shonts
would promise to hold his disengaeed hand
while he sketched. Miss Shonts was not.
it appears. agreeable, so the picture was
not forthcoming. Princess Patricia of
Connaught has drawn a first-rate carica-
ture of herself in Miss Shonts' volume.
confession book is another OF the tor
ture series. In this the victim has to set
forth the transgressions Of his nfe
Amateur tattooing Is yet another amuse-
ment Of the moment which has many vo-
tarieS. Princess PleSs and Countess Pup
penheim, the pretty American who made
such success here during the season as
a hostess, are two of those who have had
lessons in tattooing from a professional
expert. One day recently an advertise
ment appeared In the columns OF q morn
ing paper. stating that an expert in tat
tooing was required to teach the men,
bers Of house party in Scotland. during
September, how to tattoo novel designs
A flying machine In sepia, with Mephis-
topheles In his beloved red as aviator, is
one of the most approved designs. One
woman who has arms like ivory has had
this picture tattooed on the top Of one
shoulder. Thereby she has succeeded In
attracting more attention than she ever
before managed to draw.
Prospective hostesses are thanking their
stars that they have managed to find
something to pass the time Sundays. when
the men dare not shoot, lest they shock
those who go to church.
"One has to be so awfully careful. don't
you know said one great lady who en-
tertains the Princess OF Wales every year
for a week end during the country-house
season, ut is SO very easy to set bad
example to the common herd. They will
do what we do. Now, we can all sit on
that deadly day, Sunday. within out own
four walls, and tattoo one another's arms.
1t will be such fun, and ones neighbors
need know nothing about it,