THE CHANTECLER MANIA.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 815, 12 May 1910, Page 3

THE CHANTECLER MANIA.

SOME FREAKS. • M..- Rostand's delicious satire upon human life has made such an irresistible appeal to'the fancy l of society that everyone is quite prepared to raise tho worship of Chantecler to a cult. Indeed, to each a.pitch has the craze already come that it seems by. no means unlikely that the new fad may in its turn provide the foet playwritef of .Paris with material for a further satire—one dealing with the cult of crazes which so undoubtedly dominates society to-day (says a writer in Chantecler fashions have sprang up in ell directions, and the latest freak adopted by fair devotees of M. Rostand's hero is that of carrying parasols and en tout cas made of coloured silk painted with portraits of Chantecler and the hen pheasant, while even more monstrous absurdities have already made their appearance in the London shops in the form of sunshades, niado ontirely of puro white cock's feathers, which are surmounted by a flaming cock's head—tho imitation being infinitely more grotesque than Nature ever intended the king of the barnyard to appear. Nor dees the new craze : stop at thew freaks..of fashion. Milady, obsessed with.

her new fancy, ftnds in Chantecler a mascot of the first, water, and she easily pereuades herself and her friends into the belief that, not only does her latest toy possess the "good eye" 'which will influence the Wheel r>f Fortune in her favour, but'that'it will help to preserve her from danger of all kinds. Consequently, tiny effigies; of the hero, modelled in gold or in silver, and, as often as not, encrusted with precious ■ ■ jewels or finely enamelled in beautiful z natural colours, have become the most desirable gew-gaws of the moment. The artist workshops of Paris 'aro turning these novelties out by the thouBand to meet an ever-increasing demand, for every -woman who belongs to the new cult counte her jewel-case incomplete if it does not harbour some lucky-charm to hang upon her bangle or her chain, or to wear mounted on a. safety pin to fasten, her laces. . ' . The dandies of- Paris have likewise adopted the Chanteclei craze, altering it to suit their own idea, of chivalry. Stnds and waistcoat - buttons, sleevelinks and tie-pins alike must, in accord with the latest chic, bear tho image of tho dainty hen pheasant immortalised by 1 Madame Simone. ■ ... Already this phase of the new craze is spreading to London, and a dainty enamelled picture , of a hen pheasant, under the familiar head-dress of which peeps. the . familiar : face of a well-known actress, figures in the corner of more than one. gold cigarette-case and matchbox. .;'.'■■,■•'. . ..'• ' .':■"■■ -:"•'•. ■'■' / Meanwhile, stuffed images of Chantecler fashioned, of., unrpmantic flannel, finished with a.naming comb of .felt of' wool, have taken*, the, place, of., the' much-worshipped Teddy-bears in. boudoirs, and nurseries alike. Ono see's .them', perched upon bridge-tables close to the side, of their owners, -who solemnly declare that they . cannot get 'a decent hand of cards 'without the. aid of, M. Chantecler. In a like manner, little models are being .turned out dressed in a complete

feather outfit, such as M. Guitry wears on the.stage. These are destined to do duty as patron, saints of smart automobiles and high-power motor-cars that bear fair femininity on pleasure trips to the various racecourses. For, in addition to warding off accidents in the form of burst tyres and dangerous skidding, the new talisman, according to popular fancy, possesses the magic of enabling those who indulge in a little • gamble to pick out winners only.

We aTe all growing accustomed to deJnolishing confectionery and ices that are made in exact imitation of the undoubted hero of. the hour, and it is no longer an uncommon sight to eee him fashioned of flowers for the central decoration of the dinner table. He figures upon the menu and the name cards.and on the outside of ball programmes, as naturally as he usurps the place, of honour at the Eiviera carnivals, or. accepts, the-position.of the most highly-favoured of all the new cotillion favours.

In every detail of lifo among the frivolous the, worship of Chantecler predominates. ■.-.-•.