The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-02
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D. Q.
THE PARROT VoGUE.

mate ana lndnlInale, are having ire
mendous vogue this year. You en-
counter them everywhere in the
fashionable drawing room and/library,
on the stage and in the films, in the
department stores and china shops, in
all the latest photographs of actresses,
and even in the subways and trolley
cars.
The other night man whose nerves
were in d ragged state after ploWlng
/ thru the Christmas crowds to attend
to some of his wife's 81 neglected shop
| ping, managed thu ] great physical
proWess and presence of mind to cap
ture a seat on Brooklyn train. Stimuli
taneously, someone # great bulk anu
| force of gravity came down upon his
already aching big toe. The man
jumped and then swore quietly be-
hind his barricade of packages. Much
to his surprise, a deep, raucous voice,
! apparently coming from the floor Of
| the train, Immediately inquired:
What are you about? What are
you about? What are you about?"
/ The man peered hastily over his
/ packages, but no one was paying any
attention to him. Instead, they We're
gazing intently at a large package
| damned against his knees.
It's a parrot" explained an amused
feminine voice above him in answer
to his alarmed glances "A Christ
mas present for my husband. I've
always wanted a parrot They're
/ such good company. The man VINO
sold me this one said it could say
How do you do?' and What are you
! about? for hours at time
/ Persian kittens and Pel1inese are no
| longer the chief treasures of the pet
| stores Nor are canaries selling as eX-
tensively as they did before the war.
These were the favorites of yesteryear;
today the parrot dominates the do
nestle scene. His brilliant plumage
supple a warm, tropical note to the
modern interior, while his amusing
| faculty for repeating phrases often
Iivens up an otherwise dreary after
noon tea. The latest window displays
| use a stuffed parrot as the high color
fnOte. a fashionable charity ball re-
Gently taking place in New York was
called a parrot ball. In Los Angeles,
a movie actress creates a sensation by
appearing on the street with a parrot
| that matches her gown.
Parrots as Ornaments.
The popular craze for parrots is ex-
planned in various ways by various
| persons. An interior decorator in the
exclusive Madison avenue interior
decorator neighborhood here places all
of the responsibility upon the new in
teriors, with their lacquer furniture,
brilliant chintzs, and cretonnes.
such interiors demand a parrot"
| he declared. ''It is as if one We're
made for the other. A bird, you see,
! is a moving color note in room and
should dominate the whole scheme OF
| decoration or be left out altogether.
| And really 2 parrot or cockatoo is
the only thing that could possibly pre-
| tend to dominate most of the lacquer
and the chintz.
when you do not own live parrot
it possible to use the image of one.
| That is why you now see so many
brilliantly colored china parrots in the
bric-a-brac displays of smart gift
| shops. They come in pairs and max e
most attractive ornaments for dining
room buffets or as a substitute for
| the polychrome candlesticks on the
Italian chest in the living room. Ex-
| pensive yes, perhaps, but in such
| good taste. After ALL, where could
you find any bric-a-brac so effective
for $15O?"
Another investigator of the parrot
vogue, a psychologist by profession,
thinks that the war is entirely re-
sponsible.
'The desire for brilliant pets, cloth
ing, and appointments" he explains,
has two main causes. Both of them
+ lie fairly deep. One is the attempt of
| the people to compensate themselves
for the loss of the emotional stimu-
lus and the excitement of activity that
!
of detail in surroundings and bright
colors are an. attempt to relieve the
monotony of Nays that are slack and
grey for most people, Colors are a
real help"
AS for the pet stores. they do not at
tempt to analyze the public's sudden
demand for parrots; they are too busy
selling them. According to a woman
dealer, whose store is in the West Sew
entities here. it is impossible to import
the birds fast enough to supply the
demand. Most of the orders are for
South American and Cuban parrots
but the African grey parrot which is
a famous whistler, and has a gorgeous
rose coloEed tail, is also extremely
popular. Huge, magnificent macaws
are also favorite purchase.
Can't Raise Parrots.
eff we could only breed them in
this country" said the merchant, I'VE
could make a pile of money"
Are there no large parrot aviaries
! here. them" we inquired.
Not any that are run on com
mercial basis" she replied. "A parrot
hen may lay eggs if you provide her
with a hollow tree trunk in which to
build a nest, but as often as not the
male parrot will destroy them. No,
| aside from that unfortunate habit, the
males have fairly good dispositions.
! OF course, a good deal depends upon
titO lNtANANUeeA "a ~ NJ AAe17 ~ IL "
him before you buy him, and how he
has been treated in his extreme youth.
The males are much better takers. of
course, than the females. altho oc-
casionally we get a female who is
| quite vivacious.
why are parrots so popular ?
Why, they always have been with peo-
pie who were at all acquainted with
| them. They make such good COM
panions. I myself have three of them
at home, and I wouldn't give one Of
them up-theK are just like members
! of my family. They're very much
ike human beings and they get great
" attached to you, showing an inter-
est in everything you do and always
! eager to be petted.''
The dealer said she knew of one
gray parrot that was extremely talk
alive and had an uncanny way of de-
livering its several pat phrases at most