Release date is 2013-01-11

The champagne standard -- American wives and English housekeeping -- Kitchen comedies -- Entertaining -- Temporary power -- The extravagant economy of women -- A modern tendency -- A plea for women architecs -- The electric age -- Gunpowder or toothpowder -- The pleasure of patriotism -- Romance and eyeglasses -- The plague of music -- A domestic danger -- A study of frivolity -- On taking oneself seriously -- Soft-soap.

E-text prepared by sp1nd, Mary Meehan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org)

"The Champagne Standard" by Mrs. John Lane is a collection of social commentary essays written in the early 20th century. The text critiques the societal norms surrounding materialism and the pursuit of status, particularly in relation to the extravagance represented by champagne as a symbol of superficial aspirations. Through a sharp and humorous lens, the author navigates the behaviors and motivations of characters entrenched in this societal standard. At the start of the book, the narrator shares an anecdote about a dinner party where the absence of champagne leads to a discussion about the pressures of social expectations and hospitality. This conversation unfolds into a broader commentary on the "Champagne Standard," a term coined by the narrator to describe the insincere and pretentious practices of society driven by wealth and imitation. The narrator reflects on the impact of these societal norms across different social classes and examines the struggles of individuals like the hostess, who feels the burden of both conscience and expectation. The opening sets a witty yet critical tone, laying the groundwork for further exploration of these themes throughout the subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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