Chapter 38 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God. Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel. But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.” I do not know what incoherent words I was saying. Janet stopped me.
Chapter 38 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading ““For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.”
without logical or meaningful connection
From this reading “I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.”
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading “Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading ““For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.”
an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting
From this reading “But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.””
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.”
In this reading “Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
without logical or meaningful connection
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Janet stopped me.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Janet stopped me.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
by chance
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Janet stopped me.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But in the unity of our lives with His, our joy is His joy; our pain is His.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading I do not know what incoherent words I was saying.
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “For the agony of the world’s struggle is the very life of God.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Were He mere spectator, perhaps He too would call life cruel.
Chapter 38 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood holds 32 sentences, grouped into 7 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 38 holds 32 sentences of An Experiment in Altruism, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 32 sentences, grouped into 7 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 38 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Experiment in Altruism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of An Experiment in Altruism to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in An Experiment in Altruism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
