Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)
The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) is here in full — 1063 sentences across 213 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)
Context Illustration Reading 1/212 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
HERESY AND SCHISM.
You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!
CHORUS.
Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!
And all its works within!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) is here in full — 1063 sentences across 213 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/212 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HERESY AND SCHISM.
/ˈherəsi ənd ˈskɪzəm/
Line 2
You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!
Line 3
CHORUS.
/ˈkɔːrəs/
Line 4
Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!
/oʊ ðə hoʊm ɪz ˈʌtərli pərˈfekt/
Line 5
And all its works within!
/ənd ɔːl ɪts wɜːrks wɪˈðɪn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

budge verb US /bʌdʒ/

move very slightly

From this reading “You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!”

chorus noun US /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading “CHORUS.”

criticize verb US /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/

find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws

From this reading “You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!”

deaf adjective US /def/

lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part

From this reading “You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!”

discuss verb US /dɪˈskʌs/

to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading “You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!”

heresy noun US /ˈherəsi/

any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position

From this reading “HERESY AND SCHISM.”

newest adjective US /ˈnuːəst/

superlative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading “You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!”

schism noun US /ˈskɪzəm/

division of a group into opposing factions

From this reading “HERESY AND SCHISM.”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading HERESY AND SCHISM.

blindnounUS /blaɪnd/

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

brainnounUS /breɪn/

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

budgeverbUS /bʌdʒ/

move very slightly

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

CHORUSnounUS /ˈkɔːrəs/

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading CHORUS.

criticizeverbUS /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/

find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

deafadjectiveUS /def/

lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

discussverbUS /dɪˈskʌs/

to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

HERESYnounUS /ˈherəsi/

any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position

From this reading HERESY AND SCHISM.

HomenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading And all its works within!

judgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

newestadjectiveUS /ˈnuːəst/

superlative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

PerfectadjectiveUS /pərˈfekt/

being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish

From this reading Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

politicsnounUS /ˈpɑːlətɪks/

social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

religionnounUS /rɪˈlɪdʒən/

a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

SCHISMnounUS /ˈskɪzəm/

division of a group into opposing factions

From this reading HERESY AND SCHISM.

scientificadjectiveUS /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/

of or relating to the practice of science

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

there's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

UtterlyadverbUS /ˈʌtərli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Oh, the Home is Utterly Perfect!

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading And all its works within!

worksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading And all its works within!

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You may talk about religion with a free and open mind, For ten dollars you may criticize a judge; You may discuss in politics the newest thing you find, And open scientific truth to all the deaf and blind, But there's one place where the brain must never budge!

Chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) by Charlotte Perkins [Editor] Gilman holds 1063 sentences, grouped into 213 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) contain?

Chapter 7 holds 1063 sentences of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910), unabridged, divided into 213 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) by Charlotte Perkins [Editor] Gilman exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1063 sentences, grouped into 213 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)?

Work through the 213 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 213 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

Questions about reading The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)

Common questions about reading The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) by Charlotte Perkins [Editor] Gilman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)?

Yes. All 15474 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3017 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3017, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) section by section

How to work through The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910)

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Partner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Patron
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Helpless
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hapless
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.