But the lesson for us is to pay as little attention as possible to those men who, first, through the desire for notoriety, and second, because of unbalanced brains, give tree rein to the imagination in prophecies. Surely our position in life, as well as our mission: which we have to pu'ste, should keep us all too busy to be wasting time over such foolishness, At least this is the mission that dignified foreigners have to fulfil in the eyes of these Chinese who are watching constantly for the right direction, That they watch us diosely we know, and they will be much influenced, one way or other by our own attitude towards such things. Unfortunately some very good foreigners have said (if indeed it has not been printed) that this was a very good and holy man. They speak in ignorance, but it is an ignorance that is not to be excused among us. So may it be with all prophecies © for surely we "know not'what a day, may bring forth'.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.