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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Keller
Our Bible Institute in Hunan Province, China
Superintendent
A TRIP TO NANYOH (A number of B. X. O. L. A. workers have had the privi lege of visiting our institute in Hunan Province, China, during the past year,—among them, Hiss Winifred Rouzee (from whom we heard in the January issue); Rev. John H. Hunter (who went to China for Conference work, and who will have something to say about it in a later issue), and Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Welles. Mr. Welles is the Business Man ager” of B. I. O. L. A., and has sent us the following in tensely interesting account of his trip to Nanyoh—one of the sacred mountains of China, where an Autumn Confer ence is "held each year under the auspices of the Hunan Institute.) One who is in America little realizes the beauty of .this great nation. It has been the pleasure of Mrs. Welles and the writer to come to this far interior city, the capital of (die last province to open up its cities to the claims of the Gospel, arriving by means of trains and river steamers, through acres of waving rice fields and hills crowned with a carpet of grass, and pine and other trees. Leaving our steamer, we took chairs, carried by coolies, for the compound of the Hunan Bible Institute, where we were taken to the home of Dr. Frank A. Keller, the Super intendent, the first missionary in 1901 to get a permanent footing inside this heathen city. Shortly after our arrival, Dr. Keller, his wife and aged mother, eighty-seven years old, Rev. John H. Hunter of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, with others, returned after an exciting trip down the river through the lines of the opposing warring political parties, from the annual conference at Nanyoh, about ninety miles farther inland. It was necessary for Dr. Keller to leave the students and many of the delegates at Nanyoh because of lack of trans portation facilities, so it was decided that two of the fac ulty, Messrs. Walter T. Steven and Charles A. Roberts, should go and bring them back, the opportunity being given the writer to accompany the party. Leaving Changsha on a Wednesday morning with two missionaries going to their stations, and with two Chinese servants, we rode along the eastern side of the river on the only automobile road in this part of China, for twenty-five miles, through the territory controlled -by the Governor of the Province, and five miles through a neutral general’s territory, we having first obtained passes from the two op posing commanders to insure our safe conduct. We then crossed the river to the city of Siangtan, se cured chairs, coolies to carry them and our baggage, and were on our way at 2:00 p. m. to the city of Nanyoh, over land, a distance of about fifty-five miles, fifty miles of which was through territory controlled by the general who is seeking to be governor. Positions are held here through military superiority rather than through the ballot-box. We stopped for supper and the night at six o’clock in one of the out-station chapels, under the United Evangeli- calists, thirteen miles on our way. A crowd soon gathered in the chapel to see the “foreigners,” so Mr. Roberts preached to them in Chinese. We put our mosquito net ting up, unrolled our bedding, and passed a very comfort able night sleeping on the floor of the school-room. The next day found our party winding its way through the most beautiful part of all South-Central China, rolling
hills with pine trees and terraced rice fields, every fertile nook and corner being used, here and there water buffaloes pulling plows through the soaked fields, with the ever present boy prodding them on. Then you would see an other scene characteristic of the Orient, the water-wheel, or more often the foot-trod apparatus for raising the water to higher levels, with a boy again, this time sitting all day and treading the spokes. One wonders at the crudeness of it all, but this is still sleepy China, with her millions of uneducated, simple-minded people, and everywhere little children by the score. Surely there is no race suicide here. One’s heart aches as he sees these hordes of people going to their Christless graves because of their idolatry and heathenism. That night found us in a typical country inn, straw mats on board springs (?) were offered us, but we preferred putting some loose doors on wooden horses for our mat tresses, and again enjoyed our night’s rest. Arriving at the village of Futienpu at 8:00 a. m., there hung from the front of an inn a large banner saying it was the headquarters of Biola'Evangelistic Band No. 2. Upon enquiry, we found the Band, comprising thirteen men, under the efficient leadership of Mr. T’an Hsioh Cheng. What a bright, snappy fellow he is! His face fairly glows with the light of Christ—just the leader for a band. He invited us into his room, clean and neatly arranged, quite a contrast to the regular Chinese quarters outside. He took us through the rooms of the other men, all in the same condition, and yet they had only been there two days. What a difference, even in outward appearance, the Gospel makes! The Band had already settled down to business, early devotions, morning Bible study, and house to house visita tion in the afternoon, with street or evangelistic meetings at night, if possible. They stay in' a village until every person there and in the adjacent farming community has been dealt with personally regarding their souls’ salvation. A tract, booklet or Gospel left often bears fruit, if their visit is unsuccessful. What more painstaking, effective evangelistic method can you suggest? At one o’clock Friday, we found ourselves winding our way around a hill up to the beautiful site of the Nanyoh Conference grounds, a description of which will be given in another article by Rev. John H. Hunter, who was the* for the September Conference this year. We were wel comed there by Mr. M. K. Hsiao, the Assistant Superin tendent of the Hunan Bible Institute, a fine example of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these people. I will not take space to describe the trip up to a monas tery, on Nanyoh mountain, interesting as it is. Sun day found us with the students and"delegates in regular services, it being my privilege to speak at the morning service, with Mr. Roberts interpreting. What an interest ing group of young men to speak to—such hearty singing and intense devotion! Surely God does save and change the heathen heart! (Continued on Page 190)
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