184 This same missionary sent Biola an English translation of an article in the magazine Evangelism, published by the Hunan Bible Institute, that it -·----'"""' ----- -- was feared the School would be forced to close its doors, leaving some eighty students like sheep without a shepherd, and that two Chinese Pastors, Mr. Siao and Mr. Cheng, had been asked to avoid such catastrophe, The article closed with the statement, "A Board of Directors, composed of friends of the Institute, has been set up and twelve of them who reside in or near Changsha wil act as 'Directors of Ordinary Affairs.'" Other changes were to be made. All this action was designed to prevent the appointment of Dr. Roberts as Superintendent to succeed Dr. Keller when he officially retired. In June, 1936, this self-appointed Board in Changsha wrote to the Biola Board, "We the undersigned, are now members of the Board of Directors of the Hunan Bible Institute." They included two main reasons for their action: the re-organization, approved by the Board of Directors in Los Angeles, which included such things as the appointment of an Executive Secretary to oper- ate the Hunan School, the appointment of a Treasurer to handle all funds designated for the China work, the revamping of the financial condition, many other changes or "corrections"; and the adverse reaction to the appointment of Dr. Roberts as the new Executive Secretary. Also, this Chinese Board stated that all the teachers, except one, had resigned and they feared all the students would also withdraw in protest, as the students had requested these men to establish a new Chinese Bible Institute so that they could con- tinue their studies with their old teachers. This new Board already had passed a resolution to complete its struct- ural organization, including developing a program, electing a new slate of officers, and retaining Dr. Keller as the Superintendent on a life-time basis, and Mrs. Keller as the Second Vice-President of the Institute. The anti-foreign sentiment of this self-appointed Board 'was expressed clearly and strongly in its communication to the Board of Directors in Los Angeles.
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