King's Business - 1918-04

¿ A - m c a rw #

NAN YOH <»£»««* My Dr. p. A. Keller InstituteMissioaffisfyinCU m B I B T~\ R. FRANK A. KELLER, who has charge o f the work o f the Bible Insti­

dent. Fang promptly re-appointed Tuan as Premier. The members o f the dissolved parliament fled to Canton, where they set up an opposition government. THE W AR ZONE. Just as we were leaving Changsha for Nan Yoh, for the Autumn Bible School, Hunan declared her independence o f the Peking government, and this move practically allied her with the Southern provinces, Kwang-tung and Kwangsi. As quickly as possible all available Northern troops were massed in Hunan, trains on the new road were kept running day and night for trans­ portation o f soldiers, and all other traffic was stopped. Not only trains, but all avail­ able boats were commandeered for the transportation o f soldiers, munitions and food. Not only were the boats with their crews seized, but their cargoes also if they contained anything usefjul to the invading troopai For example, the Changsha, Red Cross Society started a boat off to Heng- chow with medical supplies; they had a passport issued by the military. Governor o f Hunan; in spite o f that the boat was- seized at Hengshan by the' Northern sol­ diers and all supplies appropriated to the use o f the military hospital at Hengshan, some important food stuffs belonging to missionaries at Hertgchow being included. I need not go into further details but simply ask you to note the location o f Nan Y oh; you will see that we were right in , the heart o f things. Then please note Wukang, our center for Mr. T’ien and his party; Paoching, our center for Mr. Cheng and his party; Yungchowfu, the center for Mr. Kang and Mr. Pan, the leaders o f Mr. Blackstone’s two parties, one in the Church Missionary district south o f Yungchowfu, and the other ¡n the Wesleyan district north

tute o f Los Angeles in the province o f Hunan, China, writes interestingly from Changsha, under date o f December 11, 1917, o f hjs work and o f daily events in his disturbed field. He is head o f the col- portage service on the rivers o f the dis­ trict, and principal o f the Hunan Bible School. He encloses as an exhibit one of the badges worn by his workers to prevent their being drafted into the coolie service by the soldiers. They are printed on linen, in three colors, in both English and Chi­ nese, and bear the inscription: “Hunan Colportage Work o f the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Changsha, Hunan, China." The leaders also carry passports issued by the American Consul to identify them as employees o f this institution. Notwithstand­ ing these precautions, however, it has been impossible to entirely avoid friction with the revolutionists, on one side or the other. Dr. Keller’s report is very lengthy. In part, he says : It is necessary to give a brief resume of the political situation in Hunan and in China in order that several references herein may be understood. Premier Tuan forced the President to dissolve the Parlia­ ment; later President Li deposed Premier Tuan; this was followed by many o f the military governors o f China declaring inde­ pendence o f the central government, i. e. Peking. Chang-Hsuin, the old Manchu gen­ eral, then marched to Peking, re-established the monarchy, and re-seated the Boy- Emperor on the throne. Ex-Premier Tuan was at Tientsin watching; he marched from there to Peking with a large army, defeated Chang-Hsuin, dethroned the Emperor, and proclaimed Vice-President Fang as Presi­

Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker