September 1924
558
T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Our Bible Institute in Hunan Province, China Dr. Frank A. Keller Superintendent
The Hunan Bible Institute (the China Department of the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles) is organized along similar lines to the home Institute,— training native Chinese young men and women for Christian work, and at the same time carrying on an active evangelistic w ork among the unsaved. The work (which is recognized by the different evangelical missions as one of the best in China) has three departments. (1) A Bible Institute at Changsha (the capital city o f Hunan Province.) (2) Twelve Colportage Boats (floating Bible Schools) w ith 13 men on each boat, devoting the mornings to Bible Study, and the afternoons to giving the Gospel in the native homes. (3) The Autumn Bible School and Conference at Nanyoh (one o f China’s three sacred mountains). Hundreds of conversions have resulted from the work done among the thousands of pilgrims. ITINERATING W ITH BAND NUMBER TEN It is with great pleasure that we give The King’s Business Family the privilege of reading this intensely interesting story of the work of Band Number Ten, as told by Mrs. J. P. Welles. It will be remembered that Mr. Welles (the Business Manager of the Bible Institute) left Los Angeles August, 1923, for the purpose of visiting our work at Chang sha, intending to return in two or three months. However, his stay was extended to nine months, during which time he and Mrs. Welles had the opportunity of seeing the work in all its various phases.
Mr. Hsiao took us into his office and there on a table was a bouquet of apple and peach blossoms and another of camellias; a book case of good books; another book case containing tracts, gospels and literature to be given away; a clean counterpane on the bed; just as cozy as could be. The room adjoining had three beds and three small stands held flowers and books; so “homey” and comfortable! Well, how can one explain it all! “ Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and a splendid example they set before these poor ignorant people. News spread fast and crowds came to see the foreigners. Mr. Hsiao had a white curtain hanging in front of the win dow, just high enough so they couldn’t look in, but that curtain didn’t matter in the least; they pulled it aside and hundreds of eyes were peeping through those bars at us. Mr. Hsiao said: “ I know not what to do; my people do not behave well.” After a little he said: “ I believe if you would go out we could preach to the crowd.” The Latest Curiosities From America The meeting was held in a large open court and several hundred gathered there. Mr. Hsiao said: “ The foreigners will speak to you, but first you must listen to what Mr. Shen has to say.” Mr. Shen, with great earnestness, spoke to them of Jesus and His great love for them, the first time they had ever heard the sweet story. It was an unrestricted crowd that afternoon. One older man stood up and taking his long pipe with an iron bowl, began beating the man behind him. Upon inquiry we found that the older man wanted to listen and the other man kept talking to him. I somehow felt that dear old man was near the kingdom. He was in attendance at every meeting, lis tening very attentively. We were the latest curiosities from America. The women would look from their poor little bound feet to ours in utter disgust. Several felt our feet to see if they were real. They spied my fur; wanted to know what it cost; how long have you had it? What is your age? Are you married? How long have you been in China? How long are you going to stay? etc. They felt our hands, our faces, indeed we went through a most thorough examina tion. We noticed afterward that in every meeting these questions were answered from the platform to satisfy their minds, and then followed a real message straight to the heart.
HE trip by river from Changsha to Hanshow in a small launch was one of the delightful (? ) expe riences of traveling in China; however, it was with the utmost pleasure I accepted the opportun ity of visiting interior China. I cannot fail to speak of the splendid effective work of three Missionaries under the Christian and Missionary Alliance; the Misses Elizabeth and Minnie Hilty and Miss Bessie Pike, a graduate of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, (the only foreigners in all Hanshow District), act ing as Nurses, Counselors, Spiritual Advisors and Teachers, all in one. They are doing most beautiful work for their Lord and Master, whom they honor far above their own wishes or desires and so true in every way to the teaching of the Word. Miss Pike suggested that we take a trip still further into the interior visiting several of their out-stations, then going on about sixty li (twenty miles) to visit Biola Evan gelistic Band Number Ten. The trip was made by coun try chairs, two coolies carrying each chair,— such a con trast to anything I had as yet seen in China. We stopped at small villages of several houses each, which looked almost deserted until ten, fifty to a hundred people would, surround us as though by magic and we began to realize the meaning of the term “ China’s Teeming Mil lions.” It was a special day. The natives were honoring their ancestors by tying money to their graves so they need have no financial worries. Long processions would visit one grave-site after another, clanging cymbals and shooting off cannon fire-crackers. Virgin Territory We arrived at Feng Chia P’u about two o’clock in the afternoon, the very first foreigners to visit the place, a heathen village, until Biola Band Number Ten came the month before. Mr. Hsiao, the Band leader, had already heard we were on the way and what a cordial reception was given us. How I wish all you dear friends who are interested in the Biola Bands could have seen their quar ters. They were scrubbed and scoured and the walls freshly papered, all as clean and nice as could be. Seemed to us like a palace, we had been through so much filth and dirt on our way.
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