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THE K I NG ' S BUS I NESS Then there is the work at Nan Yoh. This community lies at the foot of the mountain of Nan Yoh, one of the three sacred mountains of China, where yearly a vast number of pilgrims visit. For three weeks Dr. Keller has a school of Christian workers in rented build ings at the foot of the mountain. Reg ular systematic teaching is given in the morning, and in the afternoon the men go out and work among the pilgrims as they return from the sacred moun tain. I say they go out in the after noon, but in point of fact many of the pilgrims start home at 4 o’clock in the morning, so these students rise still earlier to catch these early piilgrims, talk with them and give them tracts. A large number of conversions have re sulted. The pilgrims are ready to ac cept the printed matter, which seems to be prepared wisely for this work. This was the banner year in this brief Bible Institute. One hundred and ninety- seven men were present, including 31 men from the Bible Institute at Chang sha, 13 from the Union Theological Seminary in Changsha (being the en tire number of students in the Semi nary, the President of the Seminary ad journing school to go and was himself one of the most acceptable teachers there), and a number from the Epis copal, Presbyterian and other denomi nations. The whole body was com posed of some of the leading pastors and evangelists of Hunan and adjacent provinces. Some of the students come long distances, one, at least, walking for ten days to get there. It was my privilege to spend a few days at Nan Yoh and to take part of the work. The students are eager to learn the truth. The spiritual atmo sphere was very high. Out of school hours, in the early morning and late in the afternoon, one could see students out in the mountains with their Bibles and in prayer. The buildings are badly overcrowded and Dr. Keller needs a building of his own which will be large enough and well furnished enough to accommodate the growing crowds that come. I saw only one thing to criticise se verely and that is that Dr. Keller is killing himself with hard work, and he is top valuable a man to lose. He does too much himself, but has to do it or else leave it undone, for lack of neces sary help. One night while I was there Dr. Keller sat up until 4 o’clock
in America and located in Changsha, spoke to me in the highest terms of both Dr. Keller and his work, and said everyone had confidence in him; that their own institution in looking for a body of ten Chinese and Americans who should be counsellors of their hos pital, chose Dr. Keller as one of the ten. He also spoke in the highest terms of Dr. Keller’s tact, judgment and consecration. The President of the Union Theolog ical Seminary at Nan Yoh who, if any one would have occasion to be jealous of Dr. Keller and his work, would be the one, so far from being jealous in any sense, talked with me an hour at Kuling (not upon my initiative, but upon his own) telling me that the bands of workers sent out by Dr. Keller to different communities had revolution ized the church life of those communi ties, and said that his work at Nan Yoh was one of the most remarkable in the country. I think he made it stronger even than this and said that it was the most remarkable work in the country. When the new buildings are com pleted, there is every reason to sup pose that the thirty-nine students will be increased to a much larger number. Dr. Keller has associated with him in the Bible Institute work a Mr. Hsaio, whom I met and with whom I was greatly impressed, and was told by others of his singular fitness for the work. Ope prominent man told me that Mr. Hsaio was “ the ablest Chinese in the Province of Hunan.” But the work in Changsha is only a part of Dr. Keller’s work. There are the six house boats, each manned by twelve men, who go to various commu nities and evangelize them. Bach of these bands has in charge a trained and widely experienced leader (I met all of these leaders), and five other men who have had experience in the work, and then in each community the churches appoint six other men who agree to remain with the band for two years. These bands have thorough, systematic Bible instruction in the morning and then work among the peo ple in the afternoons and evenings, hav ing also some prayer meetings among themselves. Some of the denomination al boards have been so impressed with the wisdom and success of this method of work, that they are adopting simi lar plans in their own work.
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