835
September, 1945
Frank Arthur Keller, 1862-1945
A TRIBUTE
By HENRY OWEN
A FTER more than a year of ill ness, Dr. Frank A. Keller de parted to be with Christ on July His death marks the passing of an e x t r a o r d i n a r y missionary, who, throughout his l i f e , was consumed with one purpose, and that to fulfill the commandment of Christ that the Gospel should be preached to every creature. In his student days at Yale College (now Yale University), and during his medical studies in New York and Albany, Dr. Keller was an enthusias tic member of the Student Volunteer Movement, founded in 1886, just six years before his graduation from col lege. This meant close friendship with others of like mind, some of whom were, in later years, to become famous missionary statesmen, as John R. Mott and Robert E. Speer. That the bold purpose of the movement, "The evan gelization of the world in this genera tion,” was not fulfilled, was certainly not due to any lack of energy on the part of the young doctor who was its traveling secretary for a year. This position involved hard work and no salary, but he rejoiced in the oppor tunity of challenging college students with the enormous unfinished task of the Church, and the appalling dispar ity between the number of Christian workers at home and the number abroad. Two of his addresses are pre served in the bopnd v o l u m e of China’s Millions for 1896, and even today the reader can sense the in- terise conviction and passionate earn estness with which they were deliv ered.” Hunan In 1897, Dr. Keller sailed for China as a member of the China Inland Mission. After a period of language study, he was assigned to the Prov ince of Hunan, which had a popula tion of over twenty-two millions. The province had stubbornly and vtoV--'1'*' resisted the entrance of missionaries, and was the last in China to aaiu.i
them. Indeed, it was only during the year of the young missionary’s arrival in China that a few precarious foot holds had been won. The doctor and a Chinese helper managed to obtain premises in the city of Chalingchow, and, in two or three months, could report many visitors, and a congrega tion which sometimes rose to sixty in number. But there were ugly threats on the part of antagonistic students, which finally crystallized into vio lence. The house was stormed and looted, and Dr. Keller escaped only by leaping through a trapdoor to a lower floor, scaling a wall in the back yard, and hiding behind a stack of chicken coops in a neighboring house. Eventually he was able to make his way to the magistrate’s headquarters, and then to 5safety in Shanghai. This was by no means the last experience of danger and loss in a long missionary career. Last Stronghold In 1901, Changsha, the capital of Hunan, still held out against the messengers of Ch r i s t , the last of China’s provincial capitals to do so. To Dr. Keller there was given in that
24, 1945, at the age of eighty-three.
Dr. Keller year the unique honor of being the first missionary to effect a permanent entrance into this city. Accompanied by his same loyal helper, he was suc cessful, after two days’ effort, in rent ing a pleasant house within its walls. Four days after his arrival, evange listic services were begun. The doc tor’s skillful treatment of two soldiers, injured by the premature discharge of a cannon, was the means of break ing, down prejudice, and of winning the confidence of both civil and mili tary officials. Soon a flourishing work was in progress in this formerly anti- foreign city, and the provincial gov ernor actually contributed the equiva lent of about $1500 toward the pur chase of a hospital site. Dr. Keller’s marriage to Miss Eliza beth Tilley in 1902 brought to Chang sha a capable worker among women, and the young couple settled down for what was to be almost forty years of preaching, teaching and healing in that city. It is worthy of note that it was in their home the death of Hudson Taylor, the founder and first general director of the China Inland Mission, took place. Mr. Taylor, sev enty-three years of age, and in feeble health, was making a tour of some of the stations of the Mission in Cen tral China, and expressed a strong desire to see those in Hunan, a prov ince which he had never visited. A reception for him was arranged by the Kellers, upon his arrival in Chang sha, to which all the missionaries in the city were invited. Just three hours later, the great missionary leader had entered the immediate presence of his Lord, Dr. Keller reaching his room just as he drew his last breath.
Mrs.*Keller
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