The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-07-15
THE MISSION FIELD

The NoRwEGIANS IN MADAGASCAR
Norwegian mi SsIonarIes have made remarkabl
progress IN Madagascar, and have con0ucte,
thelr work In perfectly friendly attitude to
wards the London Missionary Socletvs agents
Inc hrst missionaries arrived In 1867. They
chose the province of Betsileo They PLANTED
their hrst station at Betsfo, where the land pro
Pretor granted them a suitable site for then
chapel, ana where among a people related e
the Hovas, they found willing hearers TIVE
other stations were established in 1869 one 2
place OF frequent resort on account Of its Their
nal springs. So far the missionaries had work
ed under the charter of the London missiona
rles, not deemlng 1t expedent to ask for a spe
clal permission from the Government, for fear il
might be accompanied by some inconvenien
conditions. 1t appeared expedient to secure 8
standing at the capital; and a central represen.
tatlve station was accordingly established there
under an arrangement with the London mis-
slonarles that no PROSECUTING work should he
conducted from it After the arrival of I,ars
DAZZLE. the present superintendent of the mis-
slon' In 1870, school for women and girls, and
a training school for catechsts were established
In connection with this-st alton
In 1872, permission was given by the Gov.
eminent to build a church in the capital. This
step had become necessary on account of the
number OF the Norwegian converts who resorted
]
cause the enemies of their work reported in the
provinces that they were hostile to the Govern
ment, and were, therefore not permitted to hold
service there. The church was dedicated in
1874 as the Church of Cloven Rock, in the pre
sence of seventeen Norwegian missionaries la
boring In Madagascar, and of the representatives
! OF the Government and of the Evanpelical Mia
slonary Societies engaged there The girls
school was converted into a parish school three
years after Its foundation, and similar school
was started for boys which also served as a
preparatory school for the theological seminary:
and orphanages for boys and girls were opened
shortly afterward These steps were followed
by the provision of mission press and SEM
mary for teachers was opened at Masinandreina
| In 1873.
The missions have enjoyed a very rapid
growth since 1881. which has hardly been sen.
slbly interrupted by the French aggressiops
while In the year 1879-lSS0 the number of M
pills instructed in the Norwegian schools rose
from 5000 to 5000 the number grew from 1880
TO 1883 to $4,000, of whom 1000 were regular
attendants. The necessity of providing teachers
to meet this rapid increase of pupils. led to the
opening OF second training. school, and to the
introduction of more than 500 "dav" or
= hour" teachers-that is, teachers competent
to give instruction In any special branches. The
medical practice of the mission has been large
and successful. During two years DR.. Guldberg
IL ~AuOohdhdllHO II0dL6u 1f,UUO patients and
performed many operations Last year the
mission returned thirty-four Sakalava Chris
tlans and sixty pupils in the schools. At pre-
sent only one missionary is laboring in the
Sakalava stations. his associate having returned
TO Norway on a temporary leave Credit is
| CLAIMED for this mission for having been the
means OF putting an end to the slave trade of
the Sakalsva coast, of which Tullear, its princ.
| pal seaport has been an active centre. The
central mission reported at the beginning of
1854 1861 members, 1907 catechumens, and
oo,OOO members of congregations. These are
distributed over sixteen stations, In connection
with which are 81 houses of worship.
The Norwegian brethren hold an Intern ediate
and impartial position as between the Episcopal
and the Independent missionaries; and on the
strength of 1T, Superintendent Dahle has pro.
posed conference of all the missionary societies
laoorlng on the Island which it is hoped NAV
De arranged as soon as few prelmlnaries
insisted upon by the London Missionary Socie
ty, are settled.
The LONDON CRY MIssIoN.-Ac.
cordlng to the Christian the London Citv Mis-.
SION, by Its 46l missionaries visits half a mil
lion OF the poorest people in the metropolis The
animal report mentioned that on Nav Is the
City Mission would complete Its fftieth wear
| The Jubilee Fund, for which it was hoped
100000 would be raised, has only $50 OOO but
~ 10 uOV yel clOseu Happly this extra effort
has not lessened the ordinary receipts of the
year. The report speaks in a most cheerful tone
about the work and prospects all around. One
| OF the most graphic we'll as one of the most
instructive parts of the report is that which
deals with the public-house visitation. Here #
Is stated that " wherea at first hard blows and
| an lgnomlnlous expulsion from the house had
often to be endured such events in the present
day are Of rare occurrence" Many will rejoice
on the authority of such a report as that of the
City Mission, to have the assertion that Infor-
nation received from various districts tends to
prove that the public house trade is on the
wane. district is referred to where in eleven
| years the population has increased by over TO-
| 900, while the public houses have decreased bv
70 and the coffee houses increased by 81 An
| other much needed branch of operations is that
among the foreign residents, for whom small
provision ls made by the churches of their own
countries and were it not for the nine Citv Mia
slonarles, who address them in their own Ian
guages, many thousands would live and die in
London Ignorant of Christ and his Gospel" The
report summarizes the happy results of the unit
ed efforts of all Christian bodies and agencies
IN the last fifty years in London thus: Crime
mas decreased brutal sports have diminished
! drinking habits have been to some extent
checked the Gospel has gained for itself not only
patent hearing, but even earnest attention.
ana mulhtudes have been eternally saved"
--s
The biographer of DR.. John Brown.
OF Edinburgh, reveals an incident in his lifa