McTYEIRE, HOLLAND NIMMONS: American Methodist Episcopal (South) bishop; b. in Barnwell Co., S. C., July 28, 1824; d. at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 15, 1889. He was educated at RandolphMacon College, Va. (A.B., 1844) and entered the Methodist ministry in 1845. He was pastor at Williamsburg, Va., Mobile and Demopolis, Ala., Columbus, Miss., New Orleans, La., and Montgomery, Ala. (at the last-named place during the Civil War). He was elected bishop in 1866, and made president of Vanderbilt University in 1873. He became editor of the Christian Advocate (New Orleans) in 1851, and of the Christian Advocate (Nashvilla) in 1858. He wrote: A Catechism on Church Government (Nashville, 1869); A Catechism an Bible History (1869); Manual of the Discipline (1870); History of Methodism (1884); and Passing through the Gates (1889).
Bibliography: 0. P. Fitzgerald, Holland N. McTyeire, Nashville, 1898.
McVICKAR, WILLIAM NEILSON: Protestant Episcopal bishop of Rhode Island; b. in New York City Oct. 19, 1843. He was educated at Columbia College (A.B., 1865), the Philadelphia Divinity School (1865-66), and the General Theological Seminary, from which he was graduated in 1868. He was ordered deacon in 1867, and, after being curate of St. George's, New York City, for a year, was advanced to the priesthood in 1868. From the latter year until 1875 he was rector of Holy Trinity, New York City, after which he was rector of Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, until 1897, declining both the rectorship of St. Paul's, Boston, and a tutorahip in Columbia. In 1898 he was consecrated bishop coadjutor of Rhode Island, and in 1903, on the death of Bishop Thomas M. Clark, became bishop of the same diocese. He was a deputy to the General Convention from 1883 to 1895, and was also president of the Southwest Convocation, a manager of the General Missionary Society, and a member of the Diocesan Board of Missions and of other diocesan bodies.
MADAGASCAR, MISSIONS IN: While having all the evil traits of a heathen people, including infanticide, polygamy, and the slave-trade, the Mala
gasy believed in a supreme being called
Prior to Zangahara, whom they greatly feared
:8r8. and reverenced. At death, good men go to be happy forever with Zangahara, while bad men go to be tormented by the evil lord, Anggatyr. From 1540 to 1640 numerous colonies were founded by the Dutch and English as well as by the Portuguese, all accompanied by
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slavery, all preaching Christianity, and all resulting in failure and repeated massacres in retaliation for ill-treatment. From 1642 to 1686 several French companies also made efforts to colonize the island, enslave and Christianize the Malagasy, but these also failed, and for a time the island was left to become a rendezvous for pirates and buccaneers. In 1754 a further attempt at colonization was made by France, which was broken up by a general massacre. During the next half century occasional French trading-posts were established, which met with little success. The Malagasy were not attracted by the rapacity, licentiousness, and cruelty of the exponents of the new religion, and during 160 years but one convert is mentioned. Not until the accession of Radama I. in 1808 were there any successful relations with the outside world. In 1818 Radama entered into a treaty with England, in which, for certain considerations, he agreed to abolish the slave-trade, while England was to reduce the Malagasy language to writing, and establish schools. This treaty was ratified in 1820, and Madagascar was open for Christian effort.
With the ratification of the treaty assured, in 1818 the London Missionary Society sent the Rev.
Thomas Bevan and David Jones with rSr8 to their families as their first missionaries
1835- in Madagascar. They opened a station at Andovoranto, on the east coast; but within two months all of them, except Mr. Jones, died of the fever, and he was obliged to flee for his life. Returning in 1820 with Mr. Haatie, the gov ernment agent, with the consent of King Radama, he located in Antananarivo, the capital, where the first school was opened in Dec., 1820. A large force of missionaries was sent out, the Malagasy language was reduced to writing, and the beginnings of a literature were made; more schools were opened, and the work was developed and made rapid prog ress along educational, industrial, and evangelistic lines. Before 1828 more than one hundred schools had been established, and nearly 5,000 pupils had received the rudiments of education. Preaching services were held regularly is the capital and the surrounding villages, and a beginning was made in the Vonizongo district, a day's journey west ward. In Jan., 1828, the Gospel of Luke was printed in the Malagasy language, and other Scrip tures were being translated as rapidly as possible. The outlook was most promising, when in July of this year Radama died, and was succeeded by one of his twelve wives, Ranavalona L, an utter heathen and of a turbulent disposition. A reign of terror ensued. The British resident was ordered to leave the country, and for several years a desultory war fare was maintained with the French. Expecting opposition, the missionaries worked at high pres sure; in 1831 the first native churches were formed, and within a few months there were nearly 2,000 members; by 1833 the translation and printing of the New Testament was completed, and that of the Old Testament was pushed as rapidly as possible. But a crisis was approaching. In 1834 the queen forbade any but the government employees to learn to read or write. In Jan., 1835, formal accusations were made against all Christians, and the followingmonth the missionaries were notified that Christian worship and teaching were banned. All natives were commanded to renounce Christianity, and the missionaries were ordered to leave the island.
In spite of this edict, David Johns and Edward Baker succeeded in remaining till 1836, finishing the translating and printing of the entire
From r835 Bible and also of the Pilgrim's Progto:883. rese. This year over a thousand people were massacred. The persecution continued till 1842; there was then a lull till 1849, when it broke out afresh and over 2,000 were tortured or slain outright. This continued with a short intermission in 1852, till the welcome death of the bloody queen in 1861. She was succeeded by her son Rakoto as Radama II. His first official act was to proclaim freedom of worship to all; Christians in captivity were released, the banished recalled, and the missionaries invited to return and continue their work. By 1862 three clergymen, a physician, a teacher, and a printer were busily gathering up the lines laid down in 1836; at this time there were some twenty-five congregations with about 900 communicants and 7,000 adherents. Religious freedom continued during his short rule and that of his successor, Queen Rosar herina; and with the accession and conversion of Queen Ranavalona II. in 1868, there was a great revival especially in the central province of Imerina, from which it spread southward to the province of Betsileo. In 1869 the idols were publicly burned, and steps were taken toward building up a Christian civilization. Up to this time the London Missionary Society had been alone in Madagascar, but during the next decade several other organizations entered the field, the first being the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 1864, followed by the Norwegian Mission Society of Norway (Det Norske Missions Selskab) in 1866, the Friends of England and America, in 1867, the Church Missionary Society in 1868, and a number of Roman Catholic priests from France. The work developed rapidly. Memorial churches were erected on the four sites where many martyrs fell, schools were multiplied. By 1870 there were 250,000 converts and at least 1,500; 000 people desiring Christian instruction. Missionaries and teachers were sent by the queen to the still heathen tribes. Then followed a period of harvesting as well as seed-sowing.
In 1883 France demanded a protectorate over northwestern Madagascar. On being refused war was declared, which resulted in a French protectorate for the entire island, with an
Since 1883. influx of Roman Catholic priests who at once began an active propaganda against the Protestants. In 1892 the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America established a mission, followed three years later by the Lutheran Free Church. New openings came among the Sakalavas and several smaller tribes, while there were extended revivals in the principal towns of Imerma and Betaileo, and Madagascar was making progress toward a Christian civilization when in 1895 France annexed the island, and two years later the queen was deposed. At this time there was a total of 75 Protestant missionaries representing 7 societies,
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There were, in 1907, 51 Roman Catholic misaiona riea with 348 stations and outstations, and 79,000 communicants and adherents. Five Protestant socie ties had 227 missionaries and 5,816 native helpers, 1,852 stations and outstations, 355,717 adherents, 1,951 schools and colleges with 92,126 pupils, 9 hospi tals and dispensaries, 7 orphanages and 4leper settlements. Many schools have been closed since these statistics were obtained.
Bibliography: W. Ellis, Hist. of Madagascar, . . Prop resa of the Christian Mission, 2 vols., London, 1838; idem, Three Visits to Madagascar, ib 1880 idem, Madagascar Revisited, ib. 1867; idem, The Martyr Church, ib. 1870; J. Sibree, Madagascar aced its People, ib. 1870; idem, The Great African Island, ib. 1879; idem, Madagascar before the Conquest, ib. 1898; idem, Madagascar Mission, ib., 1907; De Is Vaisaibre, Hist. de Madagascar, sea habitants et sea mieaionnairea, Paris, 1884; G. Shaw, Madagascar of To-day, London, 1886; W. E. Cousins, Madagascar of To day, ib. 1895; J. J. K. Fletcher, Sign of the Cross in Mada gascar, ib. 1901; C. Keller, Madagascar, Mauritius and Other African Islands, ib. 1901; A. Froideraux, Lee Laza ristea h Madagascar au 17. aikcle, Paris, 1902; p. van Gennep, Taboo et Tot_miame h Madagascar, Paris, 1904; T. T. Matthews, Thirty Years in Madagascar, London, 1904; )3. O. Dwight, Blue Book of Missions for 1807, pp. 23-24, New York, 1907.
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