458 



MADAGASCAR. 



$17,928.22. There were 15,750 guests taken 

 care of during the year, many of whom re- 

 ceived board and lodging gratis; 3,343 letters 

 and cards were received and answered. A 

 new wing was added to the immigrant-house, 

 at a cost of $16,000. 



All the morning sessions of the convention, 

 and those of Saturday and Monday afternoons, 

 were devoted to the consideration of the re- 

 port of the committee on liturgical forms. The 

 committee presented formulas for infant and 

 adult baptism, confirmation, and confession 

 and absolution. Much time was devoted to 

 the consideration of the first of these formu- 

 las. The results of the council in this mat- 

 ter are to be sent down to the synods, and 

 then come again before the Council for final 

 action. 



The report of the committee on a hymnal 

 for infant schools was adopted, and the com- 

 mittee was authorized to publish the book in 

 the name of the Council. 



IV. The Synodical Conference. This body was 

 organized in 1872. It held its tenth conven- 

 tion at Cleveland, O., Aug. 13-19, 1884. Eev. 

 J. Bading, of Milwaukee, Wis., presided. Rep- 

 resentatives (thirty-six) were present from all 

 the synods belonging to the bqpiy. The home- 

 missionary operations of this body are very 

 extensive, but are principally carried on by 

 the district synods. The Conference has, un- 

 der its own control, missions among the colored 

 race of the South, stations being established in 

 Arkansas, Louisiana, and Virginia. The con- 



tributions for this work amounted to $10,378.- 

 41. The contributions for foreign missions are 

 principally given to societies in Europe. 



Last year a theological seminary was com- 

 pleted at St. Louis, Mo., at a cost of $140,000. 



Considerable time at this convention was 

 devoted to the discussion of Dr. Walther's 

 thesis on the subject, " How objectionable it 

 is to attempt to establish matters of faith by 

 the writings of the fathers, and to bind the 

 conscience by their decisions on points of doc- 

 trine." By the fathers are meant the early 

 dogmaticians of the Lutheran Church. The 

 thesis maintains that the writings of the early 

 Christian fathers, and of the devout teachers 

 of the Lutheran Church, are treasures for 

 which we can not sufficiently thank God ; but 

 they can not have decisive authority, because, 

 as he holds: 1. It is contrary to Scripture. It 

 is against the authority of the Scriptures, 

 which are the only pure sources of all knowl- 

 edge of faith, the only infallible rule of doc- 

 trine, the only authoritative judge in all doc- 

 trinal disputes. It is against the doctrine of 

 the Scriptures, for it is contrary to the nature 

 of the Christian's faith, which he has estab- 

 lished on the Scriptures, that is, resting on the 

 word of God, and therefore divinely sure ; and 

 it is contrary to the warning of the Scriptures 

 with reference to trusting to men in matters of 

 faith, and against all doctrines of men, as also 

 against the Scripture admonition to prove all 

 things. 2. It is a relapse into anti-christian 

 papacy. 



M 



MADAGASCAR, a large island near the east- 

 ern coast of Africa. It first acquired impor- 

 tance for the commercial nations of Europe 

 about 1810, when Radama, a chief of the Hova 

 tribe, established his dominion in the eastern 

 part of the island. In 1817 he made a treaty 

 with Great Britain. English missionaries made 

 great progress in Christianizing the people un- 

 til the advent to the throne of the Queen Ra- 

 navolona I, in 1828, after which relations with 

 Europe were interrupted for a long period. In 

 1861 her son, Radama II, succeeded to the 

 throne, with whom Lambert con eluded a treaty 

 in the name of France. His Queen, Rasoheri- 



ceeding in gaining much of a footing among 

 the Hovas. In the western part, where the 

 Sakalavas dwell, they have acquired more po- 

 litical and religious influence. There is some 

 trade with the small French islands adjacent 

 to Madagascar, but the principal trade of the 

 Hovas is with the English colony of Mauritius. 

 American and German traders have a consid- 

 erable share in the foreign commerce. 



In 1879 a quarrel arose between the Hova 

 Government and the French consul at Anta- 

 nanarivo, the capital. The heirs of M. Laborde, 

 the former consul, had sold a piece of land of 

 which he stood possessed to the Pere Cazet, 



)D2 



na, succeeded him in 1863, in consequence of the head of the Roman Catholic missions. The 



a revolution. She concluded treaties of friend- 

 ship and commerce with England and the 

 United States in 1865. Her sister, Ranavolona 

 II, who came to the throne in 1868, professed 

 Christianity, and was largely guided in her 

 efforts to improve the people and introduce 

 civilized institutions by the English Presbyte- 

 rian missionaries. In 1868 she entered into a 

 new treaty with France The French pro- 

 claimed a protectorate over Madagascar in the 

 eighteenth century, but never exercised sover- 

 eign rights. Roman Catholic missionaries have 

 been active on the island, though without suc- 



Malagasy Government denied that Laborde 

 owned more than a life-tenancy in the land, 

 declaring that the constitution of the country 

 debarred the late King from granting the ab- 

 solute ownership of land to foreigners. When 

 the French heirs exhibited the title-deeds, the 

 ministers pronounced them to be forgeries. A 

 bitter controversy ensued, in which M. Cassas, 

 the French representative, assumed a hectoring 

 tone. He charged the Hova ministry with ill- 

 will in general toward French claims, which 

 was poorly concealed under appearances of 

 politeness. When the Foreign Minister pro- 



