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Show 2 CHRISTMAS DAYS island of Madagascar tho Only I Country Thus Favored. p.ueen Ranavalona II on Ascending ' Throne Became First Christian , ;Riiler and Adopted "Glory to i ; " Qod In Highest" Motto. t -( There la only ono spot In tlio whole t ';?'", .'world whcro Christmas Is celebrated ! V- 'A 'twice cncli yeor nml Ihut Is tho Islund i .S'-fC' of Midugimair, off tho eastern const v - of Ilia southern ond of Afrlcn, nnd ; ' which domlnntca Unit part of the In- ,,.-;" Murco Polo, tho crcnt traveler, llrst "initio thla Island Itnown to medieval i."'.,' , Kuropo In 1208. It wns nenrly two -, ' Imiulrcd ycarri Inter when n Porta ...,; , Kiicno traveler obtnlocd tho flrst uu- " t' , . , "then tic Information nbout tho Island, 'w i , in '1407. from that tlmo on thuro were , 7 J ' attempt by the Portuguese, French and . " s Kngllsh io ncttlo tho Island, mul they - t ' -mot with defeat ut tho lunula of tho wild and savage-Hovas, who controlled ' ', iho island, and umny died from Mala .'- '.'.' ', icnsy fever In thu lowlands of tho const. ' ' ' On Christmus evo In 1072 nil tho ir Frenchmen nt ICort Dauphin wcro mur- .'''jf. " Uered by tho natives. In 1810 n Hovn "-f. -chief, HndnmaJ, a young man, allowed t ,' thu Christian missionaries to tench ,i Jjf. , their llililc doctrines In tho Island, and -VW' by 1820 Protestant Christianity was "' ".4'' effectively Introduced among tho rtfa' , Hovas. . - Flret Christian Ruler. V , 3 Itndnmn died In 1823, nnd ono of his wives beenmo Queen Unnnvuloun I. ' he wns bitter ngninst tho Chrlstlnns ,! .nnd persecuted them In ninny cruel YA,j?' ' ways, and sho had her wnrrlora from K ' tho Interior mountains of tho Island -',1 '" tnassucru tho native Chrlstlnns, who would not renounce tho Christian Ooti . ' - mid ko back to tho worship of Idols. I ., , Tlio cruel Queen reigned until her I . donth In 1801 a wicked record of 213 ' .yearn. Then her son, Undnuia II, be- anno king, nnd although ho was n 1 .grout drunkard nnd led n wild life himself, ho allowed tho Christian mis-' mis-' Ijlonnrlea to coino Into tho Island again, i. , ( llo.vyuH assassinated In tho palace In , ' ' 803, nml his widow, Ilnsohcrlnn, -wiis '-jl ' .proclaimed queen. Upon her death In i ' . 1808, n nleeo of Itannvnlomi I ascended tho throne as llunnvulonn II. When u ..girl, her gentle chnrltles and Hyinpn ' " , ' IIiIoh with tho Christians durlnR their persecutions had won respect nnd love, I i. Iind when she became queen It wfts un- 1 - dcrstood Hint Mndagnscar had tho flrst really Christian ruler on Its throne. J ' ' . between 1830 nnd 1835 tho cntlro III-vj III-vj ,n -lilo had bcea, printed In tho Mnlusnsy a ' ,f . InnKuncc, nlso nn EnKllsh-Mnlagnsy y MJ .. dictionary. Ko, on tho dny of her coro-?i&$$.T coro-?i&$$.T tho Idol which had been promt- : nont on slmllur occasions was banished ! by'Itnnnvnlona II, nnd a copy of the ' Malnf-nsy Iltble placed near tho throne ; Ivhllo on the ennopy above, In golden 'Icttors, were tho words: "Glory to Ood In tho Highest, Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." With ono hand on tho lllblo, tho queen addressed tho peoplo, oxprcsslng tho hbpo Hint they would iulopt tho Christian fnlth, but added: "In this matter you shall not bo com- ..pelled." C . ' Ordered Idols Destroyed. Slio onlered her own household Idols j lnd tho chief national Idol to bo burn - -ed ojid sradunlly her examplo was fol 1 lowed by tho general destruction of . t household Idola among tho Ilovns. She f married tho prime minister the fol J (' lowing yenr nnd mnde a public profes-P profes-P slon of her fnlth. and from that tlmo J ' on the Christian religion has been V . ." growing fast In the Islimd. I The words ovor, tho canopy at her k ' coronation the queen know to bo spoken" spok-en" by tho nngels In tho sky when tho shepherds lienrd the noise of wings ' at tho tlmo tho Christ wns born In nothlehem. Chrlstmnn U celebrated nil over tho island now. Hut tho Ilovns linvo a different way of computing tlmo nnd .by their system Christmas falls some tlmo In November, nnd they'cole-tirato they'cole-tirato it then, Tho Chrfstlnn rtnto of , , Decombcr 25 Is also celebrated by tho i ' natives nlong with the missionaries. ) ' ' . Hut It Is not n Chrlstmns of snow v' and slolghbells. It Is n troplcnl country arid Christmas dny Is under a torrid - sun, but tho sky Is brllllnnt and tho 'A . r fnngnlflcent lloworlng trees of many I vivid colors are filled with many po-'A po-'A r cullnr bints of brilliant plumnge, whllo 1 ( . tho ground beneath Is bespnngled with , ' wild blossoms of vnrlml hues. |
