Christian herald and signs of our times . The motive for the slaughter inthis instance does not appear from the briefcable-dispatch reporting the atrocities to havebeen that intolerance of religion, which informer years lead to similar crimes, but to havebeen simply the barbarous vengeance of asavage invested with authority. He was• incensed by the act of the people in sending apetition to the General Government protestingagainst his oppression. The horrible details,how-ever, recall most painfully previous massacresin Madagascar, in which religious persecutionwas the chief motive. Then, as now
Christian herald and signs of our times . The motive for the slaughter inthis instance does not appear from the briefcable-dispatch reporting the atrocities to havebeen that intolerance of religion, which informer years lead to similar crimes, but to havebeen simply the barbarous vengeance of asavage invested with authority. He was• incensed by the act of the people in sending apetition to the General Government protestingagainst his oppression. The horrible details,how-ever, recall most painfully previous massacresin Madagascar, in which religious persecutionwas the chief motive. Then, as now, the officialacts were characterized by cruelty and barbar-ity peculiarly revolting. It was during the decade 1840 to 1850 that thispersecution culminated. The victims thenwere not political malcontents, but men andwomen guiltless of any offence but that of mak-ing profession of Christianity. They were ofboth sexes and all ages. In one instance a hus-band and wife and their newborn babe wereburned at the same stake. Mr. Ellis, a mis-. Mrs. Susannah Wesley. the victim were tied together, and he or she,slung on a pole, was carried to the top of aprecipice and ignominiously flung over on thejagged rocks below. The heroism of the martyrs was was briefly asked, on reaching the edge ofthe precipice, to take the oath of allegiance tothe ancient faith of idolatry, and informed thatthe penalty of refusal was instant death. Theirlives were offered them if renounceChrist. The alternative was appalling, yet theconverts bravely declared for Jesus, and one after another they were cast over the fatal pre-cipice. On one occasion, a youug girl of rarebeauty was among the crowd. She was keptback until last, in the hope that the spectacleof the execution of her friends might intimi-date her. Standing alone on the rock wherean hour before she had been surrounded by amultitude of friends, she was again urgedto abjure her faith. She refused, and calmlybade the executione
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