Evangelization. — Much has been done for the civili- zation of the natives of Natal. As early as I«35 mis- sionaries of the American Board for Foreign ^Missions commenced to preach Christ to them, but the severe persecutions which all Europeans suffered until the Brit- ish made Natal a colonial possession prevented all suc- cessful propagation of the Christian faith fir a long time. After the colonial establishment of Natal the AVesleyans went out in force, and greatly j^romotod the work inau- gurated by the American ^lissioiiary Society agents, who continued their labors with renewed vigor, and to this day remain in that field. In 184.") the Norwegian ^lis- sionary Society sent her missionaries to this territory, and in 1847 Berlin missionaries augmented the already strong force of Christian workers. Another ( ierman mis- sionary' society, that of Hermannsburg. in Hanriver, sent helpers in 1854, and soon found several stations wherein to preach Christ. Still more recently missions in Natal were founded by the Anglican establishment, through the agency of the now world-renowned rationalist, bishop Colenso, in 1853. His efforts secured much interest for Natal, and caused it to be made a diocese, and he him- self became its superintendent in 1855. His departure from the orthodox faith caused his removal ; but he still continues his interest in colonial missionary labors, how- ever inconsistent his efforts for the propagation of the Christian faith may seem with his avowed theory of Scripture interpretation. Very recently the Missionary Society of the Reformed Church of Holland has estab- lished several stations, and it is also meeting with much success in spreading Christianity among the Zulus. The American mission, which is served chiefly by Presby- terian and Congregational ministers, in 1870 maintained nineteen stations and out-stations, with twelve church- es, and about five hundred native members. The Ko- man Catholics also labor in Natal in force, and main- tain a bishopric. Aside from conversions which have been effected, the natives are not only benefited, at least indirectly, in their morals, but their mental cul- tivation has been greatly improved. Schools are numerous and well patronized. In 1870 there were seventy-nine schools sustained by the British colonial government, with an average attendance of 1797 pupils, besides a large number of excellent schools maintained by the missionaries in diiferent parts of the country', prominent among which are the American mission schools in the coast range, and those of the Ciiurch of England, of the Wesleyans, and of the Free-Church of Scotland. The colonial schools are under the control of a superintendent of education, and Natal, it is said by those who are competent eye-witnesses, boasts a superior school system. See Mann, The Cnhmi/ of Natal (Lond. \XM\) ; Muire, The British Col. of Xataf (ISG9); (irout, Znhdund, or Lift among the Znbi-Koffirs of Natal and Zululand (Phila. 18(55, l'2mo), especially valuable on mission work up to 18G0; Chapman, Trards in the In- terior of South Africa (Lond. 18(!8. 2 vols. 8vo), vol. i, ch. i sq. ; Grundemann, Missions-A ttas, pt. i, § 15 ; New- comb, Cyclop, of Missions, s. v. ; The Quarterli/ Review (London), vol. iviii, art. i. (J. H. W.)
Natal days, a name applied in early ecclesiastical laii^XH.'iLce, especially in martyrologies and funerary in- .scriptiiiiis, not only to the natural, but also to the spirit- ual birth. See Natai.itia. The term was also used in many ways, thus: (1) Natales ipiscupatiis, the days of a bishop's ordination, observed as an annual festival. (2) Xatalis Chi-isli, day of our Lord's birth (Christmas). See CiiRiST.MAS. (3) Natales martiirum, anniversaries of the martyrs; their sufferings and death being called their nativity. (^Commemorations if martyrs may be traced back to an early date. The feasts of the Inno- cents and of the JIaccabees were celebrated before the time of Chrysostom. Sec Maktvks, Festivals ok THE.) (4) Natales urbinm, the two annual days kept in memory of the foundation of the two great cities,
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Rome and Constantinople. (5) Natales genuini, in mem- ory of the emperor's birthday, and (6) Nataks impe- rii, in memory of his inauguration. Ordinary birth- days were forbidden to be celebrated in Lent. (7) Na- taiis calicis, the Thursday of Easter. (8) The day of baptism was also called Nativitas spiritualis. See Eadie, Eccles. Cydop. s. v.; Bingham, Antiquities of the Ch7-is- fian Church, ii, 158, 1124:, 1170 ; Aschbach, Kircheir^Lex. iv, 296; Riddle, Christian Antiquities (see Index) ; Sie- gel, Christl. Alterihilmer (see Index in vol, iv); Mar- tigny, Dictionnaire des Antiquites, s. v. Natale.
Natale (Latin Natalis), Ieronimo, a Spanish Jes- uit, was born at Majorca in 1507. An intimate friend of Ignatius Loyola, he entered the Society of Jesus in October, 1545. After having executed several com- missions at the Council of Trent, in Africa, and in Sicily, he established at Messina a college, in which he taught theologj' and Hebrew from 1552. He was afterwards charged by the founder of his order to pro- mulgate in Sicily, Portugal, and Spain the constitutions of the society. Nov. 1, 1554, he was made vicar-gen- eral to Ignatius Loyola. Pope Julius III designated Natale in the following year to accompany cardinal Morone, legate of the holy chair, to the Diet of Augs- burg. June 19, 1558, after having declined the chief command of the society, which was given to Lainez, he was nominated assistant for Germany and France, and undertook in the interest of the order several missions to Spain under Philip II. In March, 1566, he ener- getically sustained before the Diet of Augsburg the rights of tlie Church and of the holy chair, and on his return to Rome solicited, as vicar-general of Francis Borgia, the confirmation of the Order of Ignatius from Gregory XIII. At last he spent several years in Flan- ders, where he consecrated his time to the work by which he is principally known, and which is much sought after by amateurs for the engravings with which it is ornamented. He died at Rome April 3, 1580. His principal work is, Adnotationes et meditationes in Evan- gelia quce in sacrosancto niissce sacrijicio toto anno le- (juntur, cum eorumdem Evangeliorum concordanlia hisio- rice integritati sufficienti. Accessit et index historiam ipsam Evangelicam in ordinem te?nporis vilm Christi distribuens (Antw. 1594, fol., engraved title, 595 pages). This work, of which the price is still very high, is orna- mented with 153 plates engraved upon copper by Je- rome brothers, Wierix, and Collaert, from designs by aiartin de Vos and Bernardin Passeri. These engrav- ings, copied and engraved upon steel, have served to illustrate a Vie de Jesus Christ, by abbot Brispot (Paris, 1853, 2 vols, fol.), at the head of which is found a no- tice of Natalis and an explanation of the engravings: — Scholia in Const it utioties et Declarationes sancti Patris nostri Ignatii et admonitiones pro supenoribus (preserved in MS. form in the library of the Jesuits at Rome). See Hoefer, Nouc. Biog. Generale, s. v.