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 TEN YEARS' REVIEW 
 
 OF 
 
 MISSION WORK 
 
 IN 
 
 MADAGASCAR. 
 
 HWh 
 
 1880—1890. 
 
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 ANTANANARIVO : 
 THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 
 
 1890. 
 
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ANTANANARIVO. 
 
 PRINTED AT THE PRESS 
 
 OF THE 
 
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CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Mission Map of Madagascar. 
 
 Introduction i 
 
 Political AND Social Events . 4 
 
 Map of Mission Districts of Central Madagascar, opposite 19 
 
 The Imerina Mission : — 
 
 Native Churches and Evangelistic Work 19 
 
 Isan-emm- bolana 35 
 
 The College 39 
 
 The Normal School 51 
 
 The Palace School 55 
 
 Girls' Central School 57 
 
 Sunday Schools 61 
 
 Elementary Education 63 
 
 Literature 68 
 
 The Medical Mission .. 76 
 
 Statistics 84 
 
 The Betsileo Mission : — 
 
 Introduction 85 
 
 Political and Social Events 86 
 
 Native Churches and Evangelistic Work 86 
 
 Education 92 
 
 Medical Work 95 
 
 Statistics 97 
 
 The Antsihanaka Mission : — 
 
 Evangelistic and Educational Work .... 98 
 
 Medical Work, etc. 107 
 
 The Tamatave Mission 118 
 
 The South- East Coast Mission 122 
 
 List, of Missionaries of L.M.S. for the last ten Years — 125 
 
 List of Missionaries still connected with L.M.S. 126 
 
 Deaths of Missionaries or Missionaries' Wives 127 
 
 Deaths OF Children OF Mission Families 127 
 
 Total Statistics for 1880 and 1890 . . 128 
 
 Comparative Statistics for 1880 and 1890 129 
 
 Notes on the Tables OF Statistics 130 
 
 The Friends' Foreign Mission Association 132 
 
 Missionaries of the Friends' Foreign Mission Association.. 134 
 
THE MADAGASCAR MISSION. 
 
 TEN YEARS' REVIEW. 
 1880-1890. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE following report of mission work in Madagascar 
 has been prepared in accordance with a regulation of 
 the London Missionary Society requiring that a "General 
 Review of the progress made in the Society's missions" 
 should be drawn up at the end of every decade. The first 
 Review of the kind, prepared by Rev. W. E. Cousins, was 
 published in 1870, and contained a brief history of the mission 
 during the preceding ten years. The second, prepared by 
 Rev, B. Briggs, appeared in 1880. It consisted of over 300 
 pages, and was of a very exhaustive character. No period 
 in the history of the mission in Madagascar has witnessed so 
 many changes and such remarkable progress in the spread 
 of Christianity among the people as that between 1870- 1 880 : 
 churches sprang up on every hand, the number of church- 
 members increased more than threefold, schools multiplied, 
 and numerous beneficial changes of a social and political 
 character kept pace with the spread of the Gospel ; and in 
 order to enable the Directors and friends of the Society to 
 comprehend the new order of things, it became necessary, at 
 the end of that decade, to give the fullest details concerning 
 our work here and to enter into particulars which, once told, 
 it is no longer needful to speak of. The Review therefore 
 published in 1880 remains to this day a valuable record of 
 facts and events directly and indirectly connected with the 
 work carried on, not only by the London Missionary Society, 
 but by all the Protestant Missionary Societies in the island. 
 The work of the past ten years has been one of consolidation 
 rather than expansion, of growth in knowledge and Christian 
 life among the churches rather than in numerical increase. 
 As far as the central provinces are concerned, the old heath- 
 enism, with its barbarous and revolting customs, has now 
 
passed into oblivion, and Christianity has been universally 
 accepted. But though heathenism as such has disappeared, 
 its baneful effects upon the mind and character of the people 
 have not 5'et been eradicated, and the great work of the 
 Christian missionary at the present time is to counteract and 
 destroy this inheritance of evil by bringing to bear upon it 
 the potent and purifying influences of the Gospel of Jesus 
 Christ. By teaching, by preaching, by precept, by personal 
 example before the people, it is his duty to present Christ as 
 the Saviour from sin, by and through Whom their own char- 
 acters may be made virtuous and beautiful. The people 
 already outwardly acknowledge Him, they need to be taught 
 to accept Him as the supreme Ruler of their lives. But 
 there is one great difficulty with which we have to contend 
 in our endeavours to build up the churches in the faith 
 of Christ, and that difficulty arises from our very success : 
 it is the great number of churches under our care. Our 
 work is scattered over such a wide area that it is impossible 
 to concentrate our energy on any single point with telling 
 effect. It is not perhaps generally known, or, if known, 
 not sufficiently remembered, that there are in Madagascar 
 more congregations than in all the other missions of the 
 Society put together. The number of churches under our 
 care at the present time is considerably over 1200, while 
 the number of missionaries is only 30. "What are these 
 among so many.?" When we think of all the claims and 
 responsibilities attaching to the work of these numerous 
 congregations, apart from our educational and other spheres 
 of duty, we are often led inwardly to exclaim : "Who is 
 sufficient for these things r" "the harvest truly is plenteous, 
 but the labourers are few." And yet we suppose that to 
 plead for more labourers is to plead in vain. The finances of the 
 Society, or in other words, the liberality of the churches, will 
 not allow of any increase in the staff of missionaries. O that 
 God may supply the deficiency by an abundant outpouring 
 of His Holy Spirit upon us His servants and upon the people 
 He has committed to our charge. 
 
 In the preparation of the present Review a somewhat 
 different plan has been followed from that adopted in its 
 predecessor. The papers on the various subjects treated 
 of have been written by different members of the mission ; 
 many matters contained in the Review of 1880 have been 
 omitted, and instead of a report of each district, a general 
 account of the evangelistic work of the districts as a whole 
 has been given, thus avoiding much necessary repetition 
 and monotony. 
 
 As the work of the Friends' Foreign Mission Association 
 
is so closely allied with that of the London Missionary Society 
 and is carried on on the same lines, Mr. Johnson, the Secre- 
 tary of that Mission, has been asked to furnish a report of 
 their work, to which request he has kindly acceded, and 
 his report has been incorporated in the following pages. 
 To Mr. Johnson our thanks are also due for the two small 
 coloured maps, the one showing the Mission Districts 
 in Imerina, the other the ground occupied by the various 
 Missionary Societies in the island. 
 
 It will be seen from the contents of this Review that, 
 notwithstanding failures here and disappointments there, not- 
 withstanding too the low spiritual life of the churches as 
 a whole, there is to be found, in taking a broad survey of 
 the work, sufficient evidence of progress to fill our hearts 
 with gratitude to God and to warrant us in taking a hopeful 
 view of the future ; but even apart from such evidence, so 
 long as we believe in God, in Christ, in the Gospel, we 
 cannot but rest assured of the ultimate success of our work. 
 To doubt the progress and the final triumph of the truth 
 seems to us no other than to doubt God. That the next Ten 
 Years' Review may have to record a great religious revival, 
 a deepening and strengthening of the spiritual life of the 
 churches throughout the length and breadth of the land, is 
 the earnest prayer of us all. 
 
 R. Baron, Secretary, 
 
 -/^mmM^^'^^^— 
 
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS. 
 
 TPIE Franco-Malagasy War. The ten years treated 
 of in tb.e following' pages opened in political matters 
 with the arrival in the summer of 1881 of an embassy sent 
 by the British Government to the Court of Madagascar. 
 The British man-of-war Euryalus anchored in the harbour 
 of 'J'amatave, and Admiral Gore-Jones and his staff came 
 up to the Capital and spent some days in interviewing 
 the Queen and Prime Minister, and in interchanging 
 courtesies. About the same time a visit of a purely 
 local and peaceable character was paid by two of our 
 missionaries to the N. W. Coast. There can be no doubt 
 that too great significance was attached by some to the 
 visit of Admiral Gore-Jones ; and the PVench appear to have 
 looked upon both the visit of the Admiral and the journey 
 of the two missionaries as being dangerous to their prestige 
 and influence. The crisis culminated in the bombardment of 
 Mojanga and other ports on the N. W. Coast in May, 1883 ; 
 in their sending an ultimatum from Tamatave in June, 1883, 
 and in its rejection by the Hova Court; and in their bombard- 
 ment and occupation, after no resistance, of that port. On the 
 firing of the first shots into Tamatave on Sunday, June i ith, 
 the Hova retired to an entrenched position some miles 
 inland, and here, as at Mojanga and elsewhere, for more 
 than two years, by an obstinate yet mostly a passive 
 resistance, they successfully repelled the frequent feeble 
 attempts of the small P>ench force to dislodge them. 
 
 It is not in our province to follow in detail all the vicissi- 
 tudes of the desultory conflict ; we can only notice such 
 aspects of the case as have a bearing upon our work as a 
 Missionary Society. It should be noticed, however, that in 
 1882 the Hova attempted to avert the impending catastrophe 
 by sending an embassy to Europe and America, whose 
 doings in Paris, London, and Washington are doubtless 
 still in the remembrance of the constituents of our Society. 
 Hostilities broke out while they were still on their mission ; 
 and they returned in the autumn of 1883, landing at a small 
 port on the S. E. Coast, although they were the bearers of a 
 safe conduct through the French lines at Tamatave.* 
 
 * Ravoninaliitriniarivo, 15 Honours, the chief of this mission, was in 1887 degraded 
 from his office of Chief Secretary for Foreign Affairs and sent into banishment to Ambosi- 
 tra ; and Kamaniraka, 14 Honours, his companion, is now Governor of the town and 
 district of Ihosy, in the Bara country, in South Central Madagascar. 
 
Immediately on the arrival in the Capital of the news of 
 the bombarding and capture of Mojanga on the N. W. 
 Coast, the wildest excitement prevailed. Meetings of the 
 Cabinet and heads of the people were held ; reinforcements 
 were hurriedly sent away. The French residents, including 
 the Jesuit Fathers and Sisters of Mercy, were ordered to 
 leave the Capital for the coast. All our missionaries were 
 immediately recalled from the country stations and had to 
 take up their abode in the Capital, where they remained for 
 about six months. 
 
 To add to the embarrassments of the situation, the Queen, 
 Ranavalona II., the first Christian Sovereign of Madagascar, 
 after an illness of many months' duration, died on the morn- 
 ing of July 13th, 1883. This event, coming about six weeks 
 after the commencement of the war, seemed to be another 
 blow to the progress of Christianity, in the Annual Report 
 for 1883 we thus referred to the two events : — 
 
 "For a time, after the outbreak of hostilities, the Government, the native 
 pastors, and we ourselves were fearful as to the effect of the war upon our 
 people. The wildest rumours were freely circulated, and the death of the 
 Queen, happening only a month after the capture of Tamatave, deepened 
 the already deep dislike of many of the natives to foreigners and religion. 
 
 'They iiated the sight of foreigners, and the English were looked 
 
 upon with no more favour than the French' Many pastors, deacons, 
 
 preachers, and church members were sent away to strengthen the gar- 
 risons at Anorontsanga, Mojanga, Tamatave and other places. There 
 were about 10,000 soldiers encamped for months in the suburbs of the 
 Capital; and in June all the able-bodied men and the youths and boys in 
 our schools were encouraged to be trained in spear and shield drill. Some 
 of (he churches were completely disorganized, and the College and schools 
 of all kinds immediately gave half of each day to drill. . . . We all feared 
 that our work in education would be almost, it not entirely, destroyed. For 
 months this drill was kept up most regularly, and some of the schools in the 
 more distant stations were completely broken up. Frequent proclamations 
 were made by the Government forbidding the disruption of the schools, 
 while urging on the drilling of the people ; and to our great relief, imme- 
 diately after the coronation of the new Sovereign in November, another 
 proclamation was issued forbidding any school to drill more than once a 
 week, and during December this was changed to once a month. 
 
 "A native pastor says : 'When the soldiers went away to resist the 
 French, many of them took charms with them and returned to their 
 old heathen customs. They offered sacrifices to their ancestors, took 
 earth from tombs to secure protection from the balls of the enemy, 
 and to be sure of having their bodies, in case of death, brought to 
 Imerina for burial in their family tombs. ... When the priests were 
 sent away, and the English were brought up to the Capital, and 
 guards stationed at their houses, great numbers concluded that the 
 'praying' was at an end. In one part of the country, to the west of the 
 Capital, it was publicly announced that the Prime Minister had given 
 orders for all chapels to be closed. When, on the 14th of July, all the 
 foreigners in the Capital went up to the palace to condole with the new 
 Queen and the Government on the death of their beloved Sovereign, an 
 old soldier was heard to say as they passed : 'This is the last time 
 
6 
 
 foreis^ners will come into the palace.' Mr. Peake reports that in ajourney 
 he made to a diijtant part of his district, soon after the Queen's death, he 
 found the cliapcls closed, and the people were afraid to go into them until 
 they had heard what were the intentions of the new Queen. 
 
 "How wonderfully has God dispelled our fears ! Verily we have to 
 mourn over some backsliders, but our hearts are full of gratitude for the 
 proof we have had of the wonderful hold the Gospel has taken of the heart 
 of many of the people. Our people have been thrown back upon God. 
 Meetings for prayer have become part of our church work to a most 
 gratifying degree. For some time daily, and now weekly, meetings are held 
 for prayer in the churches. Mr. Montgomery well describes this : 'One very 
 palpable good that has arisen out of the evils brought by war is that the 
 people in our congregations are giving themselves to prayer. Prayer 
 meetings are held every week in nearly all the congregations. Supplications 
 are made to Almighty God for the protection of the country and for the 
 rulers in this time of trouble. National sins are confessed and bemoaned 
 before God. Occasionally, indeed, though seldom, rash expressions are to 
 be heard at these prayer meetings, petitions couched rather in the spirit of 
 the imprecatory psalms than in the 'manner of spirit' Christ's disciples 
 should manifest. Sometimes too, on Sundays, we may hear rather martial 
 sermons from young preachers. We have had more discourses lately on 
 Naboth's Vineyard and kindred topics than I have cared to hear or hear 
 about. But the true spirit of the Gospel comes out far more frequently, 
 and I have heard some of our best men praying sometimes in words 
 broken with emotion that God would have mercy on their enemies, and 
 not destroy them, but send them away in peace, and give them grace for 
 repentance and the acknowledgment of the truth.' 
 
 "We observed with great thankfulness, as showing how the Gospel is 
 laying hold of the nation, the bearing of the Government and people 
 towards those whom they regard as their enemies. W^e candidly confess 
 that we feared some evil would befall the priests, whom they rightly or 
 wrongly charged with having incited the French Government against 
 them. When the expulsion of the French was decided on, it was carried 
 out in a far more considerate manner than the most sanguine could have 
 thought possible. The priests in the country districts were safely escorted 
 to the Capital, and when all French subjects were ready for going, 
 they were provided with bearers for themselves and their luggage, and 
 an escort of soldiers saw them safely down to the neighbourhood of 
 Tamatave ; beyond the plucking of the beard of one of the priests, 
 and the plunder of a box close to the Qapital, no outrage was com- 
 mitted. Their property here is as safe now as when they left. Their 
 chapels are opened regulary every Sunday for the usual services in all 
 places where there are those wishing to worship. 
 
 "We only heard of one Catholic chapel destroyed, a wayside chapel 
 that had been built for the lepers away from any town or village, on the 
 day before the French were expelled. An outrage was also perpetrated 
 upon the French cemetery some few miles from the Capital, but extra 
 guards were immediately sent out by the Government, and the outrage has 
 not been repeated. This occurred at a time when many Malagasy tombs 
 were treated in a similar manner by a gang of robbers. 
 
 "We give God thanks for the control the Government had over the 
 people, and for the self-restraint the people exercised over their own feel- 
 ings in a time of very great provocation. Their Queen has been insulted ; 
 their towns, some twenty of them, have been destroyed without warning 
 or with a warning of only a few hours ; their fellow-countrymen have been 
 kidnapped, impri.soned, and shot ; their chapels have been burned and the 
 bells taken into French forts, or carried away by sea; their country has 
 been invaded and occupied on the east and west. Surely they have 
 
'given their cheeks to the smiters,' and when they have been 'reviled, they 
 have reviled not again.' The Christianity of Madagascar passed through 
 a fiery trial, and so far we have seen little of which we need feel ashamed. 
 'Jhe people have been taunted as being 'barbarians and savages,' but of 
 such barbarians and savages the Christian Church need not be 
 ashamed." 
 
 The preceding paragraphs were written at the end of 1883; 
 the "war" continued until near the end of 1885, and during 
 its whole course the attitude of the people underwent no 
 change. Our churches acted very nobly towards their friends 
 and companions who were sent to the neighbourhood of the 
 blockaded ports. A patriotic fund was started in 1884, 
 and the churches of all denominations subscribed close upon 
 $30,000 for the purchase of medicine, food, and clothing for 
 the soldiers. 
 
 At the end of 1885 the war ended by a treaty being signed, 
 the Malagasy Government agreeing to a French protectorate 
 by which the foreign relations of Madagascar were to be con- 
 trolled by France, but no control was to be exercised over her 
 domestic policy. The Malagasy also paid an indemnity of 
 ^400,000, France undertaking to pay all claims by foreigners 
 who had suffered during the war. This protectorate has 
 been much misunderstood, and up to the present time is a 
 source of much uneasiness as to what is or may be its true 
 import. A French Resident-General with a large staff and 
 an escort have been established in the Capital since 1886, 
 and Residents have been appointed to various ports and to 
 Fianarantsoa. The terms of this protectorate, as defined in 
 the treaty of 1 885, on which it is based, does not affect our work 
 as missionaries in the slightest degree ; we have the same 
 freedom to teach, preach, and travel as before, nor should 
 the official recognition of the protectorate by the British and 
 other Governments last year injure our position or limit our 
 freedom in any way. A spirit of conciliation, and a desire 
 to stand well both with the Malagasy and the English, 
 seem to animate nearly all French officials from the Resident- 
 General downwards, and we sincerely trust this may con- 
 tinue. 
 
 In 1884 a Vice-Consul holding a commission from the 
 Queen of England was sent to the Capital, and his presence 
 has tended greatly to the public benefit. We should like 
 to see Her Majesty's Representative in the Capital holding 
 higher rank than that of a Vice-Consul. 
 
 Death of Ranavalona II. Some notice must necessarily 
 be made of the death of the first and the accession and reign 
 of the second Christian Queen of Madagascar, but for a fuller 
 notice we would refer our readers to two articles in the ANTA- 
 NANARIVO Annual, Christmas, 1883, PP- 1-12, 102- no. 
 
8 
 
 Ranavalona II. was born in the year 1829, ascended the 
 throne on the 2nd of April, 1868, and died on the morning 
 of Friday, July 13th, 1883. When she came to the throne 
 in 1868, she declared herself a Christian, and at her coro- 
 nation, on the 3rd of September of that year, she pro- 
 claimed full religious liberty to her people. She was present 
 at the opening of the Martyr Memorial Church at Ambohi- 
 potsy on the 17th of November, 1868 ; she and her husband, 
 the Prime Minister, were publicly baptized on the 21st of 
 February, 1869; and on the 6th of June of the same year 
 she was admitted to the Lord's table. 
 
 On the 20th of July, 1869, she laid the foundation stone 
 of the stone church in the palace enclosure, which was not 
 opened, however, for public worship until April, 1880. 
 
 A mere list of the good things accomplished during her 
 reign, and proofs of progess in religion and education, 
 would fill many pages. Some of them will ever be remem- 
 bered as beacons and landmarks in the progress of Mada- 
 gascar from the grossest superstition and heathen practices 
 towards a fuller appreciation of the light and liberty of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 The burning of the idols, the abolition of Sunday markets, 
 the proclamation and establishment of religious liberty, the 
 public observance of the Sabbath, the building of the Palace 
 Church, the emancipation of Mozambiques, the amelioration 
 of the wretched condition of the soldiers, the codification of 
 the laws, the absence of tumults and rebellions, the abroga- 
 tion of the laws against brick and stone buildings in the 
 Capital, the establishment of colleges, schools, and hospitals, 
 the progress of elementary education, the abolition of polygamy, 
 the establishment of a Native Missionary Society, and a host 
 of other praiseworthy things will ever be remembered as mark- 
 ing the fifteen years' reign of the first Christian Queen of 
 Madagascar. 
 
 The ceremonies attending her funeral were shorn of all the 
 ancient heathen forms. The period of mourning was shorter 
 than usual, ending on the 25th of August. All the obser- 
 vances usual on such occasions were at her request made as 
 light as possible. Queen Ranavalona the Good, in her death 
 as in her life, was full of thought of how she could benefit 
 her people and make their burdens light. 
 
 The following were the chief things observed in the time 
 of mourning. Men not to wear hats; women to wear their 
 hair down ; no public singing or playing musical instru- 
 ments, except at religious services ; no building or working' 
 in clay or mud ; no assembling for sports ; no spinning of 
 cotton or silk ; no spear-throwing. Twenty-two years before. 
 
9 
 
 at the mourning for Ranavalona I., it is said that soldiers 
 were made to fill up cannons to the muzzle with powder and 
 shot, then screw in a plug, fire off the cannon, which burst 
 and killed many. Fifteen years ago our missionaries saw 
 every man, woman, and child go about for weeks with 
 shoulders bare and heads shaved ; no one then dared sleep in 
 a bed, and any one daring to sing would have been guilty 
 of treason. What a change the preaching of the Gospel has 
 produced ! 
 
 Accession of Ranavaloxa III. The new Queen was 
 proclaimed on the morning of the death of her aunt. She 
 was known as Razafindrahety, and has assumed the name 
 of Ranavalomanjaka III. She was born on the 22nd of 
 November, 1861, and was baptized at Ambohimanga on the 
 5th of April, 1874. She was first educated in a country 
 district by one of our native teachers, after which she entered 
 one of the schools in the Capital. She was for a time in 
 the school taught by Miss Gilpin, and for some years after- 
 wards was a scholar in our school for girls at Ambodin' An- 
 dohalo. She is a member of the church in the palace. She 
 had been married to a relative of the Queen called Ratrimo- 
 arivony, who died in the early part of May, 1883. She has 
 always been well behaved, and her accession gave great joy 
 to the Christian part of the community. She has had no 
 children. 
 
 At her coronation on the 22nd of November, on the great 
 plain of Imahamasina, her throne was covered by the memor- 
 able canopy under which her aunt was crowned in 1868, 
 with the words "God with us ;" "Glory to God ;" "Peace on 
 earth ;" "Goodwill to men," round the cornice. On her 
 right was a small table with a marble top, on which was 
 placed a large Bible. In the first paragraph of her speech 
 she acknowledged that God had given her the kingdom. In 
 the second she said that she hoped the blessing of God might 
 rest upon her people. In the fourth she said : "My desire 
 from God is to benefit you and to govern you in right- 
 eousness." In the ninth she explicity declared that she 
 placed her kingdom under the protection of God : "for 1 know 
 that the kingdom which is governed in dependence upon 
 
 God has strength and makes progress." "Remember 
 
 that it is righteousness that exalteth a nation, and the fear 
 of God is the beginning of wisdom." She concluded by 
 saying : "Whoever forsakes the path of righteousness walks 
 in the way of darkness." 
 
 She has now reigned for seven and a half years, and during 
 that time she has fulfilled our hopes. Her life has been 
 blameless. She has been as steadfast as her late aunt in at- 
 
10 
 
 tendance upon public worship, and has taken a deep interest 
 in all religious and philanthropic work. Many of our number 
 have had the opportunity of preaching in the Palace Church 
 during her reign, and we have all been struck with the deep 
 and intelligent interest she has taken in the services. 
 
 The Army and Military Expeditions. — During the 
 decade very great attention has been given to the army, 
 and as a result it is now much better drilled, clothed and 
 armefl than formerly. During the war the Government 
 obtained the services of several English officers, and since 
 that time two English and one French officer have been 
 engaged in training young men in gunnery and musket- 
 ry, these young men being appointed as officers or in- 
 structors for the whole army after finishing their term of 
 study. The successive annual levies have been honourably 
 set free as each has fulfilled its course of four years' training ; 
 although this is a vast change for the better, seeing that 
 formerly soldiers were taken for life, it has not had the effect 
 of making the service popular. As each yearly levy comes 
 round, every imaginable means are used by the people to 
 keep their sons from the- conscription ; much disturbance 
 happens to the schools at the time, youths are hidden, or run 
 away, or the officers making the levy in parts at some 
 distance from the Capital are bribed to pass by certain 
 individuals. Hence the poor are always taken up. We 
 believe the great dislike to military service arises chiefly 
 from the fact that the people have a great objection to being 
 sent to the distant coast stations, where fever is so prevalent. 
 
 Of the doings of the army during the Franco-Malagasy 
 war, nothing need be said here. In addition to this demand 
 upon them, several rebellions of the distant tribes have been 
 suppressed, and two expeditions were sent by sea from 
 Tamatave round to St. Augustine's Bay and its neighbour- 
 hood for the subjugation of a tribe of Sakalava, who have 
 long been the terror of travellers and ships and traders in 
 those parts. The first expedition in 1888 was a failure; but 
 the second, sent in i88g, successfully conquered the tribe 
 and established Hova garrisons at St. Augustine's Bay, and 
 at a place called Tolihara, at the mouth of the river Fihe- 
 renana. The expedition returned to the Capital in 1889, 
 bringing some of the chief advisers of the ruling Sakalava 
 prince to express his allegiance to the Queen. Norwegian 
 missionaries have tried for many years to seftle in the 
 neighbourhood, and have suffered much from the cruelty and 
 oppression of the chiefs. There is now hope that they will 
 be allowed to work in peace. 
 
 In July of 1890 a review of the troops lasting three days 
 
11 
 
 was held on the Imahamasina plain, at which the Queen, 
 Prime Minister, the Resident-General of France, H.B.M. 
 Vice-Consul, and many Europeans were present. Some 
 tens of thousands of soldiers were put through a great 
 number of military manceuvres, and those competent to 
 judge spoke very highly of the bearing of the troops. 
 
 Administration of Justice.— In the administration oi 
 justice attempts have been made to check bribery and 
 corruption. In our report for 1882 we referred thus to a new 
 codification of the laws : — 
 
 "This code is superior to anything of the kind that !ias appeared in 
 Madagascar before, and, if faithfully carried out and universally enforced, 
 will mark a decided advance in the political and social condition of the 
 country." 
 
 The administration of this code has not realized all our 
 hopes. Much improvement has doubtless taken place, justice 
 has certainly been more promptly obtained than formerly; 
 but what can be expected when every person engaged — 
 judge, magistrate, police officer— has to do everything for 
 the honour of serving the country. The temptation to 
 bribery is too strong. Quite recently one of the most promis- 
 ing young men, who after being educated in our college had 
 been appointed to a judgeship, deliberately falsified a judg- 
 ment as the result of a large bribe. He and his companions 
 were speedily degraded and sent away into banishment. 
 
 Treatment of Crimixals.— In prisons and the treatment 
 of criminals, things remain as before. There is not the 
 cruelty of burying up to the neck, or the burning and hacking 
 to pieces of condemned men, which were common in former 
 years ; but prisoners still have to keep themselves, and are 
 allowed to pick up a precarious livelihood at whatever 
 work they can get, going about with iron rings on ancles 
 and neck, which rings are connected by iron rods reaching 
 from the neck to the ancles. The death penalty has been 
 carried out in a more becoming fashion. Two soldiers, 
 who had deserted during the war, on being condemned to 
 death in 1884, instead of being burned, surrounded by a 
 howling rabble, were conducted to the suburbs in a most 
 imposing manner, were clothed in new lai/iba, blindfolded 
 and shot, their bodies being given to their friends for inter- 
 ment, instead of being thrown away to the dogs as formerly. 
 
 Robber Raids and Burglaries.— Much has appeared 
 in the newspapers of late about the inroads made by the 
 Bara and Sakalava on the western borders of Imerina and 
 Betsileo. It cannot be denied that ever since the unfor- 
 tunate Franco-Malagasy hostilities, these raids have been 
 on the increase, and that they have no longer been confined 
 
12 
 
 merely to the border-lands. Numerous villages and even 
 whole districts have been burned and pillaged, cattle and 
 women and children being carried off captive. Border 
 raids have always been chronic in the past, and large gar- 
 risons have had to be kept along the whole western frontier 
 of the great central plateau to resist these raids. Since 
 the beginning of the late hostilities these garrisons have 
 become weaker, many run-away Hova soldiers have taken 
 refuge among the border tribes, and others have fled from 
 the unbearable labour connected with the working for gold ; 
 and all these seem to have combined for raiding puri3oses. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the Capital too, burglaries, some- 
 times of the most daring character, and not infrequently 
 accompanied by murder, have alarmingly increased in number 
 within the last few years. We sincerely hope that the Govern- 
 ment will soon take steps for the suppression, not only of 
 these deeds of outrage in and around Antananarivo, but also 
 of the raids made by armed gangs of robbers in the more 
 remote districts. 
 
 Gold-mining. — The gold question is one that has been 
 brought into prominence during the last few years. What was 
 only supposed to be a source of great wealth has now become 
 a fact. Gold undoubtedly exists in large quantities throughout 
 the island. A number of miners from South Africa and Austra- 
 lia have come up to the Capital seeking for concessions, but 
 most of them have gone away again disappointed, the 
 terms asked by the Government being considered too high. 
 One concession has been given to a French Company to the 
 east of Mojanga, and report says that much gold has been 
 found. It is said, however, to have been worked by forced 
 labour ; and whether the Government meant it so to be 
 or not, it cannot be gainsaid that there has been much 
 oppression and suffering caused in the districts of Vonizongo 
 and Ambositra by the people being compelled to go seeking 
 gold without payment or reward. 
 
 Up to within the present year it was an act involving penal 
 servitude for a Malagasy to dig for or sell gold. This year 
 permission was given to the people to seek it wherever they 
 liked on paying the first ounce obtained for a license, and 
 then selling the rest at ^lo per ounce to the Government. 
 We have no means of knowing how far this has been 
 successful. We know, however, that much gold has been 
 secretly sold to foreigners of late years. There are representa- 
 tives of financial companies in England and France now 
 in the Capital seeking for concessions, and several English- 
 men are out prospecting by permission of the Government. 
 
 Three or four concessions have also been granted by the 
 
13 
 
 Government for the cutting and exportation of timber on 
 the N. E. Coast, in the neighbourhood of Antongil Bay. 
 
 Newspapers. — No less than six newspapers have been start- 
 ed in Madagascar during the ten years. The first was a French 
 paper at Tamatave, which still exists. The second was the 
 Madagascar Times, established in the Capital in x\pril, 
 18S2, written in English, French and Malagasy. This, with 
 a suspension during the visit of the Embassy to Europe and 
 America, continued until February, 1890. The third v\as 
 i\y Gazety Malagasy, commenced by the Government in 
 June, 1883, and which has continued with more or less 
 regularity to be issued ever since. The fourth is Le Progrcs 
 de r Iinerina, which has been issued since 1887, and is 
 supposed to be the mouthpiece of the Residency. The 
 fifth is a small sheet issued in Malagasy from the oflice of 
 Le Progrcs de I' Imerina and sold at a halfpenny a copy. The 
 sixth is the Aladagascar A^ews, commenced in May last. 
 Four of these papers, being in French and English, cannot 
 be supposed to have much influence upon the Malagasy; 
 but the free criticism upon the native Government and 
 affairs in general sometimes appearing in one or another 
 of them, makes evident the vast change that has taken 
 place in the sensitiveness of the native authorities to 
 public criticism. Things are printed and said in these 
 days, botl-i by foreigners and natives, that would have been 
 looked upon as almost amounting to treason a few years 
 ago. Freedom of speech is beginning to be understood in 
 Madagascar. 
 
 Banks, Tele(tRAPH,etc.— We have not space for more than 
 a passing reference to the establishment of branches of two 
 banks in the Capital and Tamatave. These are Te Comptoir 
 National de France and the New Oriental Bank Corporation. 
 The natives are said to be increasingly using them. A tele- 
 graph was erected for the Government by a French firm 
 between Tamatave and the Capital in August, 1887, and is 
 still in working order. An imposing and well equipped 
 observatory has been built by the Jesuit Fathers on a hill a 
 few^ hundred yards east of the Capital. It is said to be sub- 
 sidized by the P>ench Government. 
 
 In road-making hardly anything has been done, but 
 in houses and public buildings there is a very decided 
 advance to be noticed, especially in and around the Capital. 
 Many hundreds of two-storied, well-built, brick houses are 
 now in existence. 
 
 A small attempt to encourage local and self-government 
 has been made by the formation of Village Councils ifokon^ 
 o/ona) ^or mutual defence; and quite recently the Govern- 
 
14 
 
 ment have appointed young men in most of the towns and 
 villages as Governors or local magistrates for the trial 
 and settlement of minor civil and criminal cases in con- 
 nection with these Village Councils, instead of having 
 every case sent up to the Capital for settlement. We hear 
 from several sources that the system seems to be working 
 well. 
 
 Drink, Faxompoana and Slavery. There are three- 
 subjects, however, connected with the political and social 
 condition of the people which affect our work and pros- 
 pects more than any others. These are: fi) The Drink 
 Question, (2) Fanoiiipoana^ or forced personal service for 
 the Government, and (3) Slavery. Of the first of these 
 it may be said that the Queen and Prime Minister have 
 ever been examples of sobriety and temperance to the whole 
 nation ; the laws also are very strict on the subject, making 
 it a criminal act for any Malagasy to make, buy, sell, or drink 
 intoxicants within a very large area around the Capital and 
 in the neighbourhood of most garrison towns. When and 
 where these laws are fairly enforced, a drunken person is an 
 exceedingly rare sight. But alas ! for some reason or reasons 
 the sale and use of intoxicants even in the Capital has increas- 
 ed alarmingly during recent years. The influx of foreigners 
 has doubtless greatly tended to this change, for Creole and 
 other foreign traders not only sell by retail themselves, but 
 open dram shops in the public thoroughfares and appoint 
 Malagasy subjects as their agents. So gross had the abuse 
 become that about two years ago a conference of all 
 the Protestant missionaries was held in the Capital, 
 and a deputation appointed to wait upon the Prime 
 Minister to urge him to take steps not only to enforce the 
 law, but to make yet more stringent regulations for the control 
 of the traffic . In taking this step we were heartily supported by 
 Her Britannic Majesty's Vice-Consul, W. Clayton Pickersgill, 
 Esq. The Prime Minister granted the interview, received 
 its members most courteously, and freely expressed for him- 
 self and the Queen their great desire to do something to 
 lessen the evils. We fear that there is too much truth in the 
 fact he laid before the deputation that the Government are 
 prevented from taking vigorous steps for fear of complica- 
 tions on the tariff and other questions with the representatives 
 of foreign Governments. Meanwhile, because of this fear, and 
 for reasons of a more delicate nature, the traffic increases or 
 remains unchecked; and this with its attendant evil of brothels 
 and other vices causes us considerable uneasiness for the pros- 
 perity of the country and the success of our work. 
 
 In regard to the second, Fmtompoa7ta, or enforced personal 
 
15 
 
 service for the Government, we look upon it as being possibly 
 a greater curse than slavery ; we are powerless to do any- 
 thing in the matter, as it concerns the internal policy of the 
 Government. Every man and youth, and even the elder 
 boys in the schools, are liable to be called upon at any 
 moment to leave school, home, and business to do whatever 
 the Government requires, without receiving any wages. Were 
 it merely a matter of serving the Government only, the evil 
 would not be so great, but it should be remembered that the 
 officers who direct this work being themselves unpaid, must 
 make something out of it. Hence those who have means 
 may, by judicious bribing, secure some alleviation of the 
 hardness of their lot ; but as a matter of course, the very poor 
 have to bear the greatest burdens. Again, men of the highest 
 family and rank may be called upon to go as Governors or 
 envoys to distant provinces, and as they receive no allowance or 
 grant from the Central Government, their bearers and personal 
 attendants cannot be paid, and so they must needs come down 
 upon their slaves. Fanoinpoana makes domestic slavery 
 almost a necessity, as the greater includes the less. We 
 cannot point to a single enactment of the Government which 
 tends to show any disposition to dispense with Fanoinpoana. 
 Its abolition and the substitution of taxation is a matter 
 which will require the utmost skill and prudence on the 
 part of the Government. The question bristles with difficul- 
 ties on every side; but we have no hesitation in saying 
 that its abolition will be the greatest and grandest thing 
 ever accomplished for the emancipation of Madagascar. 
 
 Meanwhile we cannot but think that the action of Mission- 
 ary Societies in paying every native helper (some thou- 
 sands in number now) for work done, and their insistance 
 on the churches receiving helpers also paying some share 
 of the allowance (in many instances' the larger share) must 
 have some influence upon the people, and make them see 
 that "a fair day's wage for a fair day's work" is just and 
 right. 
 
 When one of our missionaries was asked by the Government 
 to take sole charge of the school erected by them at the north 
 of the Palace for the education of the sons of the higher 
 classes, we made it a sine qna non that money should be 
 placed at his disposal for paying his native helpers, and for 
 mieeting the expenses incidental to the maintenance of a school 
 of over 200 boys. To this the Prime Minister readily con- 
 sented, and it is being kept up. Further, the employment 
 by the Government of some half dozen Europeans at 
 comparatively large salaries must serve the purpose of 
 making it known that work and pay are closely connected. 
 
16 
 
 Knowing as we do the grinding injustice of this Fanompoana, 
 we have made careful enquiries as to whether any amelioration 
 of its incidence could be noted, and we have pleasure in 
 recording that while, as we have stated above, no enactment 
 has been made tending to its abolition, the system is being 
 quietly but silently undermined. 
 
 (i) No contribution has been called for from the people 
 towards the repayment of the loan of ^600,000 obtained by 
 the Government from the Comptoir d' Escompte in 1886 for 
 the purpose of paying the war indemnity ; and every instalm.ent 
 towards its repayment has so far (Dec. i8go) been paid from 
 Government funds or from the Queen's private purse. The 
 indemnity paid to France many years ago was exacted from 
 the people. 
 
 (2} During the last few years the 2000 soldiers w?io are on 
 duty night and day in and around the Palace enclosure in 
 the Capital have received sixpence per man per week, a sum 
 sufficient to provide them with food. Formerly they received 
 no stated pay. 
 
 (3) All guns and munitions of war introduced during and 
 since the late war have been paid for from Government 
 funds. Formerly a tax was levied upon the people for these 
 purposes. 
 
 (4) All lamba, or cotton goods, that used to be received as 
 customs' dues, when these were levied in kind, had to bo 
 brought up to the Capital by tlie dwellers on the coast ; this 
 was stored in the Government warehouses, and as each 
 yearly Fandroana, or annual festival, came round, was 
 distributed /;'c /'(j/a to all officers and soldiers as a present. 
 Since payment in money has been taken for customs' dues, 
 no lamba has been brought up, yet the distribution of the 
 tens of thousands of yards has been continued as before 
 at each Fandroana, the lamba having been bought by 
 Government funds in the market of the Capital. 
 
 (5) In the departments of the public service in which 
 foreigners are employed large sums of money are spent by 
 them in buying building materials, bricks, lime, etc., which 
 were formerly supplied by the people as Fanompoana. In 
 one department alone we have ascertained that no less a 
 sum than $2800 has thus passed through the hands of one 
 foreigner within the last two years. These facts taken singly 
 may not perhaps be of great moment, but taken as a whole, 
 they are surely as "straws in the stream" showing the flow 
 of the current. 
 
 As to Slavery we must acknowledge a feeling of bitter 
 disappointment in having to say that no advance has been 
 made towards its abolition either at once or gradually during 
 
17 
 
 the ten years since our last Review was written. Things are 
 apparently just where they were then. The feeling among 
 the more intelligent Christians that slavery must ultimately 
 go is perhaps stronger than it wa:: at that time, but the facts 
 remain just as they were expressed by us in 1880 [Vide Ten 
 Years' Review, 1870—80, pp. 27 — 31]. 
 
 The relation of missionaries to slavery has been grossly 
 misrepresented, and strong language has been used at various 
 times in commenting upon it. We have, however, nothing 
 to fear in our attitude to the matter being fully and generally 
 known. The whole community knows well that we are 
 opposed to slavery. Our schools and churches are as much 
 open to the slave as to the free. We never hire a slave 
 as such ; we hire our servants and our palanquin bearers 
 directly, having nothing whatever to do with their masters; 
 and only when going on long journeys, where passports 
 are necessary, is any attempt made to ask the consent of an 
 owner, and this only because the laws of the country demand 
 it. We always pay wages to the person employed, be he 
 bond or free, and 7iever to the master of a slave for service 
 his slave may have rendered. Indeed many of our domestic 
 servants, even down to water-carriers and horse-boys, are 
 redeemed slaves, and in numerous instances their freedom 
 has been obtained by the missionary lending money zvitJiont 
 interest or security of any kind whatsoever. There is scarcely 
 a mission family which has not its freed slave, sometimes 
 two or three, among its domestics, and these have been 
 assisted by the missionary to obtain their freedom. A curious 
 thing about the matter is that there are instances of slaves who 
 have paid the full price of their freedom except the last dollar, 
 which they leave ziiipaid, in order that while being reall}' 
 free, they are indebted to their former master to this extent, 
 in order that they may not be enrolled among the free 
 men and become liable to be called up to do Fanoinpoa-fia. 
 Many slaves enjoy a greater freedom than thousands of free 
 men, and seem to prefer the comparatively mild servitude of 
 slavery to the possible grinding oppression arising from 
 their being /<?(?-/' free men liable to be called up for Fanom- 
 poaiia. 
 
 While, however, we have no public or legislative action 
 tending to the liberation of the slaves to record, we are 
 convinced that the conscience of the Christian part of the com- 
 munity is working. Some even have gone so far as to say that 
 they would like to manumit their slaves,* but are afraid of 
 
 * Since the above was written wc have been reminded of at least five slave-owners who 
 have liberated all their slaves, their consciences no longer permitting them to hold human 
 beings in bondage. 
 
18 
 
 being leaders in what would draw down upon them the hot 
 displeasure of the non-Christian part of their fellow-country- 
 men, or of doing what would be considered an unwise 
 bid for notoriety among the merely professing Christians. 
 It is said by those competent to judge that there is such 
 an uneasy feeling on the part of the people generally on the 
 subject of slavery, that the monetary value of a slave has 
 decreased at least 20 per cent during the last decade. There 
 are masters who give their slaves freedom to engage in 
 trade, etc., and allow them to enjoy to the full their own 
 earnings. Others require service of a merely nominal kind, 
 and it frequently happens that masters have to hire their oivn 
 slaves to carry them. 
 
 Let us hope and pray that in future years we may have 
 the joy of seeing the two evils of Fanoinpoana and slavery 
 effectively abolished in Madagascar ; for we are persuaded 
 that neither the one nor the other can be tolerated as a 
 permanent institution in a community that has accepted the 
 teaching and example of our Lord and His apostles. It 
 is not within the province of a missionary's work to get up 
 a crusade against either; our duty is to preach and live the 
 Gospel, in which "there can be neither Jew nor Greek, there 
 can be neither bond nor free," and surely the Great Head 
 of the Church will in "the fulness of the times" purify His 
 Church in Madagascar from everything that is contrary to 
 His mind and will. 
 
 
%';' 
 
 
 ^■.•l«lWif 
 
 
 FxaTBiyo.iiCL 
 
 4. 
 
 ... I 
 
 '^ 
 
 
 VONIZONGO EAS#%\ -^ °o . , ,,,-^v = 
 
 ~ rop.50,000 %m-:^-%; ^ '<k <f^^^ / 
 
 % 
 
 
 PFMA Liih 
 
 MAP OF MISSION DISTRICTS CENTRAL MADAGASCAR, 
 wifli estniiated population. 
 
19 
 
 THE IMERINA MISSION. 
 
 NATIVE CHURCHES AND EVANGELISTIC WORK. 
 
 '' I ^HERE is one fact patent to even the most casual observer 
 X who enters this central province of Imerina from what- 
 ever side, and that a most significant one, viz., that, be the 
 quality of it what it may, Christianity has taken a firm and 
 general hold of the population. This is "writ large" all over 
 Imerina, the characters that form the writing being the sub- 
 stantial church buildings scattered broadcast over the prov- 
 ince, and forming quite a striking feature of the landscape 
 whichever way one looks. Certainly, in most of the villages, 
 the house built for the worship of God is far and away superior 
 to any belonging to private individuals. 
 
 That, on further examination below the surface, much of 
 heathenism is still to be found, no one who knows the Mala- 
 gasy will hesitate for a moment to acknowledge. The follow- 
 ing quotation from the report of one of the missionaries gives 
 briefly an historical resume of the state of affairs : — 
 
 "At the burning of the idols in 1869 the Malagasy Government assumed 
 a nt-\v mental and professional attitude towards Christianity and Christian 
 civilization. The vast majority of the people in the central province of 
 Imerina and the adjacent districts and provinces followed the example 
 set them by the Government ; but they did so mainly from fear or loyalty, 
 and not from any heart love of the Christian religion. Doubtless there 
 were hundreds— I should like to believe thousands —who were actuated by 
 higher and nobler motives, and who rejoiced and sincerely thanked God 
 for the change of attitude which He, in His providence, had led the rulers 
 of the land to assume ; still, the fact remains, that the movement was mainly 
 a political one, and could in no sense be truly and honestly called 'The 
 conversion of the Malagasy to God' by any one who understood the real 
 state of the case. The Malagasy as a people were not converted at the 
 burning of the idols in i86g ; their rulers and they took up a new attitude 
 towards Christianity, and it became no longer a crime to worship God. 
 As a result of this, and of the fact that the late Queen and the present 
 Prime Minister professed themselves Christians, and were baptized and 
 received into church fellowship, there was a rush made into the then 
 existing churches, and they were all but swamped with heathenism, while 
 some six hundred congregations were formed in the province of Imerina 
 alone. These congregations, while professedly Christian, were essentially 
 lieathen, and could not have been expected to be anything else. How 
 could they have believed on Him of Whom most of them had never even 
 heard ? And how could they have heard of Him when there were no 
 preachers to tell of Him ? Thus the work that has had mainly to be done 
 during the last twenty years has been that of instructing heathen congre- 
 gations in 'the first principles of the Gospel of ('hrist ;' and there is still 
 a great amount of that kind of work to be done here." 
 
20 
 
 A great outward change may come over a nation in a day ; 
 that change may later be found to have been a new begin- 
 ning, the throes of a new birth. It takes years, however, for 
 an intelligent appreciation of Christian truth to filter down 
 through the mass and mould the individual conscience and 
 character. A nation may be born in a day, but it cannot 
 grow to manhood in a day. Is it then a wonderful thing 
 that the ancient well-anointed sacred stones are yet to be 
 found all over the land, that many of the still commonly 
 prevalent customs of the people have an undoubtedly heathen 
 origin, and in the minds of the majority are still closely 
 connected with heathen ideas and practices r Is it to be 
 wondered at that charms and witchcraft have still numerous 
 votaries r It is in the low moral tone of the people, however, 
 their craftiness and guile, their crooked ideas of morality, 
 right and justice, honesty and purity, truthfulness and 
 integrity — it is here that those who have had any long 
 experience of the Malagasy and daily relations with them 
 find the most persistent evidence of heath-Miism still existent. 
 Such evils are not easily eradicated from the life of a people, 
 fostered for centuries, as they have been, by their political 
 relations, chief among which is the never-ceasing effort to 
 avoid the claims of unpaid Government service by deceit, 
 prevarication, hypocrisy, bribery, sycophancy, etc., their only 
 means of escape from its stringent claims. Europeans too 
 are frequently appalled by the low standard of individual and 
 social purity existing among the Malagasy. An unexpected 
 incident, a sudden turn of affairs, a casual remark, a trying case 
 of discipline, gives one a glance into depths of depravity and 
 corruption one had never even dreamt of before, remains of a 
 period, now happily past, when moral purity was a thing 
 unknown among them and undesired, and when the only sin 
 in doing wrong was the want of skill in covering it up and 
 its consequent discovery. We must always remember the 
 pit out of which a people have been dug, if we would judge 
 them fairly and estimate progress truly. 
 
 Idol worship, infanticide, the poison ordeal, polygamy, divi- 
 nation, heathenism in glaring outward forms, is now suppress- 
 ed by law, has gone, or is slowly dying, hides in holes and 
 corners where it still exists. Christianity is firmly establish- 
 ed in broad daylight as a living presence among this people. 
 It has come as a new vital energy into their midst, is slowly 
 but surely changing timeworn customs, uprooting heathenism 
 in practice and idea, sapping the foundations of ignorance 
 and vice, moulding the life of the nation in its own inimitable 
 fashion. Rome was not built in a day, no, nor in many a 
 year. Nothing really solid and lasting comes quickly to 
 
21 
 
 perfection. We must be patient, while not relaxing effort. 
 We must learn to labour and to wait; both equally necessary. 
 Taking the centuries through which the life of a nation 
 extends as its day, these 20 years since the idols were destroyed 
 are only as the early morning, when the sun is slowly dispel- 
 ling the mists. True, to us working amid these mists and 
 damps the action of the sun's rays seems slow, and the 
 clearing process very gradual ; but it is progress, necessary 
 progress, a stage through which the people's life must pass 
 in order to reach better things. The standard we wish to see 
 attained is still far above the heads of this people, true ; 
 but a real standard has been introduced, thank God, 
 such as was quite unknown before, and more or less accepted 
 too, and slowly the people are awakening to realize the new 
 state of things and change their evil habits accordingly. A 
 public opinion in favour of Christian morality, purity, truth and 
 righteousness, is slowly being created. A new and vital element 
 has been introduced into the national, social, individual life. 
 Surely this is a state of things calculated to greatly cheer the 
 hearts of all Christian people. It cannot, will not, cease here. 
 This is a leaven that works and works, and will go on working 
 till the whole be leavened. This is a mustard seed slowly grow- 
 ing before our eyes, which will not cease to grow till it has 
 become a great tree, and the birds of the air find shelter in 
 its branches. One of the most respected of the early 
 Christians here put it thus to a native audience one day : 
 "When the praying was first introduced here, those who 
 accepted it accepted it simply as a new custom introduced 
 by foreigners ; later the knowledge grew that it was a 
 thing to be believed, a faith, a creed ; now we know that 
 it is a practical thing, meant to affect our character and to 
 change our every-day life and practice." And there are 
 many, thank God, who have been made new creatures by it, 
 have accepted and are striving to live according to the 
 teaching of the Gospel. 
 
 The province of Imerina is divided, so far as the work of 
 the L.M.S. is concerned, into thirteen districts, each (when we 
 have a full staff, which is seldom if ever the case) superintend- 
 ed by a European missionary, and containing native churches 
 varying from 103 to 22 in number. The head-quarters of eight 
 of these districts is in Antananarivo. It is there that the 
 missionaries in charge of them live. Those of five are in the 
 country, at a distance of from i 2 to 30 miles from the Capital. 
 Plurality of benefices is a common evil here, needless to say 
 without plurality of income, though with great increase of 
 labour and responsibility. The tutors at the College, the 
 headmasters of the Normal and Palace Schools, the super- 
 
22 
 
 intendents of education and of the printing office, while 
 carrying on their own special work, also do what they can in 
 the superintendence of small districts, while there are few 
 missionaries in charge of districts who have not, from time to 
 time, had to take over the charge of other districts in addition, 
 during the absence on furlough of fellow-missionaries. 
 
 The work carried on in these thirteen districts, while each 
 has its peculiar features, is in the main on common lines; hence 
 it was thought advisable to write but one report, embracing, 
 as far as may be, the work in all. Unfortunately some of the 
 older missionaries are in England on furlough ; some who have 
 but just returned have not sent in reports of their districts at 
 all, or but very brief ones, feeling themselves out of touch for 
 the time with the state of things ; three districts are in charge 
 of new missionaries whose experience does not extend over 
 the period embraced by this Review (in some cases but a few 
 years of it), therefore the material sent in is limited in quantity, 
 and this report must suffer in consequence. 
 
 Mother Churches. — The individual churches consist of 
 pastors, preachers, deacons, church members, and a general 
 congregation. At the head-quarters of each district is the 
 mother church, which, more or less (mostly the latter) fills 
 the place of a parent to its numerous children, viz : the country 
 churches throughout the district called by its name. In some 
 cases a good deal of interest is felt and a good deal is done 
 to aid these scattered children ; in others the relationship is 
 nominal, the missionary in charge being the real link of 
 connection. Of the mother church of one of the town districts 
 the missionary in charge writes: — 
 
 "During the ten years now under review the congregation at the City 
 church has kept up its numbers and the work of various kinds which it 
 carries on. The Sunday morning congregation may usually be reckoned 
 at from 700 to 800 (sometimes more), and the afternoon one at from 300 to 
 400. A sum of from £ 100 to /," 120 is raised every year for the support 
 of the pastor and the school teachers, and in aid of some of the evangelists 
 in the district, as well as for other objects. In the early part of 1889 it 
 was determined that the old church should be pulled down and a new one 
 built on the same site. A subscription list was opened, and the sum of 
 £ 280 subscribed, to which amount the Directors have subsequently 
 generously added the sum of ^/^ 100." 
 
 Another missionary writes of the mother church of his 
 
 district : — 
 
 "The number of additions to church membership has been smaller, as 
 might be expected and perhaps wished, than during the previous ten years, 
 when such a large influx took place from no very high motive, consequent 
 upon the Queen's adoption of the Christian religion. 'Jhe character of 
 church members for spiritual earnestness and consistency does not stand 
 very high, and during the last few years a wave of indifference and world- 
 liness has been passing over many of the people which has occasioned 
 
23 
 
 me much grief and anxiety. On the other hand there are some, especially 
 among the young men, in whose religious character I have the utmost 
 confidence, and whose influence and energy are being employed for the 
 good of others. It seems to me that, with regard to all our churches, we 
 are approaching a separation time, when those who have no real heart 
 interest in religion will gradually fall away, leaving behind a smaller but 
 much purer community of professing Christians." 
 
 "The City congregation," says another, "has kept up splendidly. There 
 is present in the congregation, I am thankful to say, a growing spirit of 
 earnestness, which, I fondly hope, may lead to a really good work, even 
 although there is much that is calculated to hinder any such work. We 
 have been cheered by having additions to the church membership from 
 the ranks of our elder scholars in the Sabbath schools, and several, who 
 were only scholars when we began the congregational Sabbath School 
 seven years ago, are now church members and Sabbath school teachers." 
 
 Village Churches.— As to the religious life of the wor- 
 shippers in our churches, one missionary writes : — 
 
 "My impression is (it is impossible to speak with certainty) that there 
 has been some slight advance in this direction. No one is more conscious 
 than myself of the low moral and religious status of the Malagasy, and 
 yet I feel persuaded that, were we able to put the character of the people 
 connected with our churches as it was ten years ago with that of to-day, 
 
 we should see progress My heart often aches for the Christian people 
 
 here as I think of their surroundings, their oppression, their homes, the 
 baneful influences of their every-day life. It must be extremely difficult 
 for a native to live an honest, upright, Christian life. Speaking generally, 
 there can be no question, notwithstanding probable progress, of the very 
 low spiritual condition of the people : knowledge has grown, but purity 
 and religious life linger. Many of the pastors and preachers even, it must 
 be confessed w^ith grief and shame, manifest little or no earnestness in 
 their work, and, judging from what one sees and hears, need themselves to 
 be converted." 
 
 In some districts there has been a considerable decrease in 
 the number of church members during the ten years. One 
 missionary says : — 
 
 "The number of church members in this district ten years ago was 6524, 
 it is now 5619, showing a decrease of 905. There is no doubt that in 
 former years many were admitted as members of the church who were 
 not worthy of such a privilege. During the past ten years there has been 
 a growth in Christian intelligence and in knowledge of what is required 
 of those who profess to be followers of Christ. The mark of distinction 
 between the disciples of Christ and the children of the devil has become 
 more manifest and is better understood, and the result is that many who 
 were called Christians have felt their unfitness for the title, and have 
 retired from the position for which they were totally unprepared. This 
 increased knowledge also prevents others seeking Christian fellowship 
 until they feel the power of Christian truth and the constraining influence 
 of the Gospel.'' 
 
 In another district the missionary reports a decrease of 
 400 to 500 church members, while in both these districts there 
 has been a decided increase in the number of congregations. 
 In one of them the number of native pastors has increased 
 from 48 to 1 10 ; of congregations, from 59 to 63 ; of adherents, 
 
24 
 
 from 18,959 to 24,863 ; of money raised for various purposes, 
 from ;^ 179 in 1880 to ;{^ loi i in 1890. Increase in every other 
 respect, but a large decrease in the number of church members ! 
 This does not at all stagger us who know the true state of 
 things. We rather see in it true progress in knowledge, 
 public opinion, and a sense of what a profession of Christian- 
 ity really means. 
 
 A missionary residing in a country district extending a 
 day's journey to two day's journey from Antananarivo says : — 
 
 "A permanent obstacle to the spread of Christian knowledge and the 
 growth of Christian life in our churches is the indifferent character of 
 many of the pastors and church leaders. Some of our ministers can 
 hardly read, and from lack of intelligence are altogether unfit for the 
 position. Others are lords temporal, who covet the office because of its 
 influence and immunity from state service. These practically compel the 
 churches to elect them, altliough many of them possess no qualifications 
 for the sacred ofhce, and in some few cases are men of low habits, who 
 oppress the people. Many of the congregations are correspondingly 
 unenlightened and unprogressive, and it is often weary work trying to 
 inculcate right principles into them. Being'', however, a courteous people, 
 they assent to most that you propose, but after a time you have t)ie pain 
 of learning tliat your suggestions, so unanimously agreed to, have fallen 
 through, and the business is in precisely the same position as before. 
 This lack of truthfulness is the weakness of the Malagasy. But, thank 
 God, work here is not all discouraging. There are many signs which 
 inspire me to go forward. We should be prepared to toil on in the face 
 of failure in obedience to our Lord's command to make known the Divine 
 love and grace to every creature ; but it becomes how much more interest- 
 ing when there are evident tokens that God is 'working with us and 
 confirming the word with signs following.' " 
 
 Another writes : — 
 
 "There are now over 100 churches in this district, 25 more than ten years 
 ago, extending several days' journey eastwards. It is only those who have 
 had charge of such a vast district, with very few really competent and 
 trustworthy native helpers, who can fully realize the an.xiety and res- 
 ponsiblity which it involves. But, althoug'h the process to us seems slow, 
 it is intensely interesting to watch the progress of the people out of dense 
 heathen darkness towards Christian light and civilization. I find the 
 people in nearly every village more friendly, more cleanly, and much more 
 intelligent and ready to receive Christian teaching than they were even 
 just before the late war . .1 have felt for years that the great need of 
 the district is personal contact with the people and continuous Christian 
 teaching. I have done what I could, but, without a repetition of the miracle 
 of the loaves and fishes, it can hardly be expected that one man can 
 supply the wants of so large a district. The pastors, as a rule, though 
 usually the most capable men in the village, are such only in name, and 
 many know only the merest alphabet of the Gospel." 
 
 "The native pastors," says a third missionary, "have increased in this 
 district in the ten years from 48 to no, so that a large majority of the 
 churches have two pastors each. These, however, are not pastors in the 
 English sense of the term at all. They are simply presidents or superinten- 
 dents of the work, which, in most cases, is done by others, or not done 
 at all." 
 
25 
 
 Work of the Native Evangelists.— The large districts 
 under the charge of the European missionaries are divided up 
 into smaller sub-districts of from four to twelve churches each, 
 and these are placed under the charge of evangelists, most 
 of whom have received a training in the College in Antanana- 
 rivo, and are paid from the Society's native agency fund, the 
 people undertaking to provide rice and a house for them. A 
 few are paid by the Palace Church, of which the Queen and 
 Prime Minister are members. In other cases the mother 
 church helps towards the maintenance of one or two evan- 
 gelists in a district ; while in others again the necessary funds 
 are provided by the friends of the missionary in charge of the 
 district. In many cases there is great difficulty in getting 
 the people over whom these evangelists are placed to meet 
 the engagements they have entered into even to supply 
 sufficient rice for their maintenance. The usual salary is from 
 1 6/- per month to 20/- according to distance of station from 
 Antananarivo. 
 
 With regard to the work done by these men, there is 
 a good deal of variety of opinion, judging by the reports 
 sent in. Of course there must be amongst any consider- 
 able body of men great variety of ability and consecration, 
 gifts and no gifts. Some are earnest faithful men ; others, 
 judging by the reports they monthly bring to the missionary, 
 have a very easy time of it, and do very little work. On this 
 point one missionary writes : — 
 
 "There are evangelists in my district who have charge of from eight to 
 twelve churches each, and they are doing a very good work indeed. Re- 
 cently some of them here engaged in what is quite new in Madagascar, viz : 
 holding evangelistic services in the markets, and making direct and 
 earnest appeals to the hearts of the people they meet there." 
 
 Another missionary says : — 
 
 "The work of these men (evangelists) is moderately satisfactory, al- 
 though not one of them can be described as a really hard worker. Prob- 
 ably it is within the mark to say that an evangelist considers about two 
 hours' teaching or visitation a fair day's work. For the most part too the 
 preaching of these men lacks the fervour and moral force calculated to 
 stir the hearts of the hearers. And yet our work would largely suffer 
 without them. Mediocre though they be, they are far beyond the average 
 pastor, many of whom are mere cyphers, or at best figure-heads." 
 
 A third writes : — 
 
 "This darkness is being gradually lessened by tlie work carried on by 
 the native evangelists, who are stationed at sub-centres of work. The 
 surrounding villages are under their care, and these they visit for preach- 
 ing and Bible class instruction. Most of them have been trained at the 
 College, and, as a rule, they have done good and faithful service." 
 
 "The evangelists are picked men," says another, "who have received 
 training in the L.M.S. College. Seven are working in this district under my 
 
26 
 
 supervision. Although not free from frailties, the more I see of their life 
 and work the deeper grows my respect for them. Their duties consist in 
 superintending the eight or ten churches and schools under their charge. 
 In addition to this, some practise medicine, and thus extend their influence 
 over the people. But they have much heathenism to contend with. Their 
 main hope is in the 3'oung. Many of the older folk are so steeped and 
 stiffened in superstition as to seem insensible to new influences. They 
 attend church, but undergo no perceptible change. 
 
 "Yet there is a signal difference made by an evangelist's residence in a 
 village. The atmosphere is changed, intelligence is heightened and 
 grossness refined. The forces of evil are not so rampant. Shame repress- 
 es, and public opinion is gradually generated. In some degree such 
 villages undergo a physical and moral regeneration. The thick heathen 
 darkness is clearing- away, and things are becoming illumined with pure 
 sweet light. 
 
 "But the worst section of the people combine in opposition to this 
 innoi'ation. Darkness is their essential element, and they resent the light 
 which exposes their villainy. The position of the evangelist is therefore 
 sometimes a dangerous one. If they actively repress evil, they may 
 reckon on tribulation. During the past year one had his house set on 
 fire, but the flames, being discovered in time, were extinguished. Another's 
 house was fired and burned to the ground. A third had his household 
 properly disposed of during his absence." 
 
 Another missionary reports : — 
 
 "The work of teaching or preaching the Gospel with any amount of 
 moral earnestness, such as is calculated to arrest the attention of the 
 hearers and impress the message on their hearts has still to be done by 
 the missionary, as we have no native evangelists yet in any number equal 
 to doing the work. In fact the great want of our work here yet is the 
 want of native evangelists ; the want of a body of earnest enthusiastic 
 men whose hearts have been touched by the Spirit of God, and who have 
 thus a burning desire for the conversion of their fellow-countrymen. 
 With a few noble exceptions, the men who now occupy the position of 
 evangelists are not very well fitted, either by force of character or training, 
 for the positions they occupy ; and, until we get a very different class of 
 men, our work will continue in the main very much what it has been for 
 years past. There must be a change in the labourers before there can be 
 a change in the work and its results." 
 
 The same missionary also say.s, in speaking of aiding the 
 people from private funds in building or finishing their new 
 places of worship : — 
 
 "I have also spent a very large amount from money sent by friends at 
 home. I would much rather have spent the money in direct evangelistic 
 work, but, since evangelists such as satisfy me as being fit and proper men 
 to undertake the work to be done are not to be had in any number, I prefer 
 spending the money in that way to its lying idle, as it pledges no one to 
 anything, while at the same time it provides tools by which the work can 
 be better done in the future by providing better and more comfortable 
 chapels in which the people can meet to worship God." 
 
 Chapel Buildings. — In the matter of buildings for worship 
 there has been very marked progress during the past ten 
 years in all the districts. It is wonderful the zeal the people 
 show and the sacrifices they willingly make in providing 
 
27 
 
 themselves with these improved places of worship. The 
 Society gives but small grants in aid to these village churches, 
 varying from $6 to $30 according to the character of 
 the building. The missionaries generally are expected to 
 supplement these grants from their own private resources, or 
 remittances from friends at home, if they are fortunate enough 
 to get such. Here is a matter upon which we can place our 
 finger and point out palpable undeniable progress. Anent 
 this one missionary writes : — 
 
 "The rude mud structures with holes for windows and doors, and 
 minus everything calculated to conduce either to the comfort or devout- 
 ness of the worshippers, have almost if not entirel)' disappeared, and been 
 substituted by brick buildings with tiled roofs. Some of these are much 
 in advance of the rest, with good stone foundations and facings, and built, 
 on the outside at least, of burnt bricks. They are neatly coloured inside, 
 and contain rows of seats and well-finished pulpits. There are six or 
 eight of these buildings in my district now, so well and neatly finished 
 that none of them would be other than an ornament to even an English 
 village." 
 
 The missionary in charge of another district says : — 
 
 "In outward appearance there are signs of progress throughout the 
 district. New places of worship are being erected on all sides, and these 
 are of a much superior character to those formerly in existence. A few 
 years ago most of the chapels were plain mud buildings with rush or grass 
 roofs. Those more recently erected are brick with tiled roofs. During 
 the last two years there has been a further advance. At the present time 
 there are three buildings in course of erection in this district of burnt 
 bricks with stone facings and towers, and in other respects also much 
 superior in style to any of those formerly in existence. These buildings 
 are a great tax upon the people, but they go in for them notwithstanding, 
 hoping, in most cases, for considerable help from the missionary, which 
 is not always forthcoming." 
 
 The above quotations apply with more or less truth to all 
 the districts. Certainly all round there has been a great 
 advance in the character of the buildings used for purposes of 
 worship. The worst of it is that, in some cases, the buildings 
 are such a tax upon the energies of the people that sometimes 
 for several years they are unable to finish the large edifices 
 they have erected, and so are obliged to worship in most 
 comfortless places, until their energies are recuperated and a 
 fresh effort is made. 
 
 New and aggressive Work. A double process has 
 been going on for some years past now here in Imerina. To 
 the north and west robber bands have devastated the coun- 
 try, carrying off herds of cattle and hundreds of people into 
 hopeless captivity in the Sakalava country. Thus the work 
 over large areas has been entirely broken up, and it has been 
 necessary to withdraw all native teachers and evangelists, 
 for a time at least, from these robber-harassed districts. This 
 
28 
 
 fact must be borne in mind in considering the statistics from 
 the aifected districts, viz : those of Ambatonakanga, Ana- 
 lakely, Ambohimanga and Vonizongo. Referring to this, 
 one missionary says : — 
 
 "I am very sorry to report that the mission district of Anativolo hasbeen 
 almost completely broken up by bands of marauders, mamly, it is said, 
 composed of deserters from the Malagasy army, runaway slaves, and 
 Sakalava, headed by some Hova officers who have Hed from justice. They 
 made almost a clean sweep of the villages of Anativolo, burning them, 
 killing most of the men, carrying off the poor women and children 
 to sell as slaves to the Sakalava. Cattle by the thousand have been 
 carried off too, and the district of Anativolo was left practically a desert. 
 Their success there made them so bold that they extended their raids to 
 within 30 miles of the Capital itself, ravaging the north-east end of the 
 Vonizongo district." 
 
 In the north Analakely district the state of things is pitiful 
 in the extreme. No less than eight churches there have been 
 completely broken up, and the villages are left desolate 
 without inhabitant, the rice-fields growing grass, and the 
 little patches of cultivation round the once smiling villages 
 rank with weeds. In one raid, it is said, there were no less 
 than 280 vSakalava engaged, all armed with guns. These 
 raided a large district, carried off crowds of captives, tying 
 them together in long rows with ropes, and making them 
 carry their own household goods on their backs, even down to 
 spades and cooking-pots, ruthlessly shooting down any who 
 offered the slightest resistance or tried to escape. Great 
 numbers of cattle too they carried clean off, from one village 
 300 head of cattle, from another 200, from another 400, and 
 so on. The captives are taken far to the north-west, across the 
 Betsiboka and Ikopa rivers, and a Avide tract of uninhabited 
 land, to Ambongo in the Sakalava country, which is sever- 
 al weeks' journey, and are there retained as slaves, very few 
 escaping. Passing pitiful indeed it was to hear from the lips 
 of those who had escaped the terrible accounts of wrong and 
 bloodshed, of separation from loved ones they never expected 
 to see again, children, wives, parents. All who can, of course, 
 leave these raided districts, so that, in addition to the villages 
 actually cleared out by the robbers, there is a constant thin- 
 ning of the population. Many villages still unattacked by 
 the marauders contain very few inhabitants, and these living 
 in such a state of constant terror that no regular teaching 
 can possibly be carried on amongst them. 
 
 But while to the west, north, and north-west of Imerina this 
 state of things seems to have become chronic, to the east 
 there has been a considerable extension of work within the 
 past ten years. The districts chiefly affected by this are those 
 of Ankadibevava, Andohalo, Isoavina and Faravohitra. 
 
29 
 
 This extension of work is among the Bezanozano and Betsi- 
 misaraka tribes. x\fter telling of efforts in past years among 
 the Bezanozano people, the missionary in charge of the An- 
 kadibevava district says : — 
 
 "A real move is being made now, I trust. The rum has been banished 
 from some of the villages. There are seven chapels which are well attend- 
 ed, and tive schools containing about 200 children ; and the present 
 teachers seem to have won the confidence of the people by tlieir character 
 and zeal. During my last visit I was greatly cheered by a gathering of 
 600 Bezanozano at an open-air service and school examination." 
 
 In the Andohalo and Isoavina districts much good work 
 is going on among the Bezanozano, chiefly of a prepar- 
 atory kind. It is ploughing and sowing time there, and 
 the work is chiefly that of teaching the children to read. East 
 of the Mangoro river there are ten congregations and schools, 
 while west of it are ten more, the latter in a more advanced 
 condition. Here teachers are hard at work, chiefly school 
 work ; but there are also congregations which meet weekly, and 
 buildings for worship have been erected, which are also used 
 for teaching the day schools. As yet I believe there are no 
 pure Bezanozano who have joined any of the churches east of 
 the Mangoro river in this district, though there are a few west 
 of it. Were funds available, teachers of the right stamp 
 procurable, and the work encouraged as it ought to be 
 (being purely mission work among the heathen], great results 
 might confidently be expected. 
 
 Unfortunately no reports have reached us either from the 
 Andohalo, Isoavina, or Faravohitra districts ; but what 
 has been said of the former applies, I believe, equally to the 
 latter. From all I heard when among the Bezanozano, a year 
 ago, the work in the Faravohitra portion is more successful 
 and more energetically carried on than in the Andohalo 
 portion, owing to the fact that the mother church heartily 
 supports it, and frequent visits are paid by one or other of the 
 native pastors of the Faravohitra Church to oversee, encour- 
 age and stimulate the good work carried on. 
 
 There is also a very interesting work being carried on 
 among the inland Betsimisaraka people between Imerina 
 and the east coast, in villages away from the main road, and 
 mostly hid in the depths of the forest, but containing a 
 numerous population. 
 
 "Very little is known ofthese people,'' writes the missionary, "and I sup- 
 pose I am the only European who has visited most of them. This is purely 
 mission work amongst the most benighted of heathen, who have never been 
 before visited by a single ray of Christian light. An evangelist is labouring at 
 a place called Antanambao, with a school of upwards of 200 children, nearly 
 half of whom have learnt to read the New Testament within the last two 
 years. I have also another evangelist at Andrangaranga, a wide tract of 
 
30 
 
 forest covered country five days' journey south-east of Antananarivo. This 
 earnest youny- man and his devoted wife are throwing themselves heartily 
 into their work, with a spirit of consecration and zeal that unhappily is not 
 usual with most of our native assistants. There are no Hova or Christian 
 companions within two days' journey of them, and in his last letter to me 
 the evangelist says : 'It is often very lonely, and yet not lonely, because 
 the Master is with us according to His promise.' These two faithful ser- 
 vants have gathered a school of 150 children, and are able to hold regular 
 Sabbath services. The adult Betsimisaraka are reluctant to abandon their 
 heathen customs, and yet many of them listen to the Word gladly. This 
 year I spent a monih itinerating in the Betsimisaraka portion of my 
 district, and have been very much encouraged. I have succeeded m estab- 
 lishing new schools in ten villages, situated half a day's journey from each 
 other, where no Christian effort of any kind had hitherto been attempted. 
 Five boys followed me to the Capital that they may receive a training in the 
 Normal School. From numbers of Betsimisaraka villages I am having 
 requests for teachers, and I have never known the work in this part of the 
 country so inviting and so promising as at present." 
 
 General District Work. In most of the districts, teach- 
 ing of Bible classes and preachers' classes at various 
 centres during the week has been steadily carried on ; 
 while at the central stations of the country districts 
 medical work has taken up a great deal of the time and 
 been a considerable strain upon the missionaries in charge 
 of those districts. 
 
 'Tn addition to the two days a week (Wednesday and Saturday)," says 
 one country missionary, "devoted to the sick when at home, I take my 
 medicine case and a stock of drugs on all my journeys among the church 
 es. Usually, aft r a week's tour of visiting one village each day, doing 
 church business and dispensing medicines, I get back worn out in mind 
 and body. It is an additional tax on one's strength, but, in my opinion, 
 it is work of the highest value in the interests of humanity and missions." 
 
 So popular was the medical work of another country mission- 
 ary, that frequently on his days for seeing patients they 
 began to collect round the house by daybreak ; and even 
 on one occasion several came the evening before to wait all 
 night near the door, so as to secure an early admittance when 
 the door was opened in the morning ! 
 
 At several of the country stations too training classes have 
 been carried on, in addition to the ordinary day schools, in 
 order to give the brighter youths from the village schools 
 in the district a higher training than they could obtain in 
 their own villages, and to enable them to take their certifi- 
 cates as qualified school teachers. The lads in some of 
 these training classes have done very well indeed, obtaining 
 second, and some of them first, class certificates. One mission- 
 ary writes : — 
 
 "Instead of making my training school exclusively for the education 
 of teachers, I threw it open to all who desired a higher education than 
 that afforded by the country schools. To my astonishment, boys and 
 
31 
 
 youths came from all parts of the district to the number of 55 instead of 
 20, as in the previous year." 
 
 Four in ^nfhly meetings are held at centres in each district 
 for the discussion of important matters affecting- the welfare 
 of the churches, and dealing with church difiiculties. These 
 prove most useful as a means of instruction, as a bond of 
 union of pastors and churches, and as a means of settling 
 difficult questions by bringing the united opinion of the 
 surrounding churches to bear on them. 
 
 Once, twice, and occasionally thrice even on Sundays the 
 vvas>?AOVi.diX\e:'^ xviQ^\.X}[\Q\x preaching erigagenieiits. In some dis- 
 tricts a regular plan is drawn up six months beforehand, and 
 engagements are so arranged as to insure regular visits, as 
 frequently as possible, to all the congregations in the districts 
 on the Sundays. 
 
 Sewing classes for women and girls, supplemented by 
 religious teaching, also form a feature of the work carried on 
 at the central station of each district wherever practicable. 
 The ladies of the Mission in some cases manage to provide 
 sewing material for the evangelists' wives in their husbands' 
 districts as well, thus enabling them to carry on sewing 
 classes in the more distant parts of the districts. 
 
 Preaching at chapel openings, funerals, Christmas and 
 New Year gatherings in the open air, united monthly 
 meetings on the first Monday in each month, harvest festivals, 
 giving addresses to meetings of young men, at Orphan Society 
 meetings, etc., form a perceptible addition to the general 
 work of a district. In many cases too writing articles for 
 periodicals published monthly for the good of the natives, 
 and books for their benefit, takes up a considerable portion of 
 a missionary's time and thought. 
 
 Of the Unio7t Meetings in Antananarivo, to which delegates 
 from all the churches in Imerina come every six months, I need 
 not speak here, as a special paper has been prepared on this 
 head. 
 
 Day Schools. In connection with each congregation there is 
 a day school. It is the responsibility of the church to provide the 
 chief part of the teacher's salary, in the majority of cases, as 
 well as to give him a house to live in, and rice enough to 
 support him throug'hout the year. The numbers of scholars 
 in these schools, the quality and attainments of the school 
 masters, the amounts raised by the congregations for their 
 support, vary infinitely. There are schools of 200 to 300 
 scholars ; there are schools of 10 to 20. There are thoroughly 
 qualified teachers trained in the Society's Normal School 
 in the Capital, or in the training classes at the central 
 stations of some districts ; there are teachers whose attain- 
 
32 
 
 nients and abilities are of the very slenderest. There are 
 some who receive 8/- per month with house and rice ; there 
 are some who are fairly satisfied with i/-, and the i/- per 
 month in most cases is a fair equivalent for the work done by 
 those who receive that sum. A glance at the table of statistics 
 will show the extent of this branch of district work. The mis- 
 sionary in charge of any district of course has also the charge of 
 the day schools in that district as well. Every month, or in 
 the cases of teachers at far distant places, once in three 
 months, the teachers bring their registers to be examined by 
 the missionary, and receive the small pittance given them as 
 grant in aid from the Society. As from 30/- to 37/- per 
 annum is the total available grant for each school, and in no 
 instance is that amount granted to every school in a district, 
 but only to a certain proportion of the schools actually in 
 existence, and according to specific regulations rigidly ad- 
 hered to, and as, from this total average grant for the year, 
 registers, school materials, and prizes (the total spent on which 
 may not exceed 20 per cent of the whole grant ) must somehow 
 be squeezed, it will be readily apparent that, if anything like 
 satisfactory results are attained, the money must be well and 
 carefully expended. It is difficult to maintain any number 
 of properly trained teachers in any district under these circum- 
 stances, and so most of our teachers of village schools are 
 youths from the neighbourhood, who, in the hope of escaping 
 unpaid Government service, and in consideration of what they 
 can obtain from the congregation in their native village, 
 supplemented by the small grant in aid mentioned above, 
 are willing to do what they can in teaching the children. 
 We have, moreover, a regulation of Committee, according- to 
 which no teacher may receive anything from L. M.S. funds 
 who has not passed an examination (conducted annually for 
 the purpose by the superintendent of schools) and obtained a 
 .teacher's certificate. Yearly examinations of all the schools 
 are conducted throughout each district by the missionary in 
 charge and the superintendent of schools or his native assist- 
 ants. One missionary, after speaking of numerical progress 
 in his schools, says : — 
 
 "But it is not merely numerical progress. Examinations have been 
 held annually according to rule, and each year has shown an advance in 
 knowledge and intelligence, and, what is chieHy aimed at, a better acquaint- 
 ance with the Scriptures. Schools are not now so dependent on the 
 fitful and not altogether salutary help from the Government as formerly, 
 and it is pleasing to find many parents taking a deep interest in the 
 education of their children, and needing no pressure to send them to 
 school. Difficulties and prejudices occasionally arise through the Govern- 
 ment seizing the elder boys for soldiers, and sometimes taking the whole 
 school for forced unpaid service of some kind. No doubt progress would 
 be more rapid if we could afford to pay better teachers. Inmost places 
 
33 
 
 the people are too poor or too indiiferent to g-'ive liberally to the support of 
 their school teachers." 
 
 Another missionary writes : — 
 
 "There has been a great advance in the schools of the Tsiafahy district, 
 the number of scholars having- been at one time tliree times as large as in 
 1880. The schools are, I fear, just now in a very unsatisfactory condition. 
 In some places it is said to be almost impossible to get boys to learn 
 at all, so great is the fear of the parents lest their sons should be taken 
 for soldiers." 
 
 "Ten years ago," writes another, "there were 1043 children who passed the 
 examination in reading in my district; at the last examination there were 
 only 773 ! This low number was quite exceptional, and was accounted for 
 by two facts : (i) The military conscription which took place last year, and 
 the consequent removal of many of the elder lads for soldiers, and the flight 
 of others lest they should be taken ; (2) The employment of all the scholars, 
 except the very smallest, in a large number of schools, to search for gold, 
 recently found in the district. If it had not been for these two things, the 
 increase in the number of readers on ten years ago would probably have 
 been considerable." 
 
 Two years ago a general conscription of soldiers took place. 
 From ail the districts the elder lads were taken as soldiers, and 
 this greatly thinned the schools, and especially the number of 
 children able to read in them. It is true, in some cases, that the 
 total numberofscholarsisnotpermanentlyreduced; butthestat- 
 istics of examination of many of the schools are a year old, or 
 nearly so, many of the scholars were then quite new, and so, of 
 course, the numbers able to read are much reduced. This, how- 
 ever, time will rectify, and it is the object of the schools' exist- 
 ence to have a constant stream of new children passing through 
 them and out into the world as they grow big. In some districts, 
 at the sub-centres, montJily junted gatherings of schools are 
 held, and the missionary thus meets the scholars regularly, 
 giving Scripture instruction to them. Afterwards the elder 
 scholars remain behind and join the preachers and other adults 
 in Bible classes taught by the missionary. At the central 
 station of some districts gatherings of schools are held weekly. 
 Scripture and singing being the chief subjects taught. 
 
 It has been attempted in the above pages to give a sum- 
 mary of the work carried on in the various districts of Imerina 
 during the past ten years, and to estimate, as far as may be, 
 the progress made. The writer of this paper has not had 
 the statistics which will be published along with it before 
 him as he writes, nor perhaps has it been necessary. But the 
 reader should carefully look through those statistics, and by 
 that means will more fully realize the amount and extent of 
 the mission work carried on by our Society in this central 
 province of Imerina, the numbers of congregations, pastors, 
 preachers, church members, evangelists, schools and scholars. 
 Occasional visitors here, who take the trouble to look into it, 
 
34 
 
 are astonished at what they see of the work carried on. The 
 great numbers of people who, every week, in this Mission, as 
 church members or adherents, are brought within the sound of 
 the Gospel message is a thing to be greatly rejoiced at ; and, 
 while it is no doubt true that the message they hear is often 
 a very imperfect one, and sometimes anything but helpful even, 
 yet Christ is preached to them, they hear of His love and 
 mercy, and learn to know His name, and therein we "do rejoice, 
 yea, and will rejoice," No doubt there is much in the state 
 of the churches to be deplored, and sadly different from what 
 we would have it, but that is why we missionaries are here, and 
 it is our duty and privilege to try and improve these things. 
 
 This land has passed through many vicissitudes during the 
 ten years now under review. It would not be a strange thing 
 had the work shown marked retrogression all round, judging 
 by merely human standards. At onetime a serious break-up 
 seemed imminent. We have abundant cause to thank God 
 and take courage. While much still remains to be done, 
 much has been and is being accomplished. The people are 
 advancing in intelligence, and more clearly realize what a 
 profession of Christianity really involves than formerly. State 
 influence, at first so powerful an impulse to outward suc- 
 cess, is becoming less and less felt in our congregations. 
 The people wlio "prayed" merely to please the Queen, or 
 because it was the fashion, are beginning to see that "the 
 praying" means much more than imitation of their Queen in 
 the performance of outward rites, in fact that in following 
 their Queen they have enthroned a King, one Jesus, Who 
 claims their homage and their obedience. Among the young 
 men and women especially there is much to gladden our 
 hearts, while also some of whom bright hopes were entertain- 
 ed have failed to realize those hopes. Outward results 
 can be tabulated and estimated in figures ; spiritual growth 
 refuses to be so treated, yet it too is undoubtedly here. If we 
 go forward working patiently and waiting upon God, we may 
 fairly hope to see a great advance in the coming ten years. 
 
 God has during this decade wonderfully overruled all 
 events for good to this people. What the next ten years may 
 bring forth we know not. It is not ours to know. Peer as 
 we may, strain our eyes as we will, we cannot see into the 
 future. ]t is veiled from us. Enough for us that God is with 
 us, will be in the future as in the past. AVe may be quite 
 sure that He will take care of His own work, and that alone, 
 after all, do we greatly care shall stand. 
 
 •Mff— 
 
35 
 
 ISA N-ENIM-BOL A NA . 
 (Congregational Un io7i .) 
 
 THE I san-Enim-Bolana, or Six-Monthly-Meeting, a 
 "Union" of the churches in Imerina in connection 
 with our Society and that of the Friends' Mission, which 
 held its forty-fourth half-yearly meeting last October, owes its 
 origin to one of the many valuable suggestions of the late 
 Dr. Mullens, the sagacious Foreign Secretary of the London 
 Missionary Society. Its object, as understood from the com- 
 mencement, is not to formulate a creed or to enact laws 
 which shall be binding upon the associated churches and so 
 induce absolute uniformity amongst them, but to afford an 
 opportunity for mutual conference at stated periods and to 
 form a bond of fraternal union between them. 
 
 The assembly, composed of delegates from all the churches 
 of Imerina, some coming from a distance of two or three days' 
 journey, has met regularly every half year without a single 
 break since its formation in December, 1868. The largest 
 churches in the Capital, in which thu meetings are held, are 
 al\\ays thronged, and often numbers crowd round the doors 
 and windows unable to obtain even standing room within the 
 building. A collection of twelve hundred or more profess- 
 edly Christian men to consider matters relating to# the 
 prosperity of the Kingdom of Christ in their land is a 
 sight to make one's heart glad. Missionaries and natives 
 have read papers, followed by free discussion, on : "The 
 Obligation of Christians to spread the Gospel ;" "Sunday and 
 Day Schools ;" "Preaching ;" "Christian Union ;" "Duties 
 of Pastors and Preachers ;" "What constitutes a Christian 
 Church ;'■ "Hindrances to the Spread of the Gospel," and 
 other subjects bearing upon the religious, social and educa- 
 tional welfare of the people. 
 
 The discussions are generally animated and interesting, 
 and give the missionaries a valuable opportunity of seeing the 
 native mode of looking at things. There is rarely any lack 
 of speakers, for most Malagasy have the gift of public speech, 
 and nervousness or timidity in addressing an audience is 
 seldom known. Haifa dozen men will rise together to give 
 utterance to their thoughts, sometimes not very lucid and 
 far from relevant, and the chairman has no little difficulty 
 in deciding who shall have the precedence or in persuading 
 the others to resume their seats until their turn shall arrive. 
 A novel remark or proposal of special interest is followed by a 
 hubbub of loud talk all over the church, so that it is necessary 
 
36 
 
 to allow a few minutes for general conversation "to let off 
 the steam," and then a dog whistle is called into requisition 
 in order to restore silence and give the next speaker an 
 opportunity of being heard. 
 
 Formerly one of the missionaries always presided at the 
 Isan-Enini-Bolana meetings, and another missionary acted 
 as secretary ; but as the object we keep steadily in view is, as 
 soon as practicable, to lead our native brethren to manage 
 their own ecclesiastical affairs, and not depend too much 
 upon their foreign teachers, and as we now have pastors and 
 others who are men of capability, the chair is now occupied 
 alternately by a missionary and a native. A missionary and a 
 native also act conjointly as secretaries. There is a Commit- 
 tee, composed of the missionaries and pastors and one repre- 
 sentative from each City church, which elects office bearers for 
 the year, decides upon subjects to be discussed, and arranges 
 all the preliminaries for the half-yearly meeting. Some time 
 ago it was proposed that this Committee, or a certain number 
 of members elected from it, should be constituted into a 
 "Court of Reference" whose counsel might be sought in serious 
 cases of church discipline which arise from time to time 
 and cause considerable disturbance and divisions, but this 
 was strenuously opposed by the majority as an encroachment 
 upon the independence of individual churches. 
 
 The meeting held in 1887 was favoured with the presence 
 ofMnp.Leavett, agent of "The Women's Temperance Society" 
 of America, a lady who was travelling round the world to 
 advocate the principle of total abstinence from intoxicants, 
 and who, after spending some months in India, China, and 
 other countries, paid a brief visit to Antananarivo, For a 
 lady to stand up and address a large audience composed 
 entirely of the sterner sex was quite a novelty to the Mala- 
 gasy, but the most appreciative attention was paid to the 
 stirring speeches which she delivered, interpreted by an 
 intelligent native, and the cause of temperance acquired not 
 a few new adherents. 
 
 We cannot well over-estimate the utility and importance 
 of our Isaii-Enini-Bolana. It not only affords a periodical 
 religious stimulus, the influence of which extends all over 
 Imerina and beyond, but it is the means of supplying inform- 
 ation and guidance in matters connected with church and 
 school that are greatly needed, and brings the hundreds of 
 churches scattered throughout the central province into such 
 sympathetic unison with each other that, in all great and 
 important affairs, they may act on common lines. Although 
 the Isnn-Enim-Bolana is not a legislative assembly, and its 
 resolutions are not intended to have the force of legal enact- 
 
37 
 
 ments, yet the associated churches, as a rule, recognize the 
 moral obligation to observe them. When the late Mr. 
 Cameron, the shrewd correspondent of the "Standard" 
 newspaper, was in Antananarivo just before the PVanco-Mala- 
 gasy war, he remarked that the weakness of our Mission was 
 in the lack of organization and combination, and that the 
 churches, so far as he could ascertain, were so many separate 
 atoms, without cohesion. The Isan-Enim-Bolana^ together 
 with the Isan-Efa-Bolana .(Four-Monthly- meetings), held 
 in different parts of the country, supply some of the needed 
 "cohesion" of mutual help and spiritual sympathy. 
 
 Simultaneously with the holding of the great assembly of 
 representatives of the churches every half year, a meeting for 
 women only is held in the Memorial Church at Ambatona- 
 kanga. This is not a gathering for the transaction of business 
 or discussion, but for devotion and counsel relative to the 
 social and domestic, as well as the religious, life of the people. 
 The arrangements are entirely in the hands of the ladies of 
 the Mission who, with the assistance of some of the native 
 women, read suitable papers, deliver addresses, and conduct 
 the whole proceedings. The church is nearly always filled 
 with women and girls ; and the results of such meetings cannot 
 but shew themselves beneficially in the home life of the 
 Malagasy. 
 
 In the afternoon immediately preceding the day of the 
 Isafi-Entm-Bolana, a preparatory service both for men and 
 women, is held in one of the churches, when a sermon is 
 preached, and prayers are offered for the Divine guidance 
 and blessing on the meetings to be held. This service, open 
 to all, is well attended, and is not the least interesting or 
 profitable of the various gatherings of the week. 
 
 Identified with the Isau-Enini-Bolana there is also a 
 Native Missionary Society for sending evangelists to labour 
 in parts of the island which are still wholly or in part in 
 heathen darkness. This Society is supported by the Christ- 
 ians of Imerina, most of the churches contributing, those in 
 the country in sums from twopence to a dollar, and those 
 in town about five dollars each every half year ; the 
 contributions are brought up to the Capital when the 
 pastors and delegates assemble for the six-monthly meeting. 
 During the past ten years a total of more than ^3000 — 
 a large sum for this country — has been subscribed for the 
 Missionary Society. One of the missionaries of the L.M.S. 
 or F.F.M.A. acts as treasurer, but the selection of candidates 
 for evangelistic work and all the details of business are 
 managed by the Isan-Enim-Bolana Committee. Reports are 
 published twice a year and are paid for out of native funds. 
 
38 
 
 Since our last Review twenty- three young men, evan- 
 gelists and school teachers, have been appoints i to labaiir 
 amongst the Bara in the south, the Tanosy in the south-east, 
 and the wSakalava in the west, north, and north-wesl — all 
 heathen tribes amongst whom little or no Christian effort had 
 hitherto been attempted. Some of these young men died 
 shortly after commencing their work ; others retired from 
 ill health or other causes, and one or two had for a time to 
 relinquish their work on account. of the violent opposition of 
 the natives. The Hova have rendered themselves so obnox- 
 ious to the surrounding tribes by past years of cruelty and 
 oppression that these tribes are by no means eager to have 
 anything to do with the "praying," which is regarded as the 
 Hova religion ; and teachers from Imerina are looked upon 
 with suspicion and distrust. It betokens a great change, 
 which only the grace of God could effect, that Christian 
 Hova are willing to go forth with no weapon but the Gospel 
 in their hands, and their fellow-Christians in Imerina are 
 ready to support them with their offerings and their prayers, 
 while they endeavour to lift up to the knowledge of God's 
 love those sunken in ignorance and degradation, whom their 
 fathers treated with nothing but contempt and brutality. 
 
 At the present time five or six agents of the Isan-E)iim- 
 Bolana are labouring in distant parts of the island. Much 
 of our work near at hand suffers from insufficient missionary 
 oversight, and this must be especially so in places so far 
 away that they can be but seldom or never visited by us. Yet 
 there can be no doubt that, amidst much that is not quite 
 satisfactory, the evangelists are accomplishing a really good 
 work, and are gradually cutting a Christian highway into 
 the dense forest of heathen darkness. There are no full and 
 reliable statistics to hand, but probably these evangelists 
 have not less than fifty churches - more correctly, perhaps, 
 with regard to most of them, preaching stations — and the 
 same number of schools, with three or four thousand scholars 
 under their supervision and instruction. This indicates a 
 fair amount of success judged even according to the logic of 
 the world, and if only a portion of those whom the evangel- 
 ists are teaching" can be rescued from sin and idolatry and 
 won to Christ, the Saviour of men, then success has been 
 attained in the very highest sense. It has long been our 
 fond hope, our constant prayer, that the Malagasy who have 
 received the Gospel should be so imbued with the Christian 
 spirit of love and self-denial that they would carry the mes- 
 sage of Divine mercy to the three millions or more of their 
 fellow-countrymen who have never heard of Christ. May the 
 work of the I san-Efiim-Bolana extend until Madagascar 
 
39 
 
 becomes in reality, what it is now often incorrectly descri- 
 bed to be, a Christian island. 
 
 The lsan-E7nm-Bolaiia is yearly becoming a greater 
 power, and, amongst its more indirect influences, it must 
 help to infuse ideas of liberty, freedom of speech, mode of 
 conducting public business, which, under present conditions, 
 could hardly be obtained in any other way. To prevent 
 misapprehension it m,ay be well to s-ay that, although His 
 Excellency the Prime Minister has been occasionally present 
 at some of its meetings, and the Palace Church contributes 
 to its funds for evangelistic purposes, the Isaii-Enim-Bolaiia 
 has been subject to no interlerence on the part of the state 
 and has received no Government money for its support. 
 
 THE COLLEGE. 
 
 FIRST in importance of all our educational institutions 
 in Madagascar is the College. This was commenced 
 in 1869, and was carried on for seven 5'ears as a Theolo- 
 gical Seminary for the training of Malagasy pastors and 
 evangelists ; but in 1876 its scope and teaching were widened 
 by its being formed into a General College for secular as 
 well as theological students. 
 
 Origin and Development.— The various steps by which 
 the College and its teaching was developed into the present 
 position, which it has now held for many years, were so 
 luUy and clearly described by the Rev. G. Cousins in the 
 last Ten Years' Review, that it is unnecessary to do more 
 here than give the briefest outline of its history, referring 
 any one who desires fuller information on the subject to 
 Mr. Cousins's paper. Suflice it to say that the great, 
 although very superficial, movement in the year 1868 in 
 favour of Christianity, when the national idols of Imerina 
 were burnt, the late Queen and the present Prime Minister 
 were baptized, and thousands of ignorant people came flock- 
 ing into our churches, was one of the chief reasons which 
 made it necessary that more systematic attempts should be 
 made to train a native ministry. 
 
 After some tentative measures to test the wish of the Mala- 
 
40 
 
 gasy to take advantage of the instruction offered to them, 
 and their ability to make use of it, Messrs. Toy and G. 
 Cousins commenced regular teaching, and in January, 1870, 
 the College was definitely established. The visit of the 
 deputation from the Directors in 1874 resulted, among many 
 other forward movements, in the enlargement of the teaching 
 of the institution, so that in addition to its special and chief 
 work of training evangelists and pastors, it should also give 
 higher education to young men of the upper class of native 
 society, who had passed through the schools of the Capital, 
 and who would, in many cases, fill important positions in 
 government and other service. 
 
 At the time of preparing the last Ten Years' Review 
 the work of the College was carried on in some temporary 
 class rooms erected on the lower terrace of the present site; 
 but a large and substantial building was then in progress 
 and was nearing completion, and the history of the College 
 during the last decade now under review, is its history since 
 it has been established in its permanent and commodious 
 home at Faravohitra, the northern part of Antananarivo. 
 
 The Opening Services.— These were thus described by 
 the Rev. G. Cousins in a letter to the Directors in the early 
 part of 1 88 1 : — 
 
 "My chief reason for writing by this mail is to inform the Direct- 
 ors of the completion and successful opening of the new College. 
 The Society long since determined to provide a building worthy of itself 
 and of the objects sought; and, at last, after six years spent in raising 
 it, the new College is finished, and on the 1 8th of January was formally 
 opened. Speaking from a tutor s point of view, it is all that one could 
 desire : substantially built, roomy, convenient, and adapted for much and 
 varied usefulness. In England it would perhaps attract but little notice, 
 but here in Madagascar causes constant surprise, and the natives wonder 
 what on earth we can intend doing with such a large and, to them, 
 strange looking edifice. 
 
 "The meeting at which the building was opened was held in the lecture 
 hall, the only room in it large enough for the purpose. We had a 
 carefully selected audience of about 350 admitted by ticket, and the 
 appearance of the hall, its walls decorated with maps and diagrams, and 
 its tiers of seats rising one behind the other, and filled with eager listen 
 ers, was a grand sight. It soon became evident that there would be 
 no difficulty in speaking or hearing in the hall, and, with that, 
 any lingering hesitation as to success was banished. The Prime Min- 
 ister graciously and heartily consented to be present and occupied 
 a prominent place on the platform ; and he brought with him about 
 twent}' of the leading members of the Government and Court. Imme- 
 diately in front of the platform, at the left hand side, sat the Vaza/ia 
 (white people\ assembled in goodly number. The United States' Consul, 
 the missionaries of the Norwegian Society, of the Friends' Foreign Mission 
 Association, our own missionaries and a few other friends, were 
 present, sixty in all. Behind them, and on the same side of the 
 room, sat a number of the old students, those who in past years 
 have been sent forth to labour for the Master, or to do good service as 
 
41 
 
 agents of the Government, filling- about two-tiiirds of the seats, and 
 those still in the College occupying the remainder. On the other side, 
 directly opposite the Prime Minister, the rising seats were filled with 
 pastors, with representatives of the City churches and picked men from 
 the country stations, with school masters, medical students, and others 
 who had obtained tickets. The assembly therefore represented quality 
 rather than quantity, and was in every respect worthy of the occasion. 
 
 "The Prime Minister arrived at lo o' clock, and the meeting was 
 commenced forthwith. The Rev. C. F. Moss, as chairman of the District 
 Committee for the year, and representative of the Society, presided. 
 After a hymn had been sung, the Rev. J. Peill read a selection of pas- 
 sages of Scripture and oftered prayer. Then followed a hymn invoking 
 God's blessing on the Sovereign, at the conclusion of which Mr. Moss, 
 after explaining the object contemplated by the London Missionary 
 Society in erecting the College, and alluding to the Society's missions 
 in other lands, presented the usual Iiasina (a dollar as the token 
 of acknowledgment of the Queen as Sovereign). The Prime Minister 
 then rose and addressed the meeting. He first of all conveyed to us, 
 and asked us to transmit to the Directors, the hearty thanks of Her 
 Majesty the Queen for all the Society is doing for her people, and 
 especially for building the College ; and he gave us her Majesty's 
 assurance that she will continue to do all in her power to foster 
 that and similar institutions, and to give to her subjects the benefits of 
 education, but, above all, the blessedness of the knowledge of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. The Prime Minister added his own thanks and assurances, 
 and avowing his gratification at the good already accomplished by the 
 College and its former students, urged one and all to diligence and faith- 
 fulness, and expressed the earnest hope that the future might yield yet 
 greater fruit than the past. His speech elicited much applause. It was 
 suitably replied to by Mr. Moss in our name, by Radaniela as spokesman 
 for the present students, and by Andrianaivoravelona as representing the 
 old students. Another hymn followed this, and then it fell to my lot to 
 read an historical statement as to the origin of the College, its progress 
 and development, the scope and character of our teaching, the results 
 already achieved, and the various purposes the new building was intended 
 to serve. The Rev. C. Jukes then offered the special dedicatory prayer. 
 
 "We sang once more, and then listened to an address from my brother 
 [the Rev. W. E. Cousins], who had been chosen by his brethren to give 
 one. He, dealt with the future, showing that, while much has been done 
 in Madagascar, and every encouragement given us to go forward, after 
 all we are but beginning and just starting on our journey. Towards the 
 close he indulged in a beautiful daydream of what Madagascar might 
 some day become, and thus awakened intense interest and enthusiasm in 
 the more intelligent of his hearers. Their beaming faces, as one fascina- 
 ting detail of the dream after another was given, will not soon be forgot- 
 ten by those of us who watched them from the platform. Many a year 
 must pass before the dream becomes a reality, but the seed of thought 
 and purpose sown will spring up, and the harvest will surely appear. 
 At the conclusion of my brother's addess, Andriambelo oifered prayer, 
 a final hymn was sung, and the assembly was dismissed with the benedic- 
 tion. Everybody seemed delighted and hopeful. A good beginning had 
 been made, and one might well be sanguine about the future. 
 
 "I can hardly describe my own feelings. Thankfulness and hope were 
 uppermost; but Mr. Toy was continually in my thoughts, and I never 
 missed him so much as on that opening day. His love for the College 
 was so deep, his belief in it so full, his delight in working for it so keen, 
 his anticipation of the advantages and opportunities for extended useful- 
 ness which the new building would ensure was so well known, that it 
 
4^ 
 
 seemed strange to me that he should have been called away so soon, and 
 not even be permitted to see it. Truly God's 'thoughts are not as our 
 thoughts.' " 
 
 The CoLi^EGE Buildings. — For some time after classes were 
 commenced, the teaching was conducted in small temporary 
 buildings in Andohalo, the triangular open space in the 
 centre of Antananarivo. But after considerable trouble, a piece 
 of ground of sufficient extent for the erection of a large 
 building was secured on the eastern side of Faravohitra, the 
 long narrow extension of the Capital northwards. Faravo- 
 hitra is the English quarter of Antananarivo, most of the 
 English missionaries and other foreign residents having 
 houses there ; there also is one of the Memorial Churches, 
 the Friends' Girls' School, their Printing Establishment, 
 the London Missionary Society's Normal and Training 
 School, and the British Vice-Consulate, etc. But it is 
 extremely difficult to get a level piece of ground of any size 
 in Antananarivo, on account of the City's being built chiefly 
 on the summit and steeply sloping sides of a long narrow 
 ridge. And the College site at Faravohitra was the rough 
 steep slope of the hill-side, so that before any building 
 could be com.menced, a large amount of work had to be done 
 and much money expended in making a level space by 
 cutting away the ground on one side (the west), and building 
 up a massive retaining wall on the other (the east). A large 
 quantity of granite rock had also to be blasted and broken 
 up ; but this was all utilized in building the great retaining 
 wall, which is thirty-five feet high in some parts. The Col- 
 lege site consists therefore of two terraces, — an upper and 
 larger one, on which the permanent building is erected, 
 and a lower and smaller one, on which temporary class- 
 rooms were put up while the other structure was in progress. 
 The main terrace abuts on the chief road of Faravohitra, but 
 is twenty feet below it. 
 
 The College building consists, in its main features, of 
 entrance-hall, lecture-hall, and class-rooms in the centre, 
 and of two houses for the English tutors, forming the wings, 
 at the northern and southern extremities respectively, one 
 at either end of the block. The central portion projects 
 from the line, and, by a bold arched doorway with shafts, 
 we come into the vestilule and entrance-hall. On the left 
 is a large waiting-room for the students, and beyond it, 
 under the gallery of the great hall, is a workshop, in which 
 wood-work for repairs to the fabric can be made, and models 
 for experiments and lectures prepared. On the right 
 hand is a corridor leading to the two largest class-rooms 
 and to one of the tutors' residences. Passing up the spacious 
 
43 
 
 staircase, we come to a small room used as a library, where 
 is a small but valuable collection of books for the use of 
 the tutors and missionaries, and a lending-library of all the 
 books yet published in Malagasy for the students. Close 
 to this is the main door of the lecture-hall, which occupies 
 the whole height of the two stories, and is seated theatre- 
 fashion, sloping, with curved steps, down to the platform. 
 The walls are tinted in various colours, and are also adorn- 
 ed with maps and large diagrams for illustrating and 
 teaching various sciences. The hall will seat comfortably 
 450 people, but it is frequently filled at lectures, concerts, and 
 other gatherings with one or two hundred more. In it are 
 held the daily morning prayers, which commence the work of 
 the day, and here also the wives of the students are taught 
 by Mrs. Sibree. The front centre room is occupied by the 
 nucleus of a museum, cabinets of native rock specimens, fos- 
 sils, shells, birds' nests and eggs, and by a collection of native 
 plants, the gift, as are also most of the geological specimens, 
 of Mr. Baron. To the left is a corridor leading to the two 
 upper class-rooms and to the committee-room, where the 
 business of the Imerina Mission is arranged, and where, as 
 far as our strength and numbers allow, the spiritual interests 
 of over 200,000 people (about half of the whole number of 
 adherents of the Society in all parts of the world) 
 are considered. Above the library is a small labora- 
 tory, with chemical apparatus, models, etc., for teaching 
 elementary science classes ; and over the little museum is 
 another room, which is occasionally utilized as an extra 
 class-room. It must be added that the College also possess- 
 es two fine telescopes, two powerful microscopes, a spectro- 
 scope, and a valuable collection of English fossils and 
 minerals (by Tennant), together with many sets of diagrams 
 for illustrating lectures. Most of these were presents from 
 friends in England given to the Rev. G. Cousins, especially 
 in Bristol. It will be seen, therefore, that the Antananarivo 
 College is well furnished with appliances for carrying on 
 high-class educational work, and indeed many more students 
 than have ever been on its lists could be efficiently taught 
 without adding to the teaching staff. 
 
 From the peculiar nature of the site, it is very 
 difficult indeed to get a good photograph of the College. 
 From anywhere close to the building to the west, it is 
 too low down to be seen properly, while from across the 
 valley to the east, it is too far off to distinguish any 
 details. It is very substantially built of red brick and 
 stone, and the whole block forms a very prominent 
 object in every view of the City from the east and north-east. 
 
44 
 
 The Society may well congratulate itself on having such a 
 substantial and commodious public building in the Capital 
 for carrying on such an important part of its work in Mada- 
 gascar. For besides its special and main purpose, the College 
 building forms a centre and rendezvous for much of the other 
 religious work of the native churches ; for meetings of various 
 kinds, for the committees of the Congregational Union and 
 (until recently) of the Bible Revision, and for kindred work. 
 It must be added that the building was designed by Mr. 
 Robins, architect, of London, but the great labour and respon- 
 sibility of the erection was undertaken by Mr. W. Pool, who 
 designed and built so many of the churches and chapels 
 which now adorn the Capital and its neighbourhood. The 
 total cost was about ;^ 4000. 
 
 Course of Study and Subjects taught. — From the very 
 commencement of the College up to the present time, it has 
 been the wish of the missionaries and the tutors to give as wide 
 and liberal a training to the students as the general standard 
 of intelligence among the Malagasy would allow. It was 
 felt that the teaching must be something more than a succes- 
 sion of Bible classes, or even of theological classes ; and 
 that while these studies should of course form the most 
 prominent feature of the instruction given, it was of the 
 highest importance to train the minds of the students, to 
 teach them to think, and to impart, as far as practicable, 
 knowledge of some subjects outside the Scriptures and 
 theology, but yet very helpful to a better understanding of 
 them both. The first curriculum proposed therefore included 
 not only the elementary subjects of reading, writing, arithmet- 
 ic, geography and grammar, but also the English language, 
 mathematics, the elements of logic, psychology, morals. 
 Scripture and church history, evidences of Christianity, 
 homiletics, and exegetical and systematic theology. This 
 scheme of study has, in the main fwith some additions to be 
 hereafter noted), been carried out ; but for several years one of 
 the greatest difficulties which the tutors had to contend with 
 was the want of the necessary class-books for teaching the 
 various subjects. These had to be prepared as the subjects 
 were taught ; and it must have been no light burden upon 
 rhe tutors to have to prepare and write out every evening 
 three or four lectures for the classes to be taught on the 
 following day. It is no wonder that Mr. Toy's health gave 
 way more than once under the heavy strain ; and it is to the 
 lasting honour both oi Mr. Toy and Mr. Cousins that, during 
 the period of their connection with the College as its tutors, 
 they not only carried on the daily teaching of the various 
 classes, but also wrote a number of valuable class-bopks, 
 
45 
 
 which have wonderfully lightened the labours of their suc- 
 cessors, and will long remain as memorials of their industry 
 and devotion to their work. Among these books are the 
 following. By Mr. Toy : Theology of the Ne70 Testament, 
 Systeniatic Theology, Natural Theology, Elements of Logic, 
 Physical Geography, Astrojiomy, as well as exegetical lectures 
 on the Hebrews, and lectures on Pastoral Theology not yet 
 printed. By Rev. G. Cousins : Scripture TTermeneiitics, 
 Life of Christ {Pari!.), Exegetical Commentary on the Gala- 
 tians, The Bible and ho7v 7(ie obtained it. Apostolic Chnrch 
 History, Manual of Horniletics, Christian IJogmatics, Malagasy 
 Grammar, Brief Scripture Geography, English Conversatio7is, 
 and an English Reading-Book, which last was prepared by Mr. 
 Cousins conjointly with Mr. Richardson. Many other books 
 are used as well as the above in the College course, but these 
 are standard works, and their mere names will give some idea 
 of the literature now available for higher teaching. It may be 
 noticed here that subsequently elementary science, history, 
 and vocal music were also added to the subjects taught 
 to the theological students ; and, more recently still, that 
 these students, in the last year of their term of study, also 
 attend classes at the mission hospitals in medecine and 
 surgery and the treatment of the sick, and are taught school 
 management at the Normal Schools. 
 
 The following books, prepared by subsequent tutors and 
 others, have been used in the College teaching in addition to 
 those already mentioned : — Mathematical Geography, History 
 of Rome, History of the Greeks, History of England, History 
 of Madagascar, Geometry, Algebra, Church History, Manual 
 of Public JVorship, Botany, Physics, Chemistry, 'Tonic Sol-fa 
 Lessons, and Lectures on School Management. 
 
 For several years after the commencement of the College 
 the term of study for ministerial students was four years ; but 
 as it became evident that it would be highly beneficial for 
 the majority of such students to receive some medical 
 training, it was decided in 1884 that the term of study be, 
 as a rule, lengthened to five years. During the fifth year 
 therefore, as above noticed, the time of the ministerial stu- 
 dents is chiefly given to attendance at the Analakely and 
 Andohalo hospitals and the classes taught there by the 
 medical missionaries. 
 
 The term of study for the secular students has been three 
 years from the time when such students were first received 
 up to the present; but when special ability is shown by any 
 student, an additional year is often allowed, and this is chiefly 
 devoted to mathematical and physical science studies. 
 
 The Students.— The first men received into the College 
 
46 
 
 were undoubtedly superior in attainments, and most of them 
 also in social position, to the majority of the men admitted 
 in subsequent years. Most of them were young men living 
 in the Capital, who had already availed themselves very 
 diligently of all the means of improvement at their command, 
 especially in the study of the Scriptures. They entered the 
 College, therefore, tolerably well prepared to take advantage 
 of fuller and more systematic instruction. Most of our later 
 students have, as a rule, come from a lower rank of society, 
 and many of them have come into the institution with but 
 slender endowments. Still, among these men, some have 
 developed exceptional ability during their term of stud}^ 
 and have taken honourable positions alter completing their 
 College course. There have of course been many failures : 
 some who have entered chiefly from hope of worldly advan- 
 tage ; some who have proved incompetent and slolhiul ; some 
 who have ''made shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience ;" 
 and a few who have left us and have joined other Christian 
 communities. But, on the other hand, we can thank God 
 for a goodly number of good and earnest men : some who are 
 able and faithful preachers ; some who are laborious evan- 
 gelists and native missionaries in the central provinces and 
 in the more heathen parts of the island ; and others who are 
 filling important positions as members of the native Govern- 
 ment, and as governors in various parts of the country. 
 
 It is, of course, a matter of regret to us that those who 
 have been trained for the work of Christian pastors and 
 evangelists should be taken away for what we must regard 
 as a lower position, but we are unable to prevent it, the Queen 
 and her ministers reserving to themselves the right to call 
 upon any of our pastors, school-teachers, or evangelists in 
 common with every subject of the Queen to undertake any 
 public duty, should their services be required. On the other 
 hand, we cannot but rejoice that some of the highest and 
 most responsible posts in the country are filled by men of 
 Christian character and of superior intelligence. And it is 
 quite possible that, in the long run, these men may have an 
 influence for good quite as powerful (or more so) as they 
 could have had even as evangelists. Most of them remain 
 preachers, many of them are Sunday school teachers, and 
 they form a power for righteousness in the highest political 
 circles, for which we must thank God. 
 
 The total number of ministerial students received since the 
 commencement of the College up to the present time (exclu- 
 ding those who proved incompetent or untrustworthy) is 196. 
 Of these about 90 are now evangelists (some few, pastors), 
 stationed chiefly in the central provinces of Imerina and 
 
47 
 
 Bstsileo, but including several in the more distant and still 
 heathen parts of the island. Of the rest, many of them have 
 done good service, but have retired from the position of 
 evangelists, some from failure of their own health, and others 
 from family circumstances, and many have died. The minis- 
 terial students now under instruction number :^:^. The 
 number of secular students received since the year 1880 up 
 to the present is 64, of whom 16 are still in the College. 
 Besides these, for two years (1884 and 1885), the junior 
 medical students from the mission hospital were received 
 for a year's teaching together with the secular students. For 
 some years past the total number of students under instruc- 
 tion has averaged from 40 to 50, two-thirds being trained for 
 the ministry, and one-third for secular positions. 
 
 It must not be omitted to be mentioned here that for 
 several years past the wives of the students have also receiv- 
 ed instruction in the College, in order to fit them, as far as 
 possible, to be helpmeets for their husbands when these 
 are appointed to work as evangelists. Two mornings a week 
 they are instructed in reading, arithmetic, geography, gram- 
 mar, Scripture, and plain and fancy needlework, lace- 
 making, etc. Several ladies have been engaged in this 
 work, especially Miss I. Dawson fMrs. E. Mellor), Mrs. Toy, 
 Mrs. G. Cousins, Mrs. Capsey ffor a short time), Mrs. 
 Stribling, and since the latter part of 1 883, Mrs. Sibree, under 
 whose management the teaching has become more complete 
 and systematic during the last six or seven years. Every 
 year we see more clearly the importance of this part of our 
 work. For it is lamentable to find what ignorant and unsuit- 
 able girls some of our best and most intelligent students 
 have often got for wives ; but of course all this largely 
 arises from the old and persistent native habit of betrothing 
 young folks while they are yet children and know nothing 
 of each other, the keeping of property together and the 
 family interests being the chief (almost the only) things 
 considered. So that it is all the more important that these 
 girls should have some little training and teaching before 
 they go away with their husbands. 
 
 No one can go about this country and take such a journey 
 as that of the writer's in June and July, 1888, to the Betsileo 
 province, without seeing what an influence for good our 
 College-trained evangelists are, and what an irreparable loss 
 it would be, were it withdrawal. All along the road from the 
 Capital to Fianarantsoa and Ambohimandroso we came to 
 the stations of these native brethren (most of whom had 
 been under our own care) and their wives, pupils of Mrs. 
 Sibree, and nothing has so much cheered and encouraged 
 
48 
 
 us as what we saw of them and their work. From Behenjy, 
 a day south of the Capital, to our furthest point, 200 miles 
 further south, we passed their stations, either on the main 
 route, or a little way from it, every day, and saw nearly twenty 
 of them, in two or three cases no longer evangelists, but 
 acting as governors and lieutenant-governors, and doing 
 much good in these influential positions. 
 
 Teaching Staff. — There have been several changes 
 during the last ten years in the missionaries taking charge 
 of the College work, which must be briefly detailed. At the 
 commencement of the period under review, the Revs. G. Cous- 
 ins and J. Peill were the tutors, assisted by Radaniela and 
 Andriambalo. These native brethren have continued to 
 labour uninterruptedly during the whole ten years, and have 
 given much satisfaction by their steady and faithful work. 
 Radaniela has recently been chosen one of the pastors of the 
 Faravohitra Memorial Church, and his influence especially, 
 and earnest religious character, are very powerful for good 
 among the students. 
 
 The first change in the European staff was made by the 
 departure of Mr. Peill for England in 1881, and his resignation 
 as tutor. The Rev. T. Capsey, B.A., was appointed by the 
 Directors to fill the vacant post, who, with his wife, arrived in 
 the Capital in August of that year, Mr. Capsey soon became an 
 efficient teacher, and was much beloved by all who knew him ; 
 but his wife's lamentable death in 1883 much unsettled his 
 mind, and in 1885 he left for England on furlough. It was 
 hoped that he would return refreshed by his home visit, but a 
 sad and mysterious close came too soon ; for on Monday, April 
 1 2th, 1 886, he left his lodgings in London, and no trace of him 
 has ever since been discovered. Before this, however, Mr. 
 Cousins also had completed a second period of service, and 
 in 1883 he left for England on furlough. After some months, 
 family circumstances rendered it advisable for Mr. Cousins 
 not to return to Madagascar, and in 1884 he accepted the 
 position of Editor of publications, etc., at fhe Mission Mouse, 
 thus terminating a very honourable connection with the 
 College of fourteen years, and with the Madagascar Mission of 
 nineteen years. To Mr. Cousins and to Mr. Toy the College 
 owes a very great deal for their earnest unwearied work in its 
 establishment, and the many valuable books they wrote for 
 the use of the tutors and students. Before Mr. Cousins 
 had left Madagascar, the Rev. James Sibree had been 
 appointed by the Directors to fill the vacant position, at first 
 a temporary, and afterwards a permanent, appointment ; 
 and in 1886 the Rev. A. Wilson was appointed to the 
 position left vacant by Mr. Capsey, arriving in the Capital 
 
49 
 
 in the latter part of that year. Messrs. Sibree and Wilson are 
 therefore no^\- the tutors of the College. During part of 
 1885 and throughout 1886 and 1887, Razakariasa, the senior 
 student at the time, acted as third assistant tutor, doing very 
 efficient service. 
 
 Public Lectures.— It has already been noticed that a large 
 lecture-hall is one of the most important parts of the College 
 building, and, as its name implies, it was designed chiefly to 
 provide accommodation for public lectures. Accordingly, 
 since the opening of the building, courses of popular lectures 
 every year (with the exception of the years 1889 and 1890) have 
 formed an important part of the work in connection with the 
 College. Two courses of four or five are generally delivered by 
 the missionaries of our ^Society, of the Friends' Mission, or of 
 the Norwegian Missionary Society, during each term. These 
 lectures are very varied in subject, embracing biography, 
 description of other countries, popular science, history, etc., 
 and are frequently illustrated by diagrams, models, and ex- 
 periments. On these occasions the hall is usually well filled, and 
 often densely crowded. A concert, sometimes by the students 
 and scholars of the Normal School, sometimes by Europeans, 
 has occasionally finished the course. These lectures have certain- 
 ly been of great value, andenable ustobringimportant influence 
 to bear upon the most enlightened portion of the community. 
 
 Some Suggestions for the Future.— During the last two 
 or three years the number of our ministerial students has been 
 less than the average of the preceding years, but it is to be 
 hoped that their number will not be allowed to become 
 permanently lower than it now is, for there are not many of 
 those who have finished their course of study during recent 
 years whose services have not been called for ; and owing to 
 death, retirement from ill-health, the claims of Government, 
 and other causes, there is always a steady demand for 
 a certain number of men to fill vacant positions. 
 
 But there are other points in connection with our College 
 teaching which deserve fuller consideration than has yet been 
 given to them. When the institution was commenced, it was 
 designed for the instruction of native pastors, as well as 
 evangelists and missionaries, and among the first students 
 who were received there were several who have held the 
 pastoral office, and some (in the Capital) who still hold it. 
 But of later years hardly any one has been admitted but those 
 who have looked forward to being employed either by the 
 native churches, or by the L.M.S., or by the Palace Church, 
 either as evangelists in Imerina and Betsileo, or as native 
 missionaries in distant parts of the island. Now while 
 the importance of such work is very great and must 
 
50 
 
 never be neglected, the other branch of the intended work 
 of the College has for a long time been practically left 
 alone. And yet the building up and instruction and 
 guidance of the 1200 churches and congregations in 
 connection with our Society is a work whose import- 
 ance and urgency is second to none. A very pressing 
 problem therefore presents itself to us now, viz : how 
 can we make this College — with its commodious build- 
 ing, its experienced teaching staif, its books of in- 
 struction, its methods of training, and its varied and com- 
 plete appliances — how can we make it all of more service 
 to the large number of ignorant and inefficient native 
 pastors r Can no plan be devised to help them — perhaps by 
 receiving men for a short course, or by allowing them to 
 attend certain theological and Scripture classes, or by en- 
 couraging them to come for say a month at a time to attend 
 classes, if constant attendance were impracticable r 
 
 Again, we have in Imerina some 3700 native preachers. 
 Can we not do something to help them, at any rate those 
 near the Capital, so as to make them more intelligent and 
 instructed teachers of others r Could we not at least help 
 the 300 or 400 native preachers in the Capital itself and its 
 suburbs by teaching them in some of our classes, or by form- 
 ing special classes for them r Have we got into too stereo- 
 typed a way of carrying on our work r And do we not need 
 more adaptation to the changing needs of native society and 
 the native churches at the present day r 
 
 And it may also be said that the anticipations of the 
 tutors and the missionaries, that a large number of young 
 men would be wishful to take advantage of the secular 
 classes, has certainly not been realized. For several years 
 past an average number of only six or seven secular students 
 have been under instruction, while at least treble that 
 number could have been taught with practically no more 
 labour on the part of the tutors. How can the number of 
 the secular students be increased r 
 
 Such are some of the points in connection with the College 
 which we think should be carefully considered. The institu- 
 tion has already done very valuable work, but we believe its 
 power for good could be greatly increased and widened. 
 Men taught within its walls have for long been doing good 
 service in various parts of the island, but we long to make 
 its influence beneficial to a much larger number and 
 to help those upon whom the heavy responsibility rests of 
 teaching Sunday after Sunday many thousands of people, 
 and those others who guide and influence several hundred 
 native churches in this central province of Madagascar. 
 
51 
 
 In conclusion, it will, we think, be clear, from what has 
 been said above, that the London Missionary vSociety's 
 College in Antananarivo is one of the most important of the 
 various agencies at work for the enlightenment and evangel- 
 ization of Madagascar. And we are sure that every reader 
 of this Review will unite with us in the wish that it may be 
 increasingly a power for blessing in this country ; that within 
 its walls numbers may still be trained for, God's work and 
 the ministry of Christ's Gospel, men who shall be "mighty 
 in the Scriptures," "workmen needing not to be ashamed, 
 rightly dividing the word of truth ;" and that when, in days 
 to come, the Malagasy church shall no longer need the help- 
 ing hand of its English mother, from the Antananarivo 
 College there may still go forth men who shall be pastors, 
 evangelists, and missionaries, "for the work of the ministry, 
 for the edifying of the body of Christ," throughout the length 
 and breadth of this erreat island. 
 
 THE NORMAL SCHOOL. 
 
 THIS institution was established by Mr. Stagg in 1862 
 at Ambodin' Andohalo, in a building the site of 
 which had been given in 1824 by King Radama, After Mr. 
 Stagg's death in February, 1864, the school was carried on by 
 native teachers, with the occasional superintendence of some 
 of the missionaries. Mr. Sewell of the F.F.M.A. had charge 
 of it in 1867-8. In i86g Mr. Barker began receiving youths 
 to be trained as teachers; and on his retirement in 1872, 
 Mr. Richardson was appointed to its charge by the Directors, 
 and he still holds the position of head-master. At the close 
 of the year 1880 the number of youths in the school was as 
 follows : students 95, ;^2 of which were sent by the Government ; 
 scholars 176 ; total 271. On the removal of the Government 
 students, the number of scholars was increased, and the stu- 
 dents decreased. Mr. Richardson resumed charge of the 
 school after his furlough in England in August, 1881. 
 
 The number of students and scholars in the school during 
 the last ten years has been as follows : — 
 
 1881, 255; 1882, 251; 1883, 162; 
 1884, 150; 1885, 100; 1886, 204; 
 1887, 204; 1888, 304; 1889, 304 J 
 
52 
 
 ( Students 67 
 
 i8go I Scholars 143 
 
 ( Infants 94 
 
 Total 304 
 
 It will be noticed that the numbers were greatly reduced 
 during the war time, sinking as low as 100 in 1885. In 1888 
 an infant department was inaugurated, at first with 25 
 children, but the applications for the places have been so 
 numerous that the number has now increased to 100, and we 
 are still repeatedly receiving applications. 
 
 The following is the standard for admission to the students' 
 department : — 
 
 Candidates for admission as students at the Normal School must be 
 youths of good moral character, recommended by the church and pastor 
 whence they come, and be approved by the missionary in charge of the 
 district. They must be over 15 years of age. They shall be examined 
 in the following subjects : — 
 
 (i) Handii}riti7ig : which must be legible. 
 
 (2) Reading: half a page from the monthly magazine Good Words 
 [7'eny Son), fluently and intelligently. 
 
 (3) Dictation : a paragraph of not more than 100 words from Teny Soa, 
 with not mere than five mistakes. 
 
 (4) Arithmetic : ten sums or problems based on the first four rules of 
 simple numbers, money, and vulgar fractions. Three-fourths of the 
 maximum number of marks required for a pass. 
 
 (5) Scripture Knoivledge : the facts contained in the three school 
 catechisms, the Lord's Prayer, and the Apostle's Creed. Three-fourths 
 of the maximum number of marks required for a pass. 
 
 (6) Graminar : the meaning of Subjec-t, Predicate, Hyphen, Accent, 
 and Apostrophe ; and to parse a simple sentence, with full explanations 
 of nouns, adjectives and pronouns. Two-thirds of the maximum number 
 of marks rf quired for a pass. 
 
 (7) GeograpJiy : the meaning of the divisions of Land and Water; the 
 positions of the Continents and Oceans ; the Countries of Europe with 
 their Capitals ; and the chief divisions of Madagascar. Two-thirds of the 
 maximum number of marks required for a pass. 
 
 Candidates successfully passing the above shall be sent to the doctor 
 for examination, and, the report being satisfactory, shall be received for 
 a six months' probation, and afterwards for a three years' course of 
 training. All school books shall be provided by the Society. An exami- 
 nation shall be held every Christmas. 
 
 After a course of three years an examination for a teacher's 
 certificate is held in accordance with the following standard 
 drawn up by the Committee : — 
 
 (i) Reading: to read well an extract from any bock or newspaper 
 in Malagasy. 
 
 (2) IVriting a fid Cottipositio?/ : to write an essay of not less than 300 
 words on a subject chosen by the examiners. Part of 
 the essay must be written to show skill in handwriting-. 
 
53 
 
 (3) Arithmetic : all ordinary work including and up to the extraction 
 
 of Square and Cube Roots and Mensuration. 
 
 (4) Scripture: the two school catechisms, general and biographical, 
 
 and generally on the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
 (5) Grammar a?id Analysis of Sentences : the large text books. 
 
 (6) Geography : the large text book of the Geography of the whole 
 
 world. 
 
 (7) Schoot Management : the small text book prepared by Messrs. 
 
 Richardson and Thorne. 
 
 (8) Honours Subjects : the First English Lesson Book, and First 
 
 English Reading Book. To draw from the plane and 
 model. The first book of Euclid, and Algebra to the 
 end of Simple Equations. 
 
 The teaching of the students has been to prepare them for 
 the above examination, but in addition, the majority have 
 obtained the elementary certificate in singing from Tonic 
 Sol-Fa, and in Scripture much more is taught than is 
 included in the above. 
 
 During the ten years 201 youths have obtained certificates, 
 and the great majority have reached the first class, many 
 having passed in all the honours subjects. At the last 
 examination (Dec. i8go), when 15 youths completed their 
 course, 13 obtained first class certificates, one a second 
 class, one retired from the examination from illness, 10 
 obtained certificates in Singing, 12 passed in Euclid, 12 in 
 Algebra, 9 in English, and 7 in Drawing. This is a fair 
 specimen of the attainments of the teachers during the ten 
 years. 
 
 One of our most devoted native pastors in a speech in the 
 Committee of the Congregational Union, two or three years 
 ago, said that the teachers trained in the Normal School 
 were the most hopeful and useful workers the church had in 
 Madagascar, as they became not merely teachers in the day 
 schools, but also in the Sunday schools, and as preachers they 
 were most willing and trustworthy workers. 
 
 Many, after having taught for several years, have entered 
 the ^Society's College, and have become evangelists to the 
 distant tribes. Youths trained at the Normal School are to 
 be found at nearly every mission station, near and far 
 (Mojanga, Maroantsetra, Antomboka, Betsileo, Betsimisa- 
 raka, Antsihanaka, S.E. Coast and S.W. Coast, as well as in 
 Imerina), as teachers, evangelists, and missionaries. Some 
 have been taken by the (rovernment and are governors and 
 judges ; a few have gone over to the Lutherans and An- 
 glicans. 
 
 While the students are in training, all books are provided 
 from the Society's funds, and a small allowance per month 
 (from sixpence to two shillings) is given to assist them in 
 buying food. 
 
54 
 
 The teaching in the practising school is mostly a prepara- 
 tion for the standard of admission to the students' classes, 
 but the first and second classes go much beyond, and are 
 almost on a level with the requirements of the certificate 
 examination. They buy their own books, only slates and 
 ink being provided by the Society. Up to the end of 1889 
 a little help in money was given to youths from a distance. 
 This has now been discontinued. 
 
 In the infant department, commenced in January, 1888, 
 the training begins with the alphabet, and is carried on in 
 Malagasy and English from the day of entrance. It has 
 been a very great success ; and at a public examination in 
 September, 1890, at which a number of our missionaries and 
 others were present, the little boys acquitted themselves right 
 well. They repeated the Lord's Prayer, the 23rd Psalm, 
 nearly the whole of the 5th chapter of Matthew, some hymns, 
 such as "Jesus loves me," etc., some pieces of poetry, 
 and the first chapter of a Scripture Catechism ; they conju- 
 gated parts of the verbs "to be ' and "to have," etc., and did 
 some sums in written and mental arithmetic, all in English, 
 to the great delight of those who were present. One of the 
 visitors, a gentleman from South Africa, and who has been 
 engaged in educational work in England, said that he had 
 not heard such clear pronunciation of English in the island 
 as he had heard that morning, and that there were hundreds 
 of schools in England where the pronunciation was not as 
 good. The final test was the hymn in English, "The Son of 
 God goes forth to war" to the tune "Ellacombe." The tune 
 was first sung to the Sol-Fa syllables, the words were read 
 over once, and then, the infants taking treble and alto, and 
 the students tenor and bass, the whole hymn was gone 
 through. This hymn and tune were entirely new to them. 
 A few weeks afterwards an English barrister and his wife 
 spent two hours with us at a somewhat similar examination, 
 and they spoke in the highest terms of the work we are doing. 
 Their last words to the head-master on leaving were : "We 
 had no idea that such work was going on here. We have 
 seen nothing like it before, and we are sure that the people 
 in England have not the faintest idea that such results are 
 obtained in Madagascar." 
 
 The grant made by the Society for the conduct of the 
 school was ;^ 100 per annum up to the end of 18S9; in some 
 years this has not all been drawn, and for 1889 only a grant 
 of ;^8o was asked for. The school could not be carried on for 
 so small a sum were it not that the students in their last year 
 are the teachers of all the classes except four. The building 
 in which the work is carried on is of two stories, five class- 
 
55 
 
 rooms below and a large room above, built by the Society in 
 1878 at a cost of ^looo. The upper room is furnished with 
 desks on iron English standards, the cost of which, including 
 carriage out, as also the blackboards and a large harmonium, 
 were met by funds subscribed by the head-master's personal 
 friends in England in the j^ears 1880 and 1881. 
 
 THE PALACE SCHOOL. 
 
 THIS school was established in 1870 by the Prime 
 Minister for the education of his own sons and those 
 of the chief officers in the Government. During the first 
 ten years of its existence the number of scholars averaged 
 sixty, and some good work was done under the superintend- 
 ence of one or other of the missionaries, who, however, 
 having in addition to carry on work in some mission district, 
 were not able to devote as much time and labour to the 
 school as its needs demanded. Some of the former scholars 
 passed from the school to the secular branch of the College, 
 and most of these and some others are now occupying more 
 or less responsible positions under the Government. From 
 1880 to 1889 the school had declined somewhat in numbers 
 and efficiency, owing to the lack of continuous missionary 
 superintendence and other causes. A second Palace School 
 (Besakana), with which our mission had nothing to do, but 
 which v/as entirely managed by natives, had also been 
 started and carried on for some years in one of the oldest 
 royal houses in the palace yard. This also was in a very 
 declining condition, when early in 1887 the Imerina District 
 Committee appointed a sub-committee to wait on the 
 Prime Minister, and arrange with him, if possible, some 
 scheme for re-organizing the Palace School with a view to 
 its greater efficiency. The overtures then begun, and 
 continued at intervals during the next two years, resulted 
 in the erection of a new school-house just outside the palace 
 yard, the union of the two schools, and their re-organization 
 with a suificient staff of native assistants under Mr. J. C. 
 Thorne as head-master. It was not, however, till June, 
 1889, after some months had been spent in securing a suflfi- 
 
56 
 
 cient quantity of furniture and apparatus, that the school 
 could be re-opened. 
 
 The inauguration took place on June 6, 1889, in the 
 presence of the Queen, the Prime Minister, the Court, and 
 many of the scholars. The Queen was graciously pleased to 
 name the new school-house Mahaizamirindra (Agree with one 
 another), in memory of an ancient building in the palace 
 yard, and also, no doubt, in reference to the union of the two 
 former schools. The school re-opened with the names of 
 158 scholars on the books. The average daily attendance 
 from June to December, 1889, was 162, thirty-two scholars 
 not missing an attendance. The average daily attendance 
 for 1890 was 176, and the number at present on the registers 
 is 232, as many as the building will properly accommodate. 
 
 While careful attention is paid to the teaching of English 
 and other secular subjects, earnest attempts are made, by 
 daily Bible reading and religious instruction, with a practical 
 application to the present and probable future circumstances 
 of the scholars, to mould their characters on lines of right- 
 eousness, purity, mercy, and truth. The head-master invites 
 all Christian friends reading this report to unite with hiui in 
 seeking that the Holy Spirit's influence and teaching may 
 inspire, pervade, and bless all the human effort put forth. 
 
 Most of the lads are well conducted in school, and quite 
 amenable to a kind but firm discipline. In the homes of 
 many of them, however, there is a sad lack of wholesome 
 influences, and the society in which many of them have a 
 place abounds in coarse and degrading vice. But even such 
 we believe can be reached by the magnificent and beneficent 
 grace of God. A few of the scholars appear to be thoughtful 
 and earnest young Christians, striving to follow their Lord 
 in pure living and in doing good. 
 
57 
 
 GIRLS' CENTRAL SCHOOL. 
 
 A school having once been fairly established, the years 
 pass on with few changes and with comparatively 
 little to report. Such has been the case with the Girls' 
 Central School ; but for the information of those whose ac- 
 quaintance with the school is of recent date, it may be well to 
 give a few particulars which were referred to in the last 
 Review. 
 
 The Building. — For some years past we have been 
 feeling the need of a new school-house on a better site, and the 
 Directors having granted^ looo for the purpose, we at once 
 began to look out for a suitable position. This we found to be 
 a very difficult task, and it has only quite recently been accom- 
 plished ; so that we are now in possession of a piece of ground 
 in the centre of the City not far from our present school, 
 on which it is hoped to erect a suitable building shortly. 
 Meanwhile the work will be carried on in the present premis- 
 es into which the school was moved in 1878. This is a one- 
 storied building with a second story added over one of the 
 class-rooms, so that we have three class-rooms in addition to 
 the large school-room. This accommodation is, however, too 
 limited, as the classes have to be placed very near together, 
 thus interfering with discipline. The school furniture is 
 of native manufacture and in good condition, and we have a 
 good supply of maps and pictures which help to make the 
 room look bright and cheerful. 
 
 The Lady Superintendents.— Until the close of 1883, 
 the school was much indebted to Mrs. Briggs and Mrs. 
 Parrett, who kindly undertook Miss Bliss's duties when 
 her health failed and during her furlough in England. From 
 January, 1884, to May, 1890, Miss Craven has been constantly 
 at work, and for several years of that time Miss Bliss 
 also was able to resume her former position, so that the 
 school has had the advantage of two lady superintendents 
 for a considerable part of the ten years. On Miss Craven's 
 leaving for her furlough in England in May, 1890, Mrs. 
 Richardson took charge of the school until Miss Bliss's 
 return in December. 
 
 The teaching Staff.— This consists of two Malagasy men 
 teachers and eight Malagasy women teachers. The two 
 former were trained in the Normal School at Faravohitra, 
 and six of the latter have been trained in our own school ; 
 we still retain the services of an old lady, who has 
 been connected with the school from its commencement ; 
 
58 
 
 and the remaining teacher received her education in the 
 P>iends' Girls' School at Faravohitra. The two male 
 teachers have been with us four and five years respective- 
 ly, four of the women were on the staff ten years ago, 
 and the remaining four have been taken on as others have 
 left or the needs of the school have increased. They are 
 painstaking in their work, and are all anxious that those 
 under their care should be brought into the fold of Christ. 
 The connection between ourselves and our teachers is of the 
 closest kind ; all being acknowledged disciples of Christ, we 
 feel that we are not merely employers and employed, but 
 fellow-workers in the same vineyard ; and this feeling has been 
 much strengthened by our weekly meetings for prayer and 
 conversation. For several years past there has been a 
 teachers' class held out of school hours, and this has assisted 
 them in keeping up their knowledge. Rabary, the second 
 class teacher, has very willingly given up some of his spare 
 time in thus assisting his companions, who include old pupils 
 now settled as teachers in some of the town schools, he taking 
 two out of the four subjects taught. 
 
 The Pupils. — These are taken from all classes of society, 
 and, as a rule, have passed through one or other of the 
 elementary schools before being received by us. It is our 
 rule not to receive any girls into the school without a note 
 from the missionary in charge of the school they have attend- 
 ed, and we also decline those who do not come up to a 
 certain standard. This is a lower one than that of the 
 schools for boys, but we have this year raised it slightly, 
 and hope to do so still more as time goes on. The question 
 of fees has been considered, but it has been thought that, 
 as the girls buy their books, etc., it is undesirable at present 
 to make any other charge. The numbers have varied 
 considerably, but have steadily though slowly increased from 
 the commencement of the school. The average attendance 
 in 1880 was 130, and in i88g it was 160; this is not a 
 large increase, but we must remember that the education of 
 girls is not considered by the Malagasy of the same import- 
 ance as that of boys. Very few girls continue to attend 
 school after marriage, but boys frequently do so for several 
 years ; and as many girls marry at twelve or thirteen years 
 of age, this tends to keep down the numbers. 
 
 At various times the wives of some of the students at 
 the College and Normal ^School have attended the Girls' 
 Central School, but at no time has their number been 
 sufficient to justify us in engaging a teacher specially 
 for them, neither can we find room for another class ; 
 naturally married girls and women feel rather ashamed 
 
59 
 
 to be learning with our junior classes, for which only 
 they are, as a rule, fitted, and they are soon discouraged 
 and give up coming to us. This has been of little importance, 
 as Mrs. Sibree has had classes twice a week for the wives 
 of the College students, and has willingly included amongst 
 them the wives of the Normal School students who were 
 wishful to learn. 
 
 The Standard of Education.— There is no standard which 
 must necessarily be reached by girls in our school before they 
 leave, and during the last few years we have been often 
 disappointed and grieved to find our girls leaving us simply 
 because they have reached the first class, though by no 
 means a high position in it, or because they consider them- 
 selves too big to go to school any longer. There has, how- 
 ever, been a marked advance in the standard reached 
 since the publication of the last Teji Years' Reviezv. All 
 the classes receive instruction in the Scriptures, reading, 
 writing, arithmetic, mental arithmetic, geography, grammar, 
 singing, sewing, etc., and eight of the classes learn English 
 and drawing in addition. Examinations are held in all the 
 subjects once every year, and are looked forward to by the 
 girls with great delight ; they extend over a week and are a 
 most thorough test of the knowledge of the girls. As in 
 English schools, the temptation to copy is great, but we are 
 always watchful to prevent it, and the practice has gradually 
 decreased until at the last examination Mr. Thorne reported 
 that he had not been able to detect a single case ; this is 
 probably due in part to their fear of disgrace, but in a 
 much larger measure to the improved moral tone of the 
 school. 
 
 Hours of Teaching. — During the first seven years and 
 a half, we had morning and afternoon school, making in all 
 about four and a half hours daily ; but two and a half years 
 ago we made a change, and now meet at 8 a.m. and leave 
 again at 1.15 p.m., a quarter of an hour at 11 a.m. being 
 allowed for recreation. The hours seem long, but, on the 
 whole, we think the present arrangement preferable to the 
 former, especially during the summer months, when the rain 
 often commences between 3 and 4 p.m. and necessitates a 
 sudden dismissal of the school. 
 
 Discouragements and Encouragements.— Some of the 
 former have already been mentioned, viz: early marriages and 
 unwillingness to learn after a certain age ; but a still greater 
 difficulty with which we have to .cope is the indifference of the 
 parents to the moral as well as the mental condition of their 
 children ; as one of our teachers said one day : "If a fowl is 
 missing at roosting time, it is searched for until found and 
 
60 
 
 brought home ; but if boys or girls are missing, the parents 
 think little of it, as they are sure to turn up again." This is 
 a very sad state of affairs, but often is only too true, though 
 there are parents who are exceptions to the rule, who try 
 to train their children well, and to shield them from harm as 
 much as they can. It is mostly by personal contact with 
 the parents that we can hope to foster a right appreciation 
 of their responsibility ; and in our frequent visits to their 
 homes, we have tried to bring this subject before them, meeting 
 often with the reply : "Yes, we must pray to God," meaning, 
 that having done that, they are quite free from the responsi- 
 bility of caring for their children. Many old customs too, 
 which, to the native mind, are quite right and proper, are seen 
 by us to be productive of immorality and other evils. Another 
 hindrance to our work is the increase of drinking ; and when 
 it is known that, while an immoral person does not necessari- 
 ly drink, it is almost invariably the case that a drinking 
 person is also immoral, it will be seen that temperance 
 work among the young is of great importance. We have 
 therefore started a pledge book with three pledges, viz : to 
 abstain (i) from wine and other strong drink, (2) from 
 snuff, and (3J from immoral conduct and all that is unbefit- 
 ting to Christians. A girl may sign one or all as .she wishes, 
 and we have found that, except in a few cases, no one has 
 taken the pledges without great consideration, especially 
 the third, which they rightly look upon as a very serious one. 
 That the pledges are broken in some cases is no doubt 
 true, but we believe that by most they are faithfully kept, and 
 as they read "by the help of God," the words are a means of 
 drawing the girls to place their dependence upon the Almighty 
 One ; this is also strongly urged when, once a month, they are 
 invited to sign the pledges. We look upon the temperance 
 movement as one of our encouragements, especially as it is so 
 entirely on a Christian basis. 
 
 It has been thought too frequently that it is of little use to 
 expect the Malagasy to speak freely to us about their personal 
 experience of sin and salvation, but we have seen great reason 
 during the last two or three years to change our ideas on that 
 subject ; not only our teachers, but also many of our girls, 
 have come to us about these important matters, and we have 
 had the joy of welcoming some of these into the fold of 
 Christ, while others we feel .sure are not far from the Kingdom. 
 There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is working amongst 
 our young people ; it remains for us to nurture and train these 
 young converts, and to this end a meeting is held once every 
 week, to which young Christians and those who are seeking 
 Christ are invited, the attendance being quite voluntary. 
 
61 
 
 We also feel encouraged when we see the position of some 
 of our old scholars, and the influence exerted by them. Some, 
 as wives of evangelists and teachers, are working well in the 
 country districts ; others are teachers in some of the town 
 schools; some are doing good work as trained nurses ; and 
 others again are striving in their own homes to bring up 
 their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
 All have to endure great temptations ; is it any wonder that 
 many fall into sin r Let us, however, take courage when we 
 see what true Christians som.e are, and remember that the 
 same power that raised them can and will raise others also 
 to be examples to their fellow-countrywomen. 
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 
 
 T'^HE school held every Sunday afternoon in the large 
 room of the F.F.M.A. at Ambohijatovo was for some 
 years almost our only Sunday school, and was, and still is, 
 supplied with scholars and teachers from most of the City 
 congregations. It has proved a great blessing in imparting 
 religious instruction to numbers of young people who other- 
 wise might have been running wild in the streets. The 
 pressure of w^ork upon the missionaries necessarily involved 
 in the oversight of so many churches, and the scarcity of 
 natives competent and willing to render their services as 
 teachers, prevented for a time the commencement of many 
 congregational Sunday schools ; but during the last few years, 
 with the increasing number of educated Christian young men 
 and women, schools have been established in connection with 
 the ten City churches, including that in the Palace, and some 
 of the suburban churches. Many of these are well conducted, 
 under the direct superintendence, when possible, of one of 
 the missionaries or a missionary's wife, and are becoming a 
 means of much spiritual good. The Malagasy are not unduly 
 eager to speak of their personal religious experience, but we 
 are not without instances in which conversion to God has 
 been attributed to the teaching" received in the Sunday 
 school. Only recently we heard of an irreligious father being 
 brought to decision for Christ by his little girl repeating to 
 
62 
 
 liim the lesson she had learnt in school on Sunday afternoon. 
 
 Bible classes for adults are held by the missionaries or 
 some of the older Christian natives, which are well at- 
 tended and create considerable attention. A few years 
 ago a separate special class was begun by one of the 
 ladies of the Mission in the lecture-hall of the College for the 
 much neglected palanquin bearers, but a combination of 
 slaves even to study the Scriptures gave offence, excited 
 suspicion and distrust, and a request was actually made 
 that the class should be disbanded, to which it was deemed 
 prudent to accede. 
 
 The Sunday school movement is extending amongst 
 the nearer village churches in which there are persons 
 capable of giving religious instruction ; but the great need 
 is for teachers who themselves know the truth and are able 
 to make it interesting and attractive to others. Probably 
 there are upwards of a hundred .Sunday schools in Imerina. 
 In some cases the Sunday school, and rightly so, consists 
 of nearly the whole congregation who, after the ordinary 
 service, remain to a Bible lesson given by the pastor, one of 
 the preachers, or the school-master. 
 
 Small books containing' a series of suitable Scripture 
 lessons, prepared by Mr. Clemes and Mr. Clark of the 
 F.F.M.A., have been most useful, but these having been 
 repeatedly employed, Mr. Lord has been engaged during the 
 last two years in preparing "notes" of lessons which have 
 appeared regularly in our monthly magazine. These supply 
 a much needed help to Sunday school teachers, and are 
 much appreciated. 
 
 We had for a time a "vSunday School Union" which did 
 good service in the stimulating and organizing of Sunday 
 schools. Meetings of all the teachers in the associated 
 schools were held at stated periods, and a great deal of 
 interest was manifested in the discussion of subjects relating 
 to the religious education of the young. Some of the most 
 intelligent young men in the Capital were members of 
 the "Union," and for a while at least carried on the work 
 with much zest and earnestness ; but several of these, we 
 regret to say, have of late found other and less commendable 
 outlets for their sympathies. 
 
 The Palace Church has shown its appreciation of Sunday 
 schools by having a school of its own, and by occasionally 
 inviting the scholars and teachers of one of the City or 
 suburban schools to hold a special service in the presence of 
 the Queen and Prime Minister. Such an important occasion, 
 when boys and girls are requested to worship in the same 
 building with their Sovereign, naturally gives rise to much 
 
63 
 
 excitement. Some days are given to preparation, special 
 hymns are sung, the children are catechised, addresses are 
 given, and at the close a collection is made to assist in 
 meeting the expenses of the ensuing year. 
 
 One of the most pleasing of our numerous large gatherings 
 in the Capital is the annual united meeting of the City Sunday 
 schools. The largest church is crowded to its utmost limit; 
 and to look upon the sea of bright intelligent faces of 
 Malagasy youths met to hear of the children's Friend, and 
 remember that, but for the Gospel, all that vast congregation 
 of young people would be brought up in sin, ignorance, and 
 filth, with no other knowledge of prayer than that offered to 
 idols or the spirits of the dead, makes one's heart bound with 
 gratitude and joy. 
 
 We are often astonished at the knowledge of Bible history 
 displayed by the children in answer to a few questions, and 
 there is no doubt many are well and carefully and, we hope, 
 prayerfully instructed in the Scriptures which "are able to 
 make them wise unto salvation." Perhaps many of the 
 teachers are apt to lose sight of what should be the chief aim, 
 namely individual conversion to Christ. 
 
 Increased knowledge and devotion in the churches will be 
 accompanied by corresponding growth in the Sunday schools. 
 Sunday schools (as indeed miost of our churches) are yet in 
 their infancy, but they are increasing in number and use- 
 fulness, and by God's mercy we hope they will become as 
 great a blessing to Madagascar as they have been to England 
 and other lands. 
 
 ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. 
 
 1"*HE history of elementary education during the last ten 
 years presents few incidents of special importance. 
 Work has been steadily prosecuted along the lines laid down 
 during the previous decade, and a careful survey gives the 
 impression of real, if not startling, progress. 
 
 The Teachers. — One very encouragingchangefor thebetter 
 noticeable during the last ten years is the increase in the num- 
 
64 
 
 ber of teachers who have received a training either in our own 
 Normal School, or in the Friends' Foreign Mission Associa- 
 tion School at Ambohijatovo. As a result of this displace- 
 ment of untrained and poorly furnished teachers by trained 
 ones, a marked improvement in the attainments of the 
 children and in the discipline and general management of 
 the schools has taken place. At the annual examinations 
 the school under the charge of a trained teacher, by the more 
 numerous and higher passes obtained in the different subjects, 
 and the smarter and quicker way in which the children do 
 their work, is readily distinguished from the school conducted 
 by the ordinary untrained teacher. Considering the trying 
 circumstances and discouragements under which many of 
 our trained teachers have to do their work, the irregularity 
 of attendance on the part of the children, and the many inter- 
 ruptions to school routine, the results achieved by them are 
 highly creditable, and speak loudly for the care and ability 
 and energy displayed by those under whom they were 
 trained. 
 
 During the year 1884 a system of examination for teachers' 
 certificates was introduced by the Committee. All teachers 
 then in charge of schools connected with our Mission were 
 required to present themselves for examintition, and certifi- 
 cates were issued to the successful examinees according to 
 the attainments they had shewn. By this means a good 
 idea was obtained of the qualifications and general character 
 of the teachers; and as the Committee decided that no teacher 
 who had failed to secure a certificate should receive help from 
 the education grants, a number of incompetent teachers w'ere 
 got rid of. These examinations for teachers' certificates have 
 been held yearly since they were first instituted, and there 
 can be no doubt that they have proved very useful in various 
 ways. They give a status to the teachers who succeed in 
 obtaining certificates, and they guarantee a certain efficiency 
 and knowledge— comparatively small it may be — as being 
 possessed by the teachers conjointly employed by the mis- 
 sionaries and churches ; and as a short report of the condition 
 of his school as shewn by the annual examination is written 
 on the teacher's certificate, a ready means is afforded of 
 gauging the progress made. Of course the certificate can be 
 withdrawal on clear evidence of misconduct or incompetence 
 and failure when the teacher is in actual charge of a school. 
 The withdrawal of a certificate from a teacher would be a 
 severe punishment for him. 
 
 It may be w^ell to give the chief regulations finally adopted 
 by the Committee in respect to the conduct of those examina- 
 tions for certificates. They are as follows : — 
 
65 
 
 (i) Once a year in June there shall be held in the Normal School two 
 examinations of candidates for teachers' certificates. 
 
 (2) One of these examinations shall be for an upper grade of candi- 
 dates, comprising normal students who are on the point of completing 
 their course, and such school teachers as are presented by the Society's 
 missionaries. 
 
 (3) The other examination shall be for candidates of a lower grade, and 
 the successful among these shall receive certificates of the third class. 
 
 (4) The minimum of attainment for a certificate of the third class shall 
 be the same as that for candidates for admission to the Normal School. 
 
 (5) The syllabus of subjects in which candidates for the higher grade 
 certificates are examined are the same as those for students who have 
 completed their course at the Normal School (see p. 52). 
 
 The Scholars.— During the last three or four years there 
 has been shewn by the parents a greater willingness to send 
 their children to school at an earlier age than formerly ; at 
 the same time, however, they are removed at an earlier age. 
 Still it is a great advantage to get hold of the children while 
 of tender years, as the labour expended upon them gives higher 
 and more gratifying results than the same labour bestowed 
 upon older children coming fresh to school would produce. The 
 immense majority of the children in our schools now are bona 
 fide scholars, and not, as was often formerly the case, big 
 boys and girls whose attendance was very irregular and inter- 
 mittent, and who were too old and too much occupied to 
 receive much benefit from the school instruction. It is far 
 more gratifying to have presented for examination a number 
 of bright children, whose ages vary from six to thirteen or 
 fourteen, than to have a crowd of youths who make a mere 
 pretence of attending school, and who are brought up to 
 the examination in order simply to swell the numbers. 
 
 The fact of the children being sent to school at an earlier 
 age, together with the generally improved quality of the teach- 
 ing, is producing better results than formerly at the exami- 
 nations. It cannot be questioned that, during the last few years, 
 the number of young children passing in the higher standards, 
 especially in the three R's, has been steadily increasing. 
 The instruction in Scripture knowledge also has, on the 
 whole, shewn improvement. A fair number of the young 
 children pass in the first catechism, and of the higher classes 
 a considerable proportion shew a creditable acquaintance 
 with the second catechism, and with the main facts of the 
 Gospel History as well. We could wish, however, for greater 
 intelligence and power in teaching moral and religious 
 truth. Few of the teachers seem able to give a good Bible 
 lesson. They, as a rule, lack freshness in their teaching, and 
 content thernselves with following rule of thumb methods. 
 
 Government Help. — As regards the support and general 
 direction of the schools, the experience of the past ten years has 
 
66 
 
 shewn more clearly than ever that educational work could not 
 be carried on apart from the Missionary Societies, Were the 
 afrants-in-aid for educational purposes made by the various 
 Societies and the supervision of European missionaries with- 
 drawn, it is not too much to say that the school system at pre- 
 sent existing would entirely collapse. Neither the Government 
 nor the churches have the requisite resources material and 
 moral to enable them to maintain even the most elementary 
 school system in operation. Hitherto the beneficial action of 
 the Government in relation to the schools has been 
 confined to the exertion of a modified and intermittent 
 pressure on the parents to send their children to school, 
 and to a general countenance and encouragement of 
 educational work. The Government has borne no part in 
 supplying the necessary funds for meeting the expenses of 
 teachers' salaries, apparatus, etc. ; the money for these pur- 
 poses has been supplied by the Missionary Societies con- 
 jointly with the churches in connection with them. Perhaps 
 we may say that, considering the political institutions of 
 the country and the methods of government in vogue, it 
 would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for the State 
 to have established and maintained a school system of its 
 own with even fair efficiency and success. And certainly the 
 churches by themselves would be unequal to the task of car- 
 rying on school work. The missionaries of the L. M.S. firmly 
 insist upon the churches bearing a share in the expenses 
 of the schools ; and it is encouraging to find that some of 
 the churches manifest considerable readiness and willingness 
 to contribute for this purpose. Still it cannot be doubted 
 that, if the regular and persistent pressure brought to bear by 
 the missionaries upon the churches were to cease, their con- 
 tributions would rapidly decline and soon fail altogether. 
 At present and for years to come the grants-in-aid from the 
 Society must be maintained, the system of examination and 
 inspection and the general direction and management of the 
 school must be in the hands of the missionaries, if our school 
 system is to continue. 
 
 A few words must be said concerning recent Government 
 action in regard to our schools. During the last few years 
 our educational organization has been more and more used 
 by the Government as a means of recruiting their military 
 force. Youths are taken directly from the schools and 
 drafted into the army. Moreover, recently the evangelists 
 and teachers have been made responsible for handing over 
 the youths liable to military service to the authorities when 
 a levy is called for. The consequence is that the old suspicion 
 of the school has been revived in the minds of the people, and 
 
67 
 
 a general feeling prevails amongst the country people espe- 
 cially, that the school is simply a sure and ready instrument 
 in the hands of the Government for laying hold of their sons 
 for military service. It is much to be regretted that the 
 Government do not allow two or three years to elapse 
 between the time of a youth leaving school and his being 
 drafted into the army. And the use which the Government 
 makes of our evangelists and teachers in requiring them to 
 present scholars of suitable age for enrolment as soldiers is 
 much more to be regretted. Their influence with the people 
 is weakened, their efforts to get children into the school meet 
 with much suspicion and opposition, and their position as 
 religious teachers is compromised. 
 
 Encouragements— Notwithstanding, however, the hin- 
 drances and difficulties of various kinds which our school 
 work has to encounter, and its defects and imperfections, 
 it is unmistakeably advancing, and its present position 
 gives great cause for thankfulness and hope for the 
 future. It is undoubtedly making itself increasingly felt 
 as a power for good in the life of the people. In 
 its influence on the children the benefit of the school is 
 seen in their improved speech, appearance and manners, and 
 in the air of quickness and alertness it imparts to them. The 
 habit of mixing with their fellows at school twice a day 
 produces a feeling of fellowship and consideration for others, 
 and tends powerfully to break up the mutual suspicion and 
 distrust which so strongly characterise the Malagasy and 
 make it difficult for them to undertake anything requiring 
 union and combination. The instruction the children receive 
 in the school prepares them for a purer and more intelligent 
 manhood ; it sharpens their minds and enables them to see 
 the folly and absurdity of some of the old customs and super- 
 stitions, such as those connected with fate, divination, taboos, 
 charms, etc. ; and above all it opens their minds to, and 
 imparts a knowledge of, the one true and living God. The 
 nation too derives benefit from the education given in our 
 schools in the general diffusion of knowledge, the ameliora- 
 tion of manners and social life, and the general quickening 
 of intelligence. Our schools are doing something towards 
 opening the minds of the people and predisposing them to 
 make the most of the resources of their country and to 
 descern the help they may derive from European science and 
 inventions. Erom our schools too the churches are supplied 
 with better instructed members and more capable preachers 
 and office-bearers. In fact the elementary school, by its 
 varied and beneficial influence, is demonstrated to be an 
 indispensable department of mission work. 
 
68 
 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 IN the Ten Years' Revieiv published in 1870 it was remark- 
 ed that "at present the literature of Madagascar is 
 but in its infancy." Ten years ago again, when reviewing 
 literary progress here, it could be affirmed that much advance 
 had been made in the previous decade, and a list of some 
 260 works, large and small, including sermons, reports, tracts, 
 and lesson books, issued from the L.M.S. Press, was appended 
 to show what had been done to supply the Malagasy with 
 educational and religious literature. And it was then hoped 
 that the next ten years would witness "still greater results in 
 this department of work than had been realized in the last." 
 
 Although a great deal has been done since 1880, and many 
 valuable and standard works have been issued from our Press 
 since that date, it can hardly be said that the hopes express- 
 .ed in the above quotation have been fully realized. When 
 we consider the yearly increasing proportion of the popula- 
 tion in the central provinces who can read, as well as the 
 extension of mission and educational work both by European 
 and native missionaries in distant parts of the island, it 
 might have been expected that there would have been a 
 larger demand for books of all kinds than has been the case 
 during the last few years. A taste for reading and a will- 
 ingness to spend money in the purchase of books is still 
 confined to a small section of the population, even of the 
 professedly Christian and more enlightened portion of it ; 
 and it is discouraging to find that numbers of pastors and 
 preachers will never purchase one of the numerous commen- 
 taries or other helps to the understanding of the Scriptures 
 which have been prepared specially for their instruction, and 
 that many grudge even the outlay of a few pence for the 
 periodicals which are issued monthly expressly for their 
 benefit. Possibly we need greater variety and attractive- 
 ness, and a larger employment of illustrations, in our litera- 
 ture ; and we certainly do need that a larger proportion of our 
 number should make writing for the press a regular part of 
 their work, instead of leaving it to a comparatively small 
 section of their brethren, upon whom it often falls very 
 heavily and somewhat unfairly. Perhaps also more constant 
 and systematic effort on the part of us all is desirable in 
 bringing the subject of reading and the study of books before 
 our people ; and possibly more might be done than has yet 
 been attempted in the selling of our publications by colpor- 
 tage, and in the markets, and also by the evangelists and 
 
69 
 
 school teachers. It is true that occasionally we find a real 
 love of books and an anxiety to obtain immediately the latest 
 production of our Mission Presses; and it is pleasant to see 
 in the houses of many of the evangelists well-filled book- 
 shelves, containing not only all their M.S. books of College 
 lectures, carefully written out when the owners were still 
 students, but also a copy of almost every book yet issued in 
 the native language, with neatly bound volumes of the 
 various periodicals, Congregational Union Reports, etc., etc. 
 But these are exceptions; and we believe that all Avho know 
 the Malagasy will endorse the statement already made, that 
 a love of reading and of books is still rare among them, 
 and will agree that a great deal has yet to be done to diffuse 
 literature of all kinds among them, and to awaken a more 
 earnest desire for enlightenment and information on all sub- 
 jects. 
 
 It may be convenient to divide our notices of the literary 
 work of the past decade into two sections, viz : Biblical, 
 and General, the first including the revision of the 
 Malagasy lUble, and the issue of various editions of the 
 Hol> Scriptures in whole or in part; and the second com- 
 prising general literature, together with periodicals and 
 educational books. 
 
 Bible Revision and Editions of the Bible. — In the last 
 Ten Years Revie7v a full and detailed statement was given by 
 the Rev. W. E. Cousins, the chief reviser, of the various steps 
 which had been taken in previous years towards a complete 
 revision of the Malagasy Bible, and of the principles on 
 which it had been carried on by a joint-committee of the four 
 Protestant Missions at work in the island, under the auspices 
 and at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible vSociety. 
 At the time when that report was being written (June, 1880) 
 the work was in active progress, and the first revision of the 
 Pentateuch and of the Four Gospels had been completed, 
 while the principal reviser had also prepared his preliminary 
 revised proofs of the books of Psalms and Joshua and most 
 of that of Judges. 
 
 From that date until April 30th, 1887, the work proceed- 
 ed steadily, the first revision being completed on October 
 28th, 1885, and the second (in which the whole Bible was 
 carefully gone over once more, and numerous doubtful points 
 finally settled, and a uniformity of style in renderings, 
 punctuation, etc., effected) on the first named date. The 
 books of the Old and New Testaments which had still to be 
 revised were issued in parts, as they were successively 
 finished ; and then the Revision Committee, which had been 
 at work, with certain intervals, for nearly thirteen years and 
 
70 
 
 a half, was dissolved, leaving to Mr. Cousins the task of 
 carrying the new Bible through the press during his ap- 
 proaching furlough in England. 
 
 The completion of the first and most important revision is 
 thus described by Mr. Cousins* : — 
 
 "Could the readtrs of tlie Alissioiiary Clif-onicle have been introduced 
 about mid-day on Wednesdaj', October 28th of last year [1885], into tlie 
 Committee-room of the London Missionary Society, which forms part of 
 the great block of College buildings that are now such a conspicuous 
 object on the Faravohitra hill in Antananarivo, they would have seen, 
 seated round a long office table, seven European missionaries and two 
 native pastors. At the head of the table is seated the chairman, tlie 
 writer of the present paper; on his right are the Rev. L. Dahle, superin- 
 tendent of the Norwegian Mission, Mr. H. E. Clark, of tlie Friends' 
 Mission, and the Rev. T. T. Matthews, of the London Mission ; on his 
 left are seated the Revs. W. Montgomery and R. Baron, F.L S., of the 
 London Mission, and Bishop Kestell-Cornish, of the Anglican Mission. 
 Opposite the chairman are Joseph Andrianaivoravelona and Andrianony, 
 both of them College-trained men of good ability and large experience. 
 On the table are scattered books and papers, such as Polyglot Bibles, 
 concordances, dictionaries, commentaries, and printers' proofs. The 
 Committee met at half-past eight, and after a short prayer for help, began 
 its morning s work, viz : the Book of Malachi. The work has gone on 
 steadily for nearly four hours, and now the solemn and awe-inspiring 
 words that form the last paragraph of the Old Testament are reached, 
 and the first revision of the Malagasy Bible is complete. Books are 
 closed with a sigh of relief, and all faces are brightened by the conscious- 
 ness that a great work has been accomplished. 
 
 "Twelve years before this the Revision Committee began its work ; but 
 of the original members who took part in the work of the first session, 
 only three are present this morning, viz : the chairman, the Rev. L. 
 Dahle, and Pastor J. Andrianaivoravelona. At the suggestion of Mr. 
 Dahle, all kneel roimd the table, and, with the revised version lying before 
 them, unite in a few words of earnest and joyful thanks to God, and com- 
 mend to Him the work upon which the labour of so many years had been 
 spent, beseeching Him to make this new translation a stream of life and 
 blessing to the Malagasy people." 
 
 The second revision was carried on chiefly with a view to 
 the general simplification and improvement of style from a 
 native point of view ; and in order to effect this before the 
 time when several members of the Committee would be 
 leaving the country, the work was left mainly to Mr. Cousins 
 and to the three native helpers, the Committee exercising 
 general superintendence and holding meetings once in two 
 months to decide on difficult and disputed points. 
 
 Soon after Mr. Cousins's return to England on furlough 
 in the middle of 1 887, the printing of the Revised Version was 
 commenced, a small-sized edition of the New Testament 
 being first put in hand. This was completed in 1888, and 
 the first instalment of the edition was received at Antanana- 
 
 * See The Chronicle of the London Missionary Society, July, 1886, pp. 272-281; also 
 Antananarivo Annual, No.X, 1886, pp. 209-215. 
 
71 
 
 rivo in October of that year. The printing of the entire 
 Bible was at the same time being proceeded with, and in the 
 early part of 1889 was completed, the first consignment of 
 500 copies reaching us in August. The new version is a 
 thick volume of 1642 demy 8vo. pages, and is therefore 
 unavoidably a rather heavy and cumbrous book ; but the 
 printing in long primer type is beautifully clear, well-spaced, 
 and pleasant to read ; and a slight comparison of a few 
 passages from this revision with the same verses from the 
 earlier editions will show at once how very greatly superior 
 it is to its predecessors in clear and idiomatic Malagasy. 
 Hundreds of passages which were formerly obscure— now 
 and then almost meaningless — have become full of life and 
 interest ; and what was intelligible before has, in very many 
 instances, become vivid and graphic. 
 
 The time has not yet come for a full criticism of the merits 
 and defects of this new version ; it needs still to be tested by 
 daily use both by ourselves and the most intelligent Mala- 
 gasy ; but we do not think that further familiarity with it 
 will materially affect the judgment already given, that it is 
 a great advance upon any previous version of the Malagasy 
 Scriptures, and a work upon which all who have had any 
 share in it may look with satisfaction, as giving more clearly 
 in the native tongue than had ever previously been done, the 
 mind of the Holy Spirit in the written Word of God. 
 
 One more extract from Mr. Cousins's paper already quoted 
 from must complete what we have to say here about the 
 Revised Version. He remarks : — 
 
 "To others must be left the hnal verdict as to its merits. But I can say 
 that our version is a bonajlde attempt to represent faithfully the original 
 Hebrew and Greek texts. Whilst, however, we have endeavoured to be 
 faithful translators, we have aimed not merely at fidelity to the words, but 
 to the thoughts. There is a false literalism that destroys utterly the claim 
 of the translation to be a faithful representation of the mind of the writer. 
 Our aim has been to steer between the scylla of a mechanical literalism, 
 and the charybdis of an over-free paraphrase. We have also kept before 
 us constantly the fact that our version is being made for popular use, and 
 we have tried to make the language as clear, intelligible, and euphonious 
 as possible. With the valuable help of the natives we hope to produce a 
 version that, from its simplicity and purity of style, and its fidelity to the 
 idioms of the language, shall be received with pleasure, and shall e.xercise 
 
 an elevating and purifying intiuence on the literatine of the future 
 
 We have been working not for the present generation, and should prefer 
 to be judged by the verdict that will be passed on our work after it has 
 been in use for say twenty or twenty-hve years. May God accept the 
 result of our united labours, and use our translation for the good of future 
 generations of the JMalagasy people !" 
 
 Besides the editions of the fully revised New Testament 
 and entire Bible here described, two or three others have 
 been issued during the decade. Previous editions of both 
 
72 
 
 Testament and Bible having become exhausted, it was neces- 
 sary to print partially revised versions of both while the 
 revision was still in progress. A small-print edition of the 
 Bible was therefore printed by the Bible Society in 1882 and 
 1883, in which the whole New Testament was given accord- 
 ing to the first revision of the Committee, and the Old Test- 
 ament books also from Genesis to Ruth and the book of 
 Psalms. The remaining portions (the bulk of the Old Testa- 
 ment) were only very slightly revised, but the whole was ar- 
 ranged in paragraphs, and the poetical portions in parallel- 
 isms. This edition became known to us as the 'Interim Bible,' 
 from its filling up an intermediate place, and was carried 
 through the press by the Rev. J. Sibree, who was one of the 
 original L M.S. delegates on the Revision Committee, and 
 was then in England on furlough. This Bible reached us 
 towards the close of 1883. Mr. Sibree also partly carried 
 through the press a small-sized edition of the New Testament 
 reprinted from the text of the Interim Bible ; but on his 
 leaving again for Madagascar before its completion, it was 
 finished by the Rev. C. T. Price, formerly of the Betsileo 
 Mission. 
 
 A small-sized edition of the book of Genesis was also 
 printed at the L.M.S. Press here in 1876. This was a repro- 
 duction of the Committee's first revision. 
 
 General Literature — .Notwithstanding the want of 
 interest in books and reading on the part of the Mala- 
 gasy generally already alluded to, continued efforts have 
 been made during' the past ten years to add to the pre- 
 viously existing literature in the native language, as well 
 as to issue fresh editions of school books and some few 
 others for which there is a constant demand. The L.M.S. 
 Press at Imarivolanitra has been kept constantly at uork, 
 new buildings having been recently erected for some of its 
 requirements; and a new press, larger than any that had 
 been previously brought into this country, was added to its 
 working plant during the past year. The issue of publi- 
 cations of all kinds from the Press during the ten years 
 has not been less than 1,500,000; and this number would 
 certainly have been much larger but for the political troubles 
 arising from the Franco-Malagasy war during the years 
 1 883- 1 885, which greatly decreased the ability of the people 
 to buy books, and was a heavy strain upon their resources. 
 It must be remembered also that the Friends' Mission Press 
 has been under energetic management during the whole of this 
 time, and has also issued a large quantity ot books, especially 
 of periodical literature. The Presses of the Norwegian and 
 Anglican Missions have also issued some standard works, 
 
73 
 
 although much more limited in number than those from our 
 own and that of the F.F.M.A. ; while that of the Roman 
 Catholic Mission has chiefly been employed in the production of 
 devotional and controversial literature for their own adherents, 
 and so hardly comes at all in competition with the Protestant 
 Mission Presses. 
 
 We must not omit to notice here that Mr. John Parrett, 
 who came out on the resumption of mission work in Mada- 
 gascar in 1862 to take the superintendence of the L.M.S. 
 Press, and who had been in charge of it ever since that date, 
 resigned his connection with the Society in 1885, subsequently 
 accepting an appointment under the native Government. 
 To Mr. Parrett is due the first training of the present 
 generation of Malagasy printers and bookbinders ; and the 
 beautiful workmanship of most of the productions of our 
 Press is due to the skill and patience with which he taught 
 these native workmen all the processes concerned in the 
 production of books. For some time after Mr. Parrett's 
 departure the Press was superintended by the Rev. J Wills, 
 and then by the Rev. J. H. Houlder; but in the latter part 
 of 1887, Mr. Stowell Ashwell was sent out by the Directors 
 to take charge of the establishment. 
 
 The following are a few of the publications issued from the 
 Press since 1880: — 
 
 (i) Our monthly magazine, Teny Soa (or 'Good Words'), 
 commenced in 1866, and therefore the oldest as well as the 
 most widely circulated periodical in the native language, 
 has been issued every month, without any interruption, 
 during this decade. Its circulation is now about 3000 month- 
 ly ; and for the last year and a half it has been enlarged and 
 its value increased by giving full notes on Sunday School 
 Lessons, prepared by Mr. Lord, and intended for the help of 
 the teachers of Sunday schools. (2) Our Quarterly Magazine 
 Mpanolo-tsairia ('Counsellor' or 'Thought-giver'), which had 
 been discontinued in December, 1880, after being issued for 
 three yearsand ahalf, owing to want of support, was recommen- 
 ced in July, 1 888 . This was done, not only because we felt that 
 there was room for a magazine of a more advanced kind 
 than Teny Soa, but also from the encouragement we felt in 
 the fact that a number of the most intelligent young men 
 of the Capital came forward with a request for the re- 
 issue of the magazine, and at the same time guaranteed 
 the sale of a certain number of copies, so as to prevent 
 actual loss to the Press in its publication. This, how- 
 ever, has again been discontinued, partly because of its 
 very limited sale, and partly because of the pressure of 
 other and more important work. (3) A quarto 4-page 
 
74 
 
 sheet, with page illustration, and called Aiijaran-jaza 
 ('Children's Portion'), is issued every three months in con- 
 nection with the Madagascar Branch of "The Children's 
 Scripture Union." This publication is given to all children 
 who are members of the Union as an encouragement to 
 persevere in Bible study; it was commenced in January, 1883, 
 and 28 numbers, comprising over 280,000 copies, have been 
 issued. (4) A Bible Dictionary, the first two parts of which 
 were issued in 1877, had been discontinued for some years, 
 but in 1886 its publication was resumed, and in 1888 the 
 work was completed, forming" a large volume of more than 
 900 pages, with maps and illustrations, the largest work, 
 excepting the Bible of the first missionaries, ever published 
 at our Press in the Malagasy language. (5) Coiiimentaries 
 on the Sermon on the iVlount, the Acts of the Apostles, 
 Romans (first half j, i Corinthians (latter half ', the Pastoral 
 Epistles and Philemon, as well as Notes on the Parables 
 and on the Miracles of our Lord, have been issued. (6) In 
 Theology and Church History chiefly for College classes, 
 works on New Testament Theology, .Systematic Theology, 
 and vSoteriology, as well as Manuals for Preachers and for 
 Pastors, have been published, and also an Apostolic Church 
 History. (7) The second part of the Pilgrim's Progress has 
 been translated and printed, together with the first part, 
 which was such a favourite book with the early Christians. 
 f8j A new and fuller edition of the Malagasy Hymn-book has 
 been issued, including all the old hymns in use in the time 
 of the first missionaries. (9) A New A'lalagasy-English Dic- 
 tionary , with a Concise Introduction to the Malagasy Language, 
 a volume of 832 and lix. pages, crown 8vo, is one of the most 
 important productious of our Press during the last ten 
 years. (10) Among more advanced school and class books 
 may be mentioned: Histories of Rome, and of Madagascar, 
 and manuals of Botany, Geometry, Algebra, and .School Ma- 
 nagement. (11) The Antananarivo Annual h.di'i been issued 
 every Christmas since 1881. This is an English publication, 
 and is designed to be a record of information of all kinds on 
 the topography, history, and natural productions of Ma- 
 dagascar, and on the customs, traditions, language, folk- 
 lore and religious beliefs of the Malagasy. In the four- 
 teen numbers already issued a. large amount of original 
 information has been collected with regard to this coun- 
 try and its people, including many papers of permanent 
 value on the language and dialects, the superstitions, 
 the botany, the geology, and the natural history of 
 the island. This publication has been highly appreciated 
 by scientific men in Europe, as well as by friends of mission 
 
75 
 
 work in various parts of the world, (12) Our thanks are 
 again due to the Committee of the Religious Tract Society 
 for repeated grants of paper, and also for casts for book 
 illustration ; through the first of these, about 130,000 Tracts 
 have been put into circulation ; and to both gifts our period- 
 ical publications are greatly indebted, enabling us to print 
 them at a cheaper rate than would otherwise be possible, 
 besides making them much more interesting to our readers. 
 (13) Lastly, many editions of our I^Yrsl Lesson-Book, com- 
 prising several hundred thousand copies, have been printed 
 and sold during the last ten years. 
 
 In order to give completeness to this sketch of literary 
 work done in Madagascar during the period now under 
 review, we may here refer briefly to the more important 
 publications of the other Mission and general Presses in 
 Antananarivo. 
 
 The F.F.M.A. has issued for more than twelve years past 
 an illustrated monthly magazine called Sakaizau' ny Ankizi- 
 madinika ."Children's Friend'), lately altered to Sakaizan' ny 
 Tanora ('Friend of the Young';, which is largely circulated ; 
 and since January, 1884, a monthly magazine in newspaper 
 form, called Ny Inaugoiiana sy ny S e ko ly {^C\\uvc\\ and School' ), 
 which forms a useful medium of information on religious 
 and educational matters, and also for the discussion of such 
 subjects. Among the more important publications of this 
 Press are the following : Scripture History ; Moses and Joshua; 
 Samuel, David, and Saul ; Israel and Judah ; Life of the 
 ^ipostle Paul ; The Life of Christ ; Corninentary on the Acts ; 
 translation of Bunyan's Holy War ; Moody's Sermons ; 
 JManital of Chemistry ; The Theory and Practice of TeacJiing ; 
 History of the Churcli in Madagascar, etc. Besides these, 
 the F.F.M.A. Press has also printed several works for 
 the Medical Mission, on Pathology, Anatomy, Therapeutics, 
 Xursing, and Clinical Lectures. Besides many valuable 
 school-books, the Friends have made good use of their litho- 
 graphic apparatus to produce a number of maps for school 
 purposes, as well as for book illustration. Among these are 
 maps of the World, the Four Continents, Canaan, Palestine, 
 three editions of a map of Madagascar, as well as of many 
 separate portions of the island. 
 
 The most important works issued by the Anglican Mission 
 are as follows : Commentary oJi the Gospel of John ; the L^salter, 
 printed for chanting ; the Prayer-book ; translations oi Bishop 
 Pearson on the Creed, of Bishop Harold Browne on the Thirty- 
 7iine Articles, of Archdesicon Paley's Horce Paulincc, and of 
 Thcophilus Anglicanus ; and a monthly magazine, Tantara 
 sy Hcvitra ('Stories and Thoughts'], since January, 1887. 
 
76 
 
 The following are the most noticeable of the productions 
 of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission: Biblical Archccology ; 
 Commciitaries on the Gospels for the Year ; Conime7itary on the 
 Epistles ; CImrch History ; Dogmatics ; Pastoral Theology ; 
 Hoi/iiletics, etc. ; and a monthly magazine, Ay Mparnangy y 
 ('The Visitor'), since July, i88j. 
 
 The most important publications of a general character 
 issued by the Roman Catholic Press are the following: 
 History of the Sovereigns of liner ina^ 3 vols. ; Vocahiilaire 
 Franc^ais-Malgache ; Grammaire Malgache ; and Dictionnaire 
 Malgache-Fra n(;a is. 
 
 A general newspaper, entitled The Madagascar Times, was 
 issued weekly from April, 1882, but, about a year ago, its 
 place was taken by The Madagascar News, which is also 
 published weekly. At its Press have also been printed some 
 works on Diplomacy ; English Government Offices and. Offi- 
 cials ; and Manufactures, Trade, and Wealth, for the native 
 Government. 
 
 From the Malagasy Government Press is issued at irregu- 
 lar intervals a Government Gazette, and occasional Red-books 
 containing State papers, as well as other official documents. 
 
 THE MEDICAL MISSION. 
 
 A ten years' review of work written by one who has been 
 in Madagascar but a little over two years must neces- 
 sarily be chieliy a compilation from the reports and labours of 
 his predecessors. From the perusal of these reports we are at 
 once able to conclude that continuous progress has been 
 made, and that the ten years' labour in this branch of mission- 
 ary work in Madagascar has not by any means been in vain. 
 Its Reorganization. — For four years C 1876 to 1880) no 
 Medical Mission existed, and the hospital at Analakely 
 remained empty. Such a lengthened break in the work 
 necessitated a thorough recommencement and reorganization 
 when, under the auspices of the Friends' Foreign Mis- 
 sionary Association, assisted by the London Missionary 
 Society, and controlled by a joint-committee representing 
 the L.Al.S and F.F.M.A. in Antananarivo, it was decided 
 to re-open the hospital for medical missionary work. 
 
■ 77 
 
 When Dr. J. Tregelles Fox arrived in August of 1880, he 
 found a difficult task before him. True, there was the hospital 
 already built, but he was single-handed, did not know the 
 language, and there were no nurses or students at all 
 competent to render him much assistance. The Malagasy- 
 did not take long to discover the arrival of an English 
 doctor among them, and as soon as he was settled in his 
 house. Dr. Fox's garden became a public waiting-room, 
 where the sick folk congregated from all parts of the town 
 and also from the country, to seek advice and medicine. It 
 very soon became evident that this could not long continue, 
 and that a definite time and plan for consultation would 
 have to be appointed. Accordingly the out-patient depart- 
 ment was opened at Analakely on the 2nd of October, and 
 from that time patients were seen on three days a week at 
 9 a.m. On the i8th of the same month a special meeting of 
 missionaries and town pastors was held in the hospital to re- 
 dedicate it to medical missionary work and implore the Divine 
 blessing on the place and on the people resorting thither. 
 From the very commencement it was felt to be best to 
 make the people pay something for their medicine, and ac- 
 cordingly all who were able to do so paid at least twopence 
 for their prescription. By the close of the year Dr. Fox had 
 seen about 600 patients. 
 
 Still the hospital remained empty as regards in-patients, 
 for there were no nurses available to attend to the sick. It 
 was not till the following year that the work can be said to 
 have been thoroughly started. In fact 1881 may be termed 
 a year of recommencement of work all round. Miss Graham 
 came from Ambohimanga to superintend the nursing depart- 
 ment, and the hospital was opened in April for in-patients; 
 the out-patient work was established on a firmer and more 
 regular footing ; native youths were taken on by the doctor 
 for training and helping ; and the work of educating native 
 nurses was commenced. These have been the four main 
 features of the work ever since, and each, in its special way, 
 has made great progress during the ensuing years. 
 
 The form.er work of Drs. Davidson and Mackie had of 
 course done much to prepare the way. A few Malagasy 
 taught by Dr. Davidson were practising successfully in An- 
 tananarivo. Many of the native superstitions and prejudices 
 regarding matters medical had broken down, ensuring- a 
 certain amount of willingness to enter the hospital and submit 
 to European treatment. Had it not been for this preparatory 
 work. Dr. Fox would have found his task infinitely harder. 
 The numbers treated during the year testify to the apprecia- 
 tion of the work by the people. The total number of new 
 
78 
 
 out-patients treated from October 2nd, 1880, to December 
 31st, 1 88 1, was 2304. Their return visits amounted to 3613 ; 
 total 5917. There were received into the hospital from April 
 to December 224 in-patients. On Miss Graham fell the great 
 bulk and burden of the nursing, for there were then no 
 natives fitted for the work ; everything had to be taught 
 them from the beginning. Dr. Fox had previously to this 
 taken on one nurse to assist in the out-patient department. 
 I'hat there were many discouragements and disappointments 
 is not to be wondered at. The want of attention, kindness, 
 cleanliness, and interest in their work were hard obstacles 
 to overcome. 
 
 Very soon after Dr. Fox's arrival, Malagasy youths began 
 to apply for medical training, and as early as 1880 two 
 students were taken on by the doctor and given elementary 
 lessons in Anatomy, Physiology, and Chemistry in his study. 
 They also helped him with the out-patients, and Mrs. Fox 
 taught them the art of dispensing. In February, 1881, four 
 more lads passed a preliminary examination on general 
 subjects, and then commenced their medical training. Mr. 
 T. Lord kindly relieved the doctor of one of the classes by 
 teaching the students chemistry. 
 
 Progress of the Work. — The reports of the following 
 year are very satisfactory, and tell how prejudices were 
 further breaking down and the people becoming submissive 
 to the, in their opinion, strict rules of the hospital. vSo 
 great was the change that, instead of being afraid to enter 
 the hospital, some manifested considerable reluctance to 
 leave and make room for others worse than themselves. 
 The large number of 376 in-patients was received during 
 the year. The out-patients numbered altogether, new and 
 old cases, 475 i. 
 
 Twelve or thirteen nurses were now doing the work of the 
 hospital and receiving training from Dr. Fox and Miss 
 Graham. Speaking of these. Dr. Fox says : — 
 
 "We have now about twelve women, most of whom are in pretty g-ood 
 social positions, and, for Malagasy women, fairly educated. Two of 
 them belong- to the so-called nobility, two are slaves, the rest are ordinary 
 Hova ; but all have to go through the same routine of work and take 
 their share of what is unpleasant, - no difference being made, except on 
 account of ability and faithful service rendered. It is interesting to see 
 the growing pride in their work, and I think it may be said that this little 
 band are becoming as intelligent and as earnest a set of native women as 
 may be met with anywhere." 
 
 The teaching- of students continued as before, but no fresh 
 ones were admitted. Dr. Fox much regretted not being able 
 to devote more time to them, but this, with his other numerous 
 engagements, was impossible. 
 
79 
 
 The political events of the year 1883, viz: the war with 
 France and the death of Queen Ranavalona II. caused 
 considerable interruption in the work. But that much was 
 accomplished the figures show. Over 5000 out-patients, 
 new and old cases, and 349 in-patients were treated in the 
 hospital. Four more students passed the entrance exami- 
 nation and joined the medical classes, but some of the seniors 
 were drawn off by the Government to the seat of war, where 
 they rendered good service to the poor soldiers, in spite of 
 their limited knowledge and means. The desirability of 
 establishing a medical school now became very apparent, 
 and the doctor also wished to promote a school for women, 
 where proficient midwives might be trained. 
 
 All these plans for enlarging and increasing the work were 
 frustrated for the time, and the following year was a very 
 trying one on account of Dr. Fox's very serious illness. In 
 fact for many months the work of the Medical Mission was at 
 a standstill, and the dispensary alone was kept open by the 
 kind and willing assistance of Mr. W. Wilson of the F.F.M.A. 
 Mr. Wilson, in addition to his own work, did his utmost in 
 nursing Dr. Fox, treating other sick missionaries and their 
 families, and in the work of the dispensary. 
 
 By this time it became evident that one man could not 
 possibly carry on the work efficiently in all its varied and 
 important branches, and in 1885 the home Committee were 
 fortunate in securing the services of Dr. J. D. Allen, who 
 arrived in Antananarivo in July, and at once took over a good 
 proportion of the work. Dr. Fox's hands and time were thus 
 left free to complete several medical text-books on which he 
 was engaged. There were treated at Analakely during the 
 year 2676 out-patients and 226 in-patients. It was during this 
 year that the movement for establishing a new hospital com- 
 menced. The old building, owing to its surroundings and 
 position, became more and more unhealthy, this being shewn 
 by the tardy recovery of many of the patients, and by the 
 slow healing of wounds, even under the greatest care. 
 
 Medical Missionary Academy. — The important ques- 
 tion of forming atraining school was further considered. 
 Dr. Fox and Dr. Allen, together with the Rev. Dr. Borch- 
 g'revinck and Dr. Guldberg of the Norwegian Missionary 
 Society, drew up a scheme of regulations; and after these 
 had received the sanction of the three Missionary Societ- 
 ies concerned, the Medical Missionary Academy was estab- 
 lished in 1886. This placed the instruction of medical 
 students on a definite footing, and provided for their 
 training in the recognised branches of medical study, and for 
 their examination therein, and also for the recognition of 
 
80 
 
 their passing such examinations by the granting- of the 
 diploma of M.M.M.A. (Member of the Medical Mission Acad- 
 emy) and L.M. (Licentiate in Midwifery). 
 
 The first final examination was held in September, and 
 eight students were granted the diplomas of the Academy at 
 a large public meeting in the presence of the Prime Minister 
 and others. The Academy has since done admirable work, 
 and by thus devoting much time and labour on the few, 
 it has conferred benefit on the many, and we trust may still 
 continue to do so. The young- doctors, by the time they pass 
 their final examination, have undergone a pretty full course 
 of training for four or five years, and the standard of the 
 examination is such that none, having a mere smattering of 
 medical knowledge, can succeed. 
 
 The Nurses.- Miss Graham, it was now evident, required 
 rest and change, and in October was much relieved by 
 the arrival of Miss Byam, who soon took over the man- 
 agement of the nursing department. By her careful and 
 practical teaching of the nurses, she has trained a goodly 
 band of women, who are really very competent nurses, 
 and in some respects would compare favourably with their 
 English sisters at home. Moreover, she has instilled into 
 them her own earnest and self-sacrificing spirit ; and these 
 Malagasy nurses now, I believe, really love and take a 
 deep interest in their work, disagreeable as it often neces- 
 sarily is. Their numbers soon increased, several of the 
 probationers coming from the distant district of Vonizongo. 
 
 The Medical Staff.— In July of 1887 Dr. Fox and Dr. 
 Allen left for England, and the work was again crippled 
 from want of workers, but not stopped altogether. Dr. 
 Ralarosy, one of the students who passed the first final 
 examination of the M. M. Academy, was left in charge, and 
 during the absence of a European medical man, did his 
 work well and conscientiously. The teaching of the Acad- 
 emy also continued as far as possible. Mr. W. Wilson 
 and Miss Byan rendered very valuable assistance to the mis- 
 sionary families in times of sickness ; and thus the time was 
 tided over until our arrival in August of 1888. 
 
 In December of that year the old hospital was thoroughly 
 cleaned and whitewashed, and in January, 1889, was re-opened 
 for the use of in-and out-patients. Dr. Fenn found the senior 
 students of very great assistance in many ways, and was 
 agreeably surprised at the attention, cleanliness, order, and 
 the quietness of the native nurses. The work has all along been 
 continued on the same lines that Dr. Fox recommenced on, 
 as it would *be difficult to lay down better. The hospital 
 remained open for in-and out-patients during ten months of 
 
81 
 
 1889, and during that time 447 in-patients and 3000 out- 
 patients were treated and heard something of the glad 
 tidings of a Saviour's love. Besides these over 700 visits or 
 consultations were given outside the hospital. In August of 
 this year Dr. C.F.A. Moss arrived, and has since shared the 
 work and responsibilities with Dr. Fenn. 
 
 Religious Services.— It is the custom in all our dispen- 
 saries to open with a short service, conducted at present 
 usually by one or other of the students. In the hospital 
 Miss Byam has had worship morning and evening, besides 
 embracing the opportunities she has had of speaking to the 
 patients individually. On Sunday also a service is held in 
 each ward by one of the missionaries. Thus Gospel influences 
 have been brought to bear on very many. The difficulty 
 of the ready assent which the natives give to all one says 
 makes it -difficult at times to tell who are truly Christian ; 
 but in many little ways they are tested, and it is pretty 
 apparent who are merely pretenders. 
 
 The New Hospital.— Another important event of the 
 year was the commencement of the new hospital on a hill 
 to the east of the Capital during the dry season. Mr. W. 
 Johnson (F.F.M.A.) is the architect and builder, and is 
 erecting a really fine and substantial building, with many 
 more conveniences than obtain in the old place, and 
 under infinitely better sanitary conditions. It consists of 
 a large central block containing the children's, the lying- 
 in, and several private wards, as well as operation and 
 waiting-rooms and dispensary. On either side of this 
 extend the two wings, each containing two large wards 
 capable of holding twelve or sixteen beds each. If neces- 
 sary, the hospital might accommodate ninety in-patients, 
 but we hope not often to be so full as that. We trust the 
 whole buildings will be completed by July or August of 1891. 
 
 Work of the Academy. — The work of the Academy 
 has continued to progress satisfactorily. Two more students 
 were granted their diplomas in January of 1889, and another 
 obtained his in June of the same year. Four of these 
 young doctors are now settled in country districts, and 
 are thus enabled to relieve much suffering and overthrow 
 the old superstitions and charms to which the people still 
 cling in many parts. The arrival of Dr. O. Thesen from 
 Norway this year, 1890, to take charge of the Norwegian 
 Medical Mission, has strengthened our teaching staff consid- ' 
 erably, and at present the students receive as much instruc- 
 tion as they have time for. 
 
 Number of Patients.-- The numbers seen at the hospit- 
 al during 1890 are as follows: 488 in-patients and 3625 
 
82 
 
 out-patients. Dr. Fenn paid 699 professional visits, and 
 received 786 visits at his house; total 1485. Dr. Moss 
 received and paid a total of 1006 visits. At the Ilazaina 
 dispensary iigS visits were paid; the number of new 
 cases was indifferently registered. At the Fenoarivo dispen- 
 sary, in four weeks, q8 new cases were seen, giving a 
 total of 168 visits. These figures shew a total of 7482 
 visits paid and received in connection with our Medical 
 Mission work during the year. 
 
 Country Dispensaries. — From all directions round about, 
 at various distances from the Capital, we have had letters 
 and calls from churches and communities to come and 
 heal their sick. This of itself is a good sign, indicating 
 the progress of enlightenm.ent and the overthrow of super- 
 stitious belief in charms and witchcraft. Of course it 
 is impossible to comply with all these calls, but we 
 do entertain the hope of very shortly possessing four good 
 dispensaries, at about ten or twelve miles' distance from the 
 Capital, north, south, east, and west, to which sick folk can 
 resort once a week. We shall thus somewhat relieve a wide 
 area of 20 miles in all directions round Antananarivo. As 
 time goes on, we trust further to help the country villages 
 by sending out to them fully qualified native medical men, 
 trained at the Medical Mission Academy. 
 
 The dispensary at Ilazaina, nine miles to the north, has 
 been in existence for six years, under the superintendence of 
 the Medical Mission, and is now worked by Dr. Andriana- 
 vony every Wednesday. The total number of visits paid by 
 patients last year was 1198. The church subscribes $12 
 annually towards the expenses, and provides a house and 
 dispenser. In future we intend taking over the work more 
 into our own hands, and visiting the dispensary ourselves 
 on alternate weeks with Dr. Andrianavony. 
 
 During the past year we received two urgent appeals from 
 the church and people of Fenoarivo, a large village eight 
 miles or so west of the Capital, and the centre of a largely 
 populated district. As in the case of Ilazaina, the church 
 offered a house for a dispensary and promised to subscribe 
 $12 annually towards expenses. Under these circumstances, 
 after careful consideration, the ]\Iedical Mission Committee 
 decided to comply with the appeal, and to establish medical 
 missionary work there. Dr. Fenn went on October 14th 
 with the Rev. B. Briggs (the L. M. S. missionary in whose 
 district Fenoarivo is situated), and met with the pastors and 
 teachers, who put two or three houses at their disposal, of 
 which the most suitable was chosen. They agreed also to 
 whitewash and furnish it for use. Daniel, the teacher there, 
 
83 
 
 came to town to learn dispensing, and is now very fairly 
 capable. In every way the people showed themselves willing 
 to do their part, and we felt encouraged in this extension 
 of our sphere of work. The dispensary was opened on 
 December gth, and is visited every Tuesday at 9 o'clock. 
 During the four weeks of December 168 visits were paid, 
 giving an average of 42 per day. A short service is always 
 held with the patients assembled, before they are prescribed 
 for. Thus half of our scheme for the country is already in 
 existence ; in a year or two more we trust to have the 
 whole. 
 
 Our present ideas for a dispensary to the east are to work it 
 conjointly with the Rev. P. G. Peake, the L.M.S. missionary 
 stationed at Isoavina. Mr. Peake is very desirous of doing 
 something to relieve the wretched and outcast state of the 
 lepers of Imerina ; and if he is successful in obtaining the 
 necessary funds, would build a small leper village with its 
 school-room, chapel, and hospital. Should he be able to achieve 
 these excellent plans, it would fall to our willing lot to assist 
 him with the medical care of his patients, and the lepers of 
 Imerina, who are at present more or less cared for by the 
 Jesuit Mission, would enjoy the same priveleges as are afford- 
 ed already to their fellow- sufferers in the Betsileo province 
 by the Norwegian Missionary Society. 
 
 Native Medical Missionary Society.— During the 
 latter part of 1890, several of the students and young 
 doctors trained at Analakely had it laid on their minds 
 that they should promote a Native Medical Missionary 
 Society, and send one of their own number out as medical 
 missionary to some darker part of their country. They 
 accordingly appointed a day early in January, and all, with 
 the exception of Dr. Rabenja, who is at Tamatave, met at 
 our house-surgeon's (Dr. Ralarosy). Their deliberations 
 lasted several hours, and finally concluded with the appoint- 
 ment of office-bearers, and they collected a sum of $208 as 
 a nucleus upon which to gather more. This we feel to be 
 exceedingly encouraging, especially so, coming-, as it does, 
 without any suggestion from us. 
 
 From what we have said, it will be seen that the 
 Medical Mission work of Antananarivo has, during the 
 past few years, made steady progress. God grant that during 
 the next decade the work may continue to increase and prove 
 yearly a greater blessing to the progress of His cause and 
 the good of the Malagasy. 
 
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85 
 
 THE BETSILEO MISSION. 
 
 THE L M.S. Mission to the Betsileo may be said really 
 to have commenced in the year 1870. The work 
 taken up at that period, and carried forward till i88o, is re- 
 ferred to in the Ten Years' Review published in that year. 
 In the following year the Directors made some new 
 arrangements for the Mission, and the Rev. J. Pearse, Rev. 
 A. S. Huckett, and Rev. H. T. Johnson were invited to 
 succeed Rev. C. T. Price and Rev. W. D. Cowan at Fia- 
 narantsoa. Miss Cockin remained at this town, Rev. T. 
 Brockway at Ambositra, and Rev. T. Rowlands at Ambohi- 
 mandroso. In 1882 the Rev. E. Taylor joined Mr. Rowlands 
 at Ambohimandroso, but, after a service of five years, he 
 was compelled to return to England on account of the illness 
 of Mrs. Taylor. Miss Fredoux succeeded Miss Cockin in 
 1887. There have been no other changes in the mission 
 staff during the decade now under review. 
 
 We acknowledge with devout gratitude that, in God's 
 good providence, the missionaries who are still in Betsileo, 
 with their wives and children, have enjoyed almost uninter- 
 rupted health, and no serious sickness or calamity has befall- 
 en any memlaer of the Mission, with the single exception 
 that the inifant son of the Rev. A. S. Huckett died in Fiana- 
 rantsoa about two months after .their arrival. 
 
 With only occasional and slight interruptions, during the 
 Franco-Malagasy war, and at certain places which have been 
 exposed to the incursions of banditti from the west, the 
 missionaries, and the native agents associated with them, 
 have been able to carry on the work of the Mission in its 
 various departments during the whole of the decade. Some 
 brief details of the nature and progress of the work are re- 
 corded in the following pages. 
 
86 
 POLITICAL AND SOCIAL EVENTS. 
 
 OF matters political but little can be said by the mis- 
 sionary. A truthful verdict would probably be that, 
 whatever improvement has otherwise been observed in the 
 island, politically matters have darkened. The war with 
 France has been prosecuted and closed, with advantage to 
 the French ; and a warlike expedition to the south-west coast 
 has resulted, it is said, in advantage to the Hova. Governors 
 have been appointed to the districts of Ambohinamboarina 
 and Ambositra, and the enforced government service (fano- 
 mpoana) has increased in these districts to a most burden- 
 some extent, affecting, unhappily, the social condition of the 
 people, many preferring to join the wandering bands of rob- 
 bers to wearing life away in unhealthy districts in such 
 service, or toiling day alter day at labour unprofitable for the 
 workers. The discovery and working of lead, copper, and 
 gold, has increased and intensified the burdens of the common 
 people, especially of the Betsileo tribes. The number and 
 boldness of the large robber bands has increased, and their 
 depredations seem at most unchecked. 
 
 Socially there have been attempts at improvement on 
 behalf of the people in many ways, and these have not been 
 unsuccessful. Better houses, affording increased accommoda- 
 tion for the people, have been built ; and a great improvement 
 is witnessed in the clothing of the people, so that a casual 
 glance will no longer suffice, in many cases, to distinguish 
 Betsileo from Hova. The increase of native converts happily 
 affects the marriage bond ; and education has greatly im- 
 proved the children. 
 
 NATIVE CHURCHES AND EVANGELISTIC WORK. 
 
 Churches and Services.— In this branch of mission 
 work we are able to report a considerable advance. There 
 are at present connected with the four mission stations — 
 Fianarantsoa, Ambositra, Ambohimandroso, and Ambohi- 
 namboarina — 286 preaching stations, as against 156 in i: 
 
87 
 
 besides those in the outlying provinces, to which special 
 reference will be made. In each of these stations, in ad- 
 dition to the teaching of Scripture to the children during 
 the week, religious services are regularly conducted on the 
 Lord's Day, mostly by the school teachers, pastors, or local 
 preachers, and sometimes by the missionary or trained 
 native evangelist. Preachers from the larger centres are 
 also "planned'' to preach in the villages around, some even 
 travelling very long distances ; so that altogether the Gospel 
 is now brought within the hearing of a large proportion of 
 the Betsileo. 
 
 The sermon preached is often of the simplest type, and 
 too often sadly lacking in force and unction ; yet "Christ is 
 preached" over a large area, where a few years ago His 
 name had not been heard, and herein we do rejoice. The 
 attendance at these services is very uneven, depending, as it 
 does, on a variety of circumstances, especially on the false 
 notions the Betsileo yet have concerning the "praying;" of 
 late there has been a decided change for the better, especially 
 at the larger centres, where the first principles of the Gospel 
 are understood. About one-third of these stations are or- 
 ganized churches, with a roll of membership and monthly 
 communion. 
 
 Side by side with this rapid development, the work of 
 consolidation has gone on apace, and this has necessitated a 
 large number and variety of agencies and organizations, 
 especially at the principal centres. 
 
 Central Stations. — These stations, where the European 
 missionary families reside, are necessarily the chief centres 
 of influence, and the work therein differs greatly in degree, 
 if not in character, from the general district work. These 
 centres are the hearts of the several districts, forcing, as they 
 do, the life-blood of Christianity to every nook and corner, 
 and ever speading further in every direction ; therefore the 
 missionaries endeavour to concentrate as much of their energy 
 as possible on these, and so influence indirectly the whole 
 area under their superintendence. At each of these stations, 
 in addition to the general conduct of church business and 
 services {where there are large congregations and hundreds 
 of communicants), Bible classes for men and women, ho- 
 miletic and singing classes, etc., are regularly conducted by 
 the missionaries and their wives and picked native assistants. 
 vSunday schools are well attended and, on the whole, efficiently 
 conducted ; meetings of Christian workers and Sunday 
 school teachers are held as occasion calls ; Young Men's 
 Christian Associations ; Christian Bands; Bands of Hope; 
 and similar organizations under different names are more or 
 
less successful ; and some amount of "from house to house 
 visitation" has been carried on, principally by the ladies and 
 native Bible women. 
 
 NativeEvangelistsandPastors.— It is, however, impos- 
 sible to work districts of such dimensions satisfactorily from 
 the central station, consequently other plans have to be formed 
 for the greater efficiency and consolidation of the whole. To 
 this end the districts are divided into sub-districts, each group 
 consisting of from five to twelve village stations, and super- 
 intended by trained native evangelists, of whom some 
 have received College training in Antananarivo, while others 
 are men of superior intelligence and integrity selected from 
 among our own teachers. These are stationed at large central 
 villages, and are expected to superintend the work and 
 workers in the neighbouring villages, conduct Bible classes 
 alternately with the missionary, teach and examine candidates 
 for membership, advise, counsel, and stimulate the Christians, 
 preach the Gospel, visit, and even dispense a few simple 
 medicines ; in short the native evangelists are to the sub- 
 districts in a measure what the missionary is to the whole. 
 Ten years ago only 9 such agents were employed, now there 
 are 33, the majority of whom maybe said to be really zealous 
 and efficient workers. 
 
 There are also a number of honorary pastors in charge of 
 the different churches, who, notwithstanding the lack of grasp 
 of Christian principles and work and general weakness, 
 have rendered the cause some service which seems to 
 justify their position. 
 
 Chapel Building. — This essential but most trying branch 
 of mission work has received a considerable impetus during 
 the last few years. The old lath-and-plaster and ugly and 
 uncomfortable mud buildings have, in nearly all the villages, 
 given place to neat sun-dried brick structures, some being of 
 superior finish. These have been put up by the people with 
 the help of a small grant of from ;^ i to ^2 from the Society. 
 This advance, however, is not so real and satisfactory as may 
 appear, for in the majority of cases probably a large amount 
 of the work has been done by forced labour imposed by the 
 local authorities, the buildings being considered school-rooms 
 rather than chapels. This is most unsatisfactory, especially 
 as a comparatively small addition to the annual grant would 
 enable the missionaries to put it on a satisfactory footing. 
 It is, however, most gratifying to notice the advance made 
 at the principal stations, where the Christians liberally and 
 willingly contribute labour and money towards the erection 
 of the house of God. Five years ago a good chapel was 
 opened at Ambohimandroso (which is, however, already far 
 
89 
 
 too small, and will have to be rebuilt), and another is in the 
 course 'of erection ; while at Fianarantsoa a large, com- 
 modious, and well-finished church was opened recently, and 
 another is approaching completion. We need larger grants 
 to help the heathen ; the Christians are beginning to help 
 themselves. 
 
 Circulation of the Scriptures. — In addition to the 
 agencies referred to, the circulation of the Word of God, as 
 well as other Christian literature, has been on a large scale. 
 Especially is the small fourpenny New Testament circulated 
 by thousands annually. In connection with this may be men- 
 tioned "The Children's Scripture Union," with its many 
 hundreds of members who have promised to read at least the 
 allotted portion of God's Word daily, and the Word is "spirit 
 and life." 
 
 General Progress. — Though not in any sense presuming 
 to tabulate the results so much clamoured for now-a-days, a 
 few facts may be stated as showing to some degree at least 
 what is the present state of the Mission. 
 
 There is a dark side. We cannot escape the fact that, 
 during the ten years under review, and especially in recent 
 years, evil in many ugly forms has been apparently on the 
 increase : — rum drinking, social impurity, robber-raids, which 
 have depopulated whole districts, cvMshmg fanompoana (forced 
 government labour), as well as social and political corruption 
 generally, which have necessarily interfered with the evange- 
 lization of the people, and are the cause of grave anxiety for 
 the future. 
 
 Hardly less pernicious is the false morality fostered by the 
 Jesuit Mission, with whom "the end justifying the means" 
 becomes the rule of life and conduct. This is also a force 
 with which we have to calculate. 
 
 And yet notwithstanding all this, we are able to report a 
 substantial advance, both as regards the numerical increase 
 of Christian converts and the deepening of spiritual life 
 generally, besides a great deal of indirect influence, manifest 
 enough to eye-witnesses, but difficult to tabulate. In the 
 last Review the number of communicants reported was 31 19 ; 
 now there are 400Q on the roll, being a nett increase of 890. 
 This, however, does not represent the real increase. Ten 
 years ago the existing churches in Betsileo were in a most 
 unsatisfactory state, the majority of the members being people 
 who had nominally accepted Christianity after the burning of 
 the national idols, but who were (with a few exceptions) still 
 heathen in heart and life, and should never have joined the 
 church at all. When the excitement had worn away and the 
 Gospel fan had begun to work, many relapsed into heathenism, 
 
90 
 
 and large numbers were expelled for unsatisfactory conduct ; 
 especially for their connection with the liquor traffic. In one 
 year nearly 200 were expelled for this reason alone, so that 
 roughly speaking over one half (in one district about iwo-tJiirds) 
 of the present number of communicants are those received 
 during the decade, with a few from Imerina and elsewhere. 
 Still more gratifying is the manifest increase in knowledge 
 and spiritual life, and the striving after a higher Christian ideal 
 on the part of the present members. Not that all is satis- 
 factory ; on the contrary, there is still much to be desired. 
 Heathen propensities die hard, and time and again our 
 most hopeful converts are caught in the meshes of temptation ; 
 the spiritual life of many is still little more than "smoking 
 flax ;" and yet, as compared to the nominal Christians often 
 years ago, they present a pleasing contrast ; the majority 
 being able at least to read their Bibles, while a small propor- 
 tion have attained a comparatively high Christian experience, 
 and are really efficient and zealous workers. 
 
 The mother churches are practically self-supporting. 
 
 All the churches have also recognised the principle of 
 total abstinence among the members, so that no one who is 
 known to make, sell, or drink toaka (rum) is allowed to 
 retain membership. 
 
 Preaching. — The preaching at the central stations, and 
 by our trained men especially, has been revolutionized during 
 the past few years. The wordy meaningless essay, badly 
 read, is now the exception, while some of our young natives 
 preach with considerable power and unction the "unsearch- 
 able riches of Christ;" and even the village preaching is fast 
 improving. 
 
 Psalmody. — A most pleasing change has taken place in this 
 also. A large number of young people have learnt the Tonic 
 Sol-fa, and, with voices more or less trained, heartily sing 
 tunes familiar to the churches and schools at home ; and at 
 the larger churches the four parts are well sustained. This 
 is especially gratifying when we remember the quality of the 
 singing and the class of tunes in vogue ten years ago. The 
 village churches too are following apace. 
 
 Special Services.— Three-monthly or four-monthly meet- 
 ings have been held at different centres where the workers 
 and representatives of churches within a certain area assemble 
 for prayer, and discussion of Gospel truths, and church prob- 
 lems. Special meetings for women and children have been held 
 occasionally, all of which have tended to open their minds and 
 develop Christian ideas and sympathy among the workers. 
 Some of these meetings especially have been verily "times 
 of refreshing," deepening the spiritual life of the Christians, 
 
91 
 
 and bringing a large number of young people to a decision. 
 And these "revivals" have not ceased with the excitement of 
 the moment, but as "streams in the desert" have still followed 
 the church on her pilgrimage. 
 
 Special mention must be made too of the annual meeting 
 called the Isa/i-kcrin-faona. These are our "May meetings," — 
 Congregational Union and missionary meetings combined. 
 They are always held at the central station, Fianarantsoa, 
 where there assembles a very larg^e gathering of Christian 
 workers from every part of the province. The addresses, pa- 
 pers, and discussions at these meetings are mostly exceedingly 
 lively and edifying-, and some of the meetings have risen to a 
 high pitch of enthusiasm. Already seven evangelists and 
 three teachers are at work under the auspices of this Home 
 ]\lissionary Society, and are supported by it. 
 
 Outlying Districts.— Within the last few years many 
 doors have opened to receive the Gospel among the turbulent 
 and warlike outlying tribes. Five stations have been opened 
 in the Ibara province to the south, nine in the Tanala to the 
 east, and two (r) in the Sakalava country to the west. This, 
 however, being comparatively new work, it is yet too soon to 
 report concerning it, excepting that the prospects are 
 hopeful. 
 
 Glancing then at the whole field, we find that, notwith- 
 standing many serious drawbacks which often grieve and 
 disappoint us, the work of the past ten years has been 
 crowned with a very rich blessing, and the church in Betsileo 
 to-day is incomparably more spiritual, and consequently more 
 zealous and powerful for good, than at any previous time. 
 Especially is this seen in the rapidity with which our native 
 workers are assuming the responsibilities of the work. 
 During the decade three districts were for over two years 
 severally without a resident missionary, and yet, not only 
 was no ground lost, but a substantial advance made in the 
 different departments of work, \he prvncipal native leaders, in 
 several instances, being converts of less than ten years standing ! 
 Surely "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
 eyes." And yet, let it not be supposed that the European 
 missionary's superintendence can be soon withdrawn, as the 
 Mission is as yet in its infancy, and will still require much 
 love, patience, and fostering care on our part ; neither let it 
 be supposed that the Betsileo are already evangelized, the 
 fact being that only the fringe of heathenism has been touched 
 even in the immediate districts, not to speak of the teeming* 
 thousands of savage and warlike people in the outlying 
 districts beyond. Still we believe that this young Mission 
 is full of healthy vigour, which we trust will still grow and 
 
92 
 
 develop, and so be the means of bringing, at no very distant 
 date, the whole of the Betsileo to the feet of Christ. 
 
 In common with other parts of Madagascar, we need a more 
 manifest and continued baptism of the Spirit upon the 
 churches and different organizations ; and especially do we 
 need more missionaries to occupy the fields that God has 
 graciously opened up to us in this interesting country. If 
 we rightly understand the "signs of the times," there are 
 still troubles in store for the church of Christ in Madagascar ; 
 shall we not forestall this by so consolidating the Mission, 
 and occupying every province and district in the Master's 
 name, while this is still possible r It is quite within the 
 power of the wealthy churches of England to send forthwith 
 20 or 30 missionaries to occupy fresh ground. Will the 
 churches not respond ? 
 
 EDUCATION. 
 
 Central Institutions. —The Normal School for boys and 
 the Central School for girls, commenced in 1872, have, during 
 the past ten years, increased in importance and usefulness. A 
 large number of students and their wives, who have received 
 training, are now engaged in mission work, either in the 
 districts, or among outlying tribes. In 1885 a school-room 
 for girls was opened, and it is with pleasure we record the 
 completion of the commodious building and dwelling-house. 
 These institutions, while paying considerable attention to 
 religious education, offer higher instruction to youths in the 
 town and country stations who may be desirous of seeking 
 such. A general elementary school was formed in 1882 for 
 children in the town, the teachers being supported by the 
 native churches. 
 
 At Ambositra and Ambohimandroso training schools 
 also exist, and the students and their wives live for a 
 time in houses in or near the missionary compound. The 
 results of these central schools have been extremely 
 satisfactory, and these, together with sewing classes 
 conducted twice or thrice a week, have given, not only an 
 impetus to Christian work in the towns, but have been of 
 
93 
 
 incalculable importance in providing workers for the country 
 districts. 
 
 Country Schools. — The number of schools in 1880 was 
 1 16; the present number is 274, being an increase of 158 in 
 ten years. The number of scholars in the schools in i88o was 
 7364 ; at the close of this decade we have upon the registers 
 21,331, an increase of 13,967. But the nett increase is even 
 larger than that ; for of the 7000 scholars, ten years ago, very 
 few, if any, now remain. All scholars from sixteen years of age 
 and upwards have been removed from the schools, the boys 
 enlisted many of them as soldiers, the girls, in some parts of 
 the districts, and boys also being forced into the work of gold- 
 digging, or some other government service. Both schools 
 and congregations have suffered severely in these and other 
 ways. 
 
 During the war in 1883-86 many of the scholars of the Jesuit 
 schools came under our influence, and some have remained 
 with us; but since the cessation of the war, the number and 
 activity of the Jesuit priests has increased, and schools have 
 been opened, where we had previously provided means of 
 educating the young people. 
 
 A very great change has been made during the decade in 
 the staff of teachers under our charge. The larger number 
 have been trained in our central institutions, and only a few 
 remain, who were teachers in 1880. The training some of 
 these have received has been only slight, however, and among 
 such a number there are necessarily some who are in many 
 respects unsatisfactory, but there are also not a few who are 
 good, earnest, diligent teachers, and a small proportion 
 eminently satisfactory. As a class they are incomparably 
 better, in every respect, than those engaged in teaching ten 
 years ago. 
 
 Education is not voluntary, the scholars are enrolled by the 
 Government at intervals of three to five years, it being left to 
 the parents to choose any school they like in connection 
 with the three Societies at work in Betsileo, viz : the Norwe- 
 gian, Jesuit, or L.M.S. 
 
 The pay of the teachers is arranged according to an 
 annual examination, and they receive from the funds of the 
 L.M.S. 4/6, 3/-, 2/- and 1/6 respectively per month. This ex- 
 amination, together with the general progress of the schools, 
 forms the basis of their pay from year to year. The teacher's 
 house and rice are no longer a generally recognised 
 share of the people's contributions, except in towns where a 
 Christian church exists ; and so in many villages the Society 
 is appealed to to help in providing a house and giving rice 
 to the teacher. This arises from the perfect indifference of 
 
94 
 
 the people, and the fact that the Jesuits give considerable 
 help in these directions. 
 
 The education in the country schools is of the most ele- 
 mentary kind, not extending much beyond reading, writing*, 
 and arithmetic. Considerable attention has, however, been 
 paid to moral and religious truth by catechising, and at 
 special services conducted by the missionary and evangelists, 
 when careful explanation and enforcement of the truths 
 learned previously by heart has been supplemented by an 
 address. The annual examination of schools has been 
 conducted on the basis of examination in Imerina, and so 
 tabulated results can now be framed for all parts of the 
 island in which the Society is at work. A final examination 
 has been conducted by the missionaries, and such children 
 as have reached a certain standard are released from being 
 scholars if they desire to leave. 
 
 The large number of Bibles, Testaments, and slates sold, as 
 well as all other books and materials employed in education, 
 has given us one of the greatest pleasures experienced in 
 mission work. 
 
 The great drawback to the parents and scholars taking 
 an interest in the work of education is the fact that there is 
 no practical result to be seen after the scholars leave the 
 schools, in getting employment, or in otherwise turning their 
 knowledge into channels of usefulness, and so we find the 
 people very reluctant to have their children enrolled by the 
 Government. 
 
 In taking a retrospective view of the past ten years, we can 
 unhesitatingly say that the influence of the schools is for 
 good everywhere, and is an ever increasing power in our con- 
 gregations. We have better preachers, more members able to 
 read, and a more intelligent idea of sin and its consequences 
 is manifested, together with a fuller appreciation of the 
 saving power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is gratifying 
 to see that the work of education is being carried on in many 
 schools among the Tanala and Bara tribes, and to observe 
 that slowly, but surely, these outlying people are being 
 leavened for good, although at the present time it is only a 
 day of small things. 
 
95 
 
 MEDICAL WORK. 
 
 IN the province of Betsileo there is abundant scope for 
 uniting medical work with the more direct evangelistic 
 and educational efforts of our Mission. There are among the 
 natives a few uiasi'ua, or medicine-men, and to these some 
 of the poor sick folk resort, and follow, with a devotion 
 worthy of a better cause, the advice that is given to them. 
 These native medicine-men, however, are entirely ignorant 
 of anatomy and physiology, of the symptoms and signs 
 of most diseases, of general therapeutics and surgery, and 
 they have no knowledge of the simplest rules of hygiene. 
 No intelligent reader of this Review will therefore be 
 surprised that the benefits they confer" are very limited. 
 
 The Betsileo, and also the Hova who dwell among them, 
 are subject to various diseases. Some which afflict them 
 they have inherited ; others are caused by contagion ; not 
 a few may lawfully be traced to their immorality, their 
 unclean habits and dirty dwellings ; and some again are 
 undoubtedly brought on by the things they eat and the 
 manner in which they cook and devour their meals. 
 
 During the decade now closing the province has been 
 visited by epidemics of small-pox, measles, whooping- 
 cough, and remittent fever, and for a short time during 
 i8go, in and around Fianarantsoa, there were many cases 
 of a new disease, bearing symptoms remarkably analagous 
 to those which have been described as frequently developed 
 by the "Russian Influenza." With a view to check the 
 ravages of small-pox, vaccination has been earnestly and 
 continuously prosecuted through the province. Thousands 
 have availed themselves of it, and among our people there 
 is now a wide-spread feeling in its favour. 
 
 With the small staff of missionaries who have resided in Be- 
 tsileo during the past ten years, it has been impossible to attend 
 to the medical work as its importance demands. However, 
 such time as could lawfully be spared has been devoted to it. 
 At Ambohimandroso, the station occupied by the Rev. T. 
 Rowlands, medicines have been regularly dispensed, and 
 many patients have availed themselves of the help our bro- 
 ther has been able to render. At Ambositra the sick have 
 always found a ready friend in the Rev. T. Brockway, the 
 resident missionary. More recently the medical work at 
 this station has been further developed and succesfully 
 carried forward by Miss Graham, a lady with medical 
 
96 
 
 knowledge and experience in nursing also residing there. 
 
 Fianarantsoa, being the Capital of the province, has 
 demanded that considerable attention should be given to the 
 medical department ; and, as three missionaries are resi- 
 dent there, it has been possible, to some extent, to meet 
 the demand. Here also the medical work has been carried 
 on uninterruptedly during the decade, and thousands of 
 sick people have attended at the dispensary, which is now 
 opened four days every week from early morning till about 
 mid-day. During the present year we have been engaged 
 in erecting new and more commodious premises in which 
 to carry on our mission of mercy, and we have nearly 
 completed a building which combines a dispensary for out- 
 patients and a small hospital for in-patients. 
 
 At our several stations medical work has been increasing 
 on our hands, and as year after year of the decade has 
 passed away, it has been exerting a greater and yet greater 
 influence for good. It has, to some extent, already under- 
 mined the working of the ignorant, superstitious, and crafty 
 native medicine-men ; it has undoubtedly relieved a great 
 amount of suffering; it has lengthened many lives; in not 
 a few cases it has averted death ; it has manifested the 
 tender and compassionate character of Christianity ; and it 
 has given many special opportunities of speaking of spiritual 
 disease and pointing to the Great Physician, and thus has 
 proved a valuable auxiliary to the special work of the mis- 
 sionaries. 
 

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98 
 
 THE ANTSIHANAKA MISSION. 
 
 EVx^NGELISTIC AND EDUCATIONAL WORK. 
 
 IN giving a review of the Antsihanaka Mission, it should 
 be mentioned that for more than six out of the past ten 
 years there has been no resident missionary. The Mission 
 was practically commenced in 1875 by the Rev. J. Pearse, 
 who, after six years' earnest and faithful work, left the province 
 to undertake another important service among the Betsileo. 
 After an interval of six years, Messrs. Stribling and Mac- 
 kay arrived in Antsihanaka in July, 1887. It will be easily 
 understood that progress in the work had been seriously 
 interrupted, notwithstanding the valuable aid rendered by 
 several of the missionaries in Imerina by visits and a general 
 oversight of the vacant district. 
 
 The Missionaries and their Work.— The settlement 
 of two missionaries instead of one, and after a long vacancy, 
 gives the first note of advance in this review. On our arrival 
 in 1887, Mr. Mackay at once proceeded tore-open the medical 
 work which had been closed in the year 1881 by Mr. Pearse's 
 removal to the south ; and during three years the natives have 
 thus had golden opportunities of receiving aid, not for the body 
 only, but also for the soul. By the services regularly con- 
 ducted before the medical treatment, by the temporary cot- 
 tage hospital erected by Mr. Mackay, as well as by the vari- 
 ous visits made to their homes, the Sihanaka and other tribes 
 have received real benefits, which it is difficult to enumerate 
 here. The town church of Ambatondrazaka, with the country 
 districts of Ambohitromby and Ambodinonoka and others 
 more distant, have also received valuable aid in various ways 
 from the medical missionary. Mention must not be omitted 
 of the work carried on also by Mrs. Mackay, who has 
 from the first rendered very efficient service. By conduct- 
 ing educational classes for native girls and women, and also 
 by the superintendence of the Society's book depot at Amba- 
 tondiazaka, Mrs. Mackay has considerably aided the Antsiha- 
 naka Mission. 
 
 In May last Mr. and Mrs. Mackay commenced a new mis- 
 sion station a day's journey from Ambatondrazaka, at the 
 town of Imerimandroso, on the east shore of Lake Alaotra. An 
 evangelist has also recently removed to this town, who will as - 
 sist Mr. Mackay in the work of the Mission. We may therefore 
 
99 
 
 fairly report progress in this the medical department of our 
 work. The increasing number of the Sihanaka and others 
 who have shewn confidence in the foreign missionary, leaving 
 their own medicine-men in several cases, and the increase 
 in the native contributions towards the expense of drugs, 
 may be mentioned in evidence of advance already made. 
 
 We notice here very briefly some of the work in which we 
 have engaged during the past four years now under review. 
 
 [a] Teaching Reading to the A dtilts. Special efforts have been 
 made to advance a knowledge of reading among the adult 
 Sihanaka, whom we found notably indifferent in this respect. 
 Numerous villages throughout the province have been sup- 
 plied with the large printed lesson sheets from the Friends' 
 Mission Press. In not a few of the towns and villages 
 some progress has already been made in this some- 
 what tedious work. The increase seen in the number of 
 adults now able to read has in some measure been assisted 
 by our efforts. Since the year 1880, the number has been 
 increased from 200 to 1250, giving the encouraging total 
 increase of 1015. 
 
 [b] The Congregational Union. vSome good work has been 
 effected by our six-monthly meetings, in the form of a confer- 
 ence of delegates from the various churches meeting at the 
 mission-station. At these services the general condition of 
 the work in church and school has been reported, and various 
 papers have been read or addresses delivered, followed by 
 suggestions and resolutions for the more effective carrying on 
 of the work of the Mission. Advice has also been given in 
 cases of difficulty, and practical sympathy rendered by money 
 contributions or offers of personal service for the extension 
 of the Gospel to heathen towns and villages of Antsihanaka. 
 
 [c] Training of Teachers. About sixty young Sihanaka 
 have been selected, after a preliminary examination, from 
 various parts of the province, and are now under instruction 
 with a view to becoming school teachers and catechists. 
 They are being educated at five of the more important 
 centres by the missionaries and the evangelists, and have 
 already, in several cases, given good promise of proficiency. 
 From several new villages in distant parts of the province 
 requests have been made for school teachers, and these 
 requests, together with the present inefficiency of some of our 
 teachers, tend to stimulate us in the work of preparing these 
 young men for the service. 
 
 (^) Examination of Schools. All the schools have been 
 examined annually since our arrival here. The examinations 
 have been held at seven different local centres; those in 1888 
 being conducted by Mr. J. C. Thorne, and the rest by 
 
100 
 
 ourselves, assisted by the evangelists and three of the catechists 
 who are from the Normal School in Imerina. 
 
 [e] The Total Abstineiue Society. This Society has made 
 steady advance from the date of its formation in the year 
 1888. The number of members now on the books is about 
 950, and we are still determined to advance this important 
 work in a province where the terrible curse of intemperance 
 is seen everywhere. We are also intending to enlarge our 
 organization by commencing a Band of Hope. 
 
 \f) The Antsihanaka Missionary Association. This new 
 effort was started in the year of our arrival, 1887, and has for 
 its object the partial support of eleven catechists, who are to be ■ 
 sent to the most populous and destitute towns of Antsihanaka. 
 The full number of agents has not yet been obtained, owing to 
 the scarcity of trustworthy and educated men who are free to 
 engage in the mission. As will be seen, however, on another 
 page, several have already gone forth to the service, and we 
 are hoping to obtain the remaining four still needed. 
 A sum of £2-] has already been contributed by this 
 young Society ; and when we remember how few are the 
 professing Christians at present in Antsihanaka, the amount 
 may be considered as fairly encouraging. Voluntary contri- 
 butions appear to have been hitherto extremely rare, and as 
 the sum mentioned above is chiefly a free-will offering, we are 
 the more gratified by the result. 
 
 ^g] Evangelistic and other Services. wServices have been con- 
 ducted in every part of the province, the larger number being 
 in Ambatondrazaka. The total number during the three 
 years ending 30th June has been 450, and have been held in 
 the various towns and villages and at the mission station. 
 These have consisted of religious meetings in the churches, 
 at the Saturday market, school and cottage _ services, classes 
 for enquirers and preachers, and special evangelistic meetings 
 and lectures. The attendance at these services has varied 
 from 25 at a cottage meeting to 1200 at the open-air assembly 
 under the shadow of some wide-spreading tree. 
 
 [h) Sale of Edticational Books. The sale of books has 
 formed an encouraging feature of the work from the time of 
 our arrival here ; and through seasons of difficulty and depres- 
 sion this continued sign ot progress has often cheered us. 
 While the Sihanaka and others are willing to spend their 
 money on books, without any pressure or advertising, we 
 cannot but hope that our educational work is going forward. 
 During the past few months we have been increasingly 
 gratified at the steady and constant demand for school-books, 
 and especially for the revised version of the ]\Ialagasy New 
 Testament, The total amount received in the sale of books, 
 
101 
 
 etc., and sent to Antananarivo during the past three years 
 is;^i67 15 7. ., , , 
 
 [i] Niunerical Increase. There has been a considerable 
 numerical increase in regard to congregations, schools, etc., 
 within the last ten years, the particulars of which may be 
 seen in the Table of Statistics given later on. 
 
 (/) CJmrcJi Members. The number of candidates for 
 Christian baptism at the close of 1889 was 28, and the 
 increase in the members during the past two years has been 
 go, of whom some are transfers from churches in Imerina. 
 The numbers might have been increased very largely, had 
 we been merely desirous of obtaining nominal Christians for 
 our church members. In relation to religion, the people may 
 be divided into three general classes, viz : the majority who 
 are practically heathen ; the few professing Christians or church 
 members ; and those who are indifferent, but who attend the 
 Sunday morning services occasionally. As their rulers 
 profess Christianity, an idea prevails among some, especially 
 those from Imerina, that it is proper to go to church 
 once a day on Sunday; and some again would advance 
 further and persuade us to receive them into church 
 fellowship, although altogether unworthy. But the fearful 
 prevalence of strong drink, with its accompanying evils, 
 leads us to exercise a vigorous opposition to the ad- 
 vance of such professors. Many of the church members 
 seem to have but little conception of their obligations. 
 No outward acts of immorality have been found against 
 them, they have attended church almost regularly on Sunday 
 mornings, and a few times even on Fridays, or the monthly 
 prayer meeting on Mondays. "Is not that enough r" some of 
 these members would seem to reason. Once in the church, 
 however, and after partaking of the Lord's Supper for a 
 few times, alas, how few we see of them at the monthly 
 church meeting, the Friday weekly service, or the monthly 
 missionary meeting. We pray for the blessing from on 
 high to give fresh energy and life to all who profess the 
 name of Him who gave Himself a sacrifice for sinners. 
 
 Work of the Evangelists. — The full number of trained 
 evangelists in Antsihanaka is six, being the same as in 
 1880. The district of Ambodinonoka has been vacant, 
 however, for some time, owing to the unsatisfactory character 
 of Rakotomanga, the evangelist ; and we are now avvaiting 
 the arrival of a student from the Society's College to fill the 
 vacancy. The evangelist also at Ambohimanga (Rakoto- 
 nirina) has proved unworthy of confidence, and has been 
 removed since January from his station. As to the remaining 
 four evangelists, three of them have been at work for about 
 
102 
 
 eleven years ; the other, Ratovondrahona of Ambohitromby, 
 came to us in the year 1888. 
 
 The results of the work of the evangelists are somewhat 
 difficult to tabulate. They each persevere in the service, 
 and have gathered a fair number of young people together 
 in the schools and higher classes. Year by year some 
 additions have been made to the churches ; and the number 
 of adults able to read the Scriptures is in part a result of the 
 evangelists' work. 
 
 The most satisfactory station is that of Amparafaravola, the 
 next town in importance to Ambatondrazaka. It is at this place 
 that our evangelist Ezekiel Andrianarana has been labouring 
 for several years ; and of the evangelists under our charge 
 during many years past, we certainly have not met with 
 his equal. A thorough missionary at heart and a true 
 friend of the Society we have always found him. The energy 
 this good man, although by no means physically strong, 
 puts into his work, is something remarkable. Teaching a 
 higher class of young men for future service in the Mission, 
 superintending the day-schools, teaching reading to a class 
 of 24 poor slaves, preaching at the Thursday market, superin- 
 tending his five country churches, preaching at the Ampara- 
 faravola church, lecturing, and teaching preachers' classes, 
 to say nothing of his earnest efforts to alleviate the sufferings 
 of the sick and the destitute, may be mentioned among the 
 works of our good friend Ezekiel. The candidates for baptism 
 in his district last year numbered 15, being over that of any 
 other local station in the province. The influence and work 
 of the evangelists' wives should not be forgotten. Both at 
 Amparafaravola and at Ambohitromby we are encouraged by 
 the Christian service cheerfully rendered by the wives of our 
 evangelists. 
 
 The Catechists. — With the increased grant made by 
 the Directors in 1888, we decided to employ, not only 
 fresh evangelists, but also several catechists. By this plan we 
 are enabled to secure a larger number of agents, the monthly 
 allowance they receive being only little more than half the 
 amount paid to the evangelists. Some of the men employed 
 as catechists are from the Society's Normal School in Anta- 
 nanarivo, and have had experience for some years in Imerina 
 as school teachers. We have also others who are volunteers 
 from our more experienced preachers in Antsihanaka, and 
 previously employed by the Society as teachers in these 
 mission schools. In most cases these new agents have charge 
 of two congregations and schools each, and work under the 
 supervision of the missionaries and the evangelists. Their 
 special work is among the adult Sihanaka, whom we found 
 
103 
 
 lamentably behind in knowledge and unable even to read 
 the wScriptures. In several cases, the congregations our 
 catechists superintend have no other preacher, and no mem- 
 bers. Their work chiefly consists of preaching in the various 
 towns and villages, teaching reading in the homes of the 
 people, visiting the needy and afflicted, assisting the day and 
 Sunday schools, the Total Abstinence Society, but above all, 
 we urge them by every available means to strive to lead the 
 people to Christ. 
 
 The Churches. — The number of churches reported by 
 Mr. Pearse in 1880 was 15. These have been increased 
 by 16, now making a total of 31 acknowledged and aided by 
 the Society. This number will have to be increased during 
 the coming year by at least four others, viz : at Ambatobe, to 
 the east of Anosimboahangy, Morafeno, south-west of Am- 
 bohitromby, larinarivo, to the north-west, and Andakana, to 
 the south of Ambatondrazaka. The last two named are new 
 garrison outposts recently established by the Government, 
 larinarivo, being a town in the midst of a Sakalava tribe, 
 may prove eventually an important position for further 
 advance among that numerous and important heathen people. 
 The number of members is given at the close of this 
 Review, and the character of some of them is also referred to 
 under the head of Difficulties. 
 
 That some of these church members are real Christians 
 there is no doubt ; but of the 270 reported, how many may be 
 called in the words of the Apostle, "our epistle, written in our 
 hearts, known and read of all men," it would be hard to say. It 
 will probably be noticed that the somewhat sad strain in which 
 our predecessor wrote his review in 1880 pervades ours also at 
 this time. AVe know, however, that there are some at least, 
 if but few, who are valuable witnesses for the Lord our Master. 
 Surrounded by the most deadening influences to spiritual life, 
 they are yet striving to live as becometh the saints. Men and 
 women of heathen parentage, still seriously handicapped by 
 evil customs, such as slavery, and yet endeavouring to live 
 the Gospel of Christ in holiness of life, and by helping to 
 ameliorate the condition of their poor slaves, these are they 
 from whom we may take courage. 
 
 We are unable to report much progress in our church build- 
 ings. In two or three towns a new Sihanaka church has 
 been quickly put up (of wood, bamboo, and rush), but the 
 brief time taken (a month or two) is a witness that too much 
 pressure has been exercised from without. And rather than 
 increase such kind of service in the erection of our churches, 
 we prefer even enduring the present miserable buildings, 
 awaiting the good time coming, when the people's love for 
 
104 
 
 God's house shall increase, and when, without any special 
 pressure, they may arise and build in the name of the Lord 
 of Hosts. 
 
 The Schools and Teachers.— Since the year 1880 
 thirteen new day-schools have been formed, each having its 
 teacher, supported chiefly by the churches, and aided by 
 grants from the Society. It is gratifying to report that the 
 native portion of the teacher's income, consisting in most 
 cases of a dollar monthly and about 50 bushels of rice a year, 
 is generally forthcoming, although prejudice against the 
 schools may still be seen by occasional delays in the pay- 
 ments. 
 
 The number of scholars on the registers in 1880 was 121 1, 
 it is now 2672. In addition to the day-schools, there are 
 also the 60 young men in our higher classes for training as 
 teachers and catechists, making a total of 1461 increase since 
 the year 1880. The subjects taught in the schools are read- 
 ing, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geograph}^, with special 
 instruction in the Holy Scriptures ; and in several of the 
 schools singing is also taught. 
 
 Of the thirty-one teachers, five have been educated at 
 Antananarivo, and the others by the missionaries and 
 evangelists, or by Ratsiba (a school teacher and evan- 
 gelist in one), who laboured here for ten years. Ratsiba 
 was one of the best agents the Society has had in Antsi- 
 hanaka, but he was not allowed to remain, being removed 
 by the Government last February, to our intense regret. 
 This good man and his earnest wife Rasoa, are two of 
 the best Christians we have yet met with in ]\ladagascar ; 
 and their removal from the work is an unspeakable loss to 
 the Antsihanaka Mission. As teacher of a mission school, 
 preacher, secretary to the Ambatondrazaka church, and also 
 secretary to our Congregational Union, Ratsiba had proved a 
 real helper to us. The Imerina District Committee did what 
 they could to assist us, and the Secretary wrote to the Gov- 
 ernment informing them of the excellent character Ratsiba 
 had long held throughout the province ; but there is no 
 hope of his being restored to us. In Antsihanaka, where 
 really earnest Christian workers are unusually scarce, I 
 cannot tell the loss we have sustained by the removal of 
 Ratsiba and Rasoa. 
 
 Twenty out of the thirty-one school teachers are now 
 professing Christians, and some of them are also preachers; 
 three are about to be baptized, while the remaining eight 
 have not yet made a public profession, although thr^e 
 of them are in the training" class, and we have hope that all 
 will ere long come forward as open disciples of the Saviour. 
 
105 
 
 It may be mentioned that, excepting four, all our school 
 teachers are of the Sihanaka tribe. 
 
 At Anororo, a well-known town on the west of Lake Alao- 
 tra, there is a remarkable earnestness and intelligence 
 among the school children. This has been brought about 
 largely by the efforts of Rabesolo, formerly the teacher, 
 but now a catechist at Morarano. At this town may be 
 found a large number of young Sihanaka well-behaved and 
 attentive to the teaching, while all around the town a semi- 
 heathen darkness may be felt. That little chapel, filled 
 by present or former scholars, reminds one of a candle 
 lighted in some large cave, where the darkness prevails 
 everywhere, yet there shines the little light of the candle. 
 At Anororo the candle is still burning, though somewhat 
 dimly. Rabesolo, the teacher who first took the light to 
 Anororo, is one of the fruits of Mr. Pearse's labours. 
 
 Difficulties. — The heathen customs, the rum -drinking, 
 with the superstitions and indifference of the Sihanaka, we 
 have met as difficulties to be expected, and with as brave 
 and hopeful a heart as possible have gone forward in our 
 Master's strength. This year, however, we have to record 
 trials from within the church itself at Ambatondrazaka, 
 where we had hoped to see the most prosperous church 
 in the province. On arriving here in 1887, we certainly 
 were hopeful of making good advance against the hea- 
 then majority, and of making an impression upon the 
 remarkable inertness of the church members. Year by 
 year, however, we have had to realize how difficult it is 
 to influence the Sihanaka for good, while many of the pro- 
 fessing Christians from Imerina remain so indifferent to public 
 worship, or to any effort for advancing the kingdom of Christ. 
 Attending a class for preachers, Sunday school work, or 
 preaching (although professed preachers), are really regarded 
 as irksome and very often eluded by excuses. The cause of 
 this we could not understand for a long time. But during 
 this year we have been gradually discovering, to our 
 unspeakable grief, that not a few of the Ambatondrazaka 
 church members have been living lives of gross immor- 
 ality. Drunkenness, adultery, cruelty, and, in the case 
 of a preacher at Ambohitromby, a return to heathen 
 customs, are the sins into which several have stumbled, and 
 very sad indeed is the present prospect for our mission 
 churches in several parts of the province. Evangelists, 
 preachers, and church members are among the backsliders ; 
 and at the present time we are engaged with a sub-committee 
 of seven preachers from the mission church here to inves- 
 tigate several of these cases. Some of those of whom we 
 
106 
 
 have the gravest suspicions are men of high position in the 
 native Government. As will readily be believed this state of 
 affairs has not only been extremely painful to us, but has 
 caused much anxiety for some months past. What may be 
 the outcome of it all we cannot say. But our work is God's, 
 and we go forward, striving to know His will and to do 
 the right, feeling confident that none shall stay His hand. 
 
 Prospects for the Future.— Looking forward, there 
 is naturally much to give us grave concern. Deep-seated 
 heathen practices zealously conserved from past ages ; the 
 alarming prevalence of rum-drinking ; not to speak again 
 of the immorality of several of our church members ; all 
 tend to make one very anxious for the future. But with 
 a full complement of missionaries, six trained evangelists, 
 and twelve catechists, we may look forward hopefully. 
 
 There are scarcely any pastors at present, and our 
 preachers in many cases are too fully occupied in government 
 and other work to render us any substantial help. Until 
 we obtain more Sihanaka agents, we must depend chiefly 
 upon the workers from England and Imerina. In a year or 
 two we hope to obtain a fair supply of intelligent young 
 men from our training classes, who will go forth as 
 catechists, preachers, and school teachers. 
 
 The past three years have afforded us a striking proof of 
 our utter dependence upon God Himself for success. Many 
 plans have been proposed and organizations started, and 
 in some ways progress has been made ; but with such a 
 bad example set by professed Christians from Imerina, 
 how can we expect the heathen Sihanaka to respect 
 Christianity ? Nothing can avail us but the power of the 
 Holy Ghost. The love of Christ as seen in His sacrifice 
 on Calvary, this can still avail to rouse the poor heathen 
 from their fatal sleep. More faith, more self-denial, are 
 among our present needs in Antsihanaka. With such 
 increase of power, we may look forward without any 
 fear. And in persevering toil we hope to advance this 
 deeply interesting Mission to the Sihanaka, until we receive 
 tlie Master's word to return, or His summons to the higher 
 service above. 
 
107 
 
 MEDICAL WORK, ETC. 
 
 IT is just three years since we arrived in Antsihanaka, 
 having been appointed by the Directors in the summer 
 of 1886 to accompany the Rev. E. H. Stribling, and take 
 up more especially the medical branch of the work. These 
 have been our first years of direct work in the mission 
 field, years of learning as well as of using the knowledge 
 already stored up. We have learned among other things 
 that God's ways are not as man's ways. Whereas we would 
 like to see our methods and principles carried out in imme- 
 diate action, His ways are slower by far, but nevertheless 
 sure. We have also seen that the great need here in still 
 dark Antsihanaka is the same Gospel that has carried 
 light and power to heathen hearts in other parts of the world. 
 
 Comparatively few of the Sihanaka have as yet received the 
 light of the Gospel, but there are not wanting signs of better 
 times to come, as of rays before the great sun-rise, rays to 
 gladden the missionary's heart, while all around is dull, 
 dark, and depressing. 
 
 Political Situation and Changes.— Our arrival in An- 
 tsihanaka was coincident with the near recall of the late 
 Governor, Andriamihamina, 12 honours. His recall was, as 
 far as it concerns the Mission, partly due to his action in 
 taking out of the schools many of the boys who were under 
 the legalized age, to form a corps of young soldiers called 
 marakely. This action greatly weakened the schools, and 
 ever since the effect has been felt, more especially in the 
 unwillingness of the adult Sihanaka to send their children 
 to school or pay up their share of the teachers' salaries. In 
 fact, the people consider the schools as mere government traps 
 to catch youths for soldiers. 
 
 The new Governor, Rabeony, 12 honours, came immediately 
 after the departure of his predecessor, and was received with 
 great honour, after the usual Malagasy style. To speak the 
 truth, his policy, as far as it has affected the Mission and its 
 Congregational Union, has been that of indirect opposition 
 "all along the line," though professing the greatest friend- 
 ship for the missionaries and a deep interest in their work. 
 The great ambition of the Government here has been to 
 secure the largest number of soldiers possible for the 
 army, and various pretexts have been resorted to for 
 enrolling the elder boys who are in the schools, irrespec- 
 tive of the government standards of age, efficiency, etc. 
 But for the continual watchfulness which Mr. Stribling 
 
108 
 
 and myself, along with certain of the evangelists and our late 
 teacher at Ambatondrazaka (who was, as is well known, 
 put out of his place for being too honest and faithful), 
 the schools would be in a much worse condition than 
 they are. About two years ago an officer was set over 
 the schools as a kind of sub-minister of education for the 
 whole province, but his conduct was so disgraceful in the 
 discharge of his duties, that it became necessary for the 
 Congregational Union of the province to request of the local 
 Government his immediate dismissal from the office he held. 
 This was at once granted. Since then the officer appointed 
 to succeed him has done nothing worthy of note either one 
 way or another. 
 
 Although one cannot go along with the general current of 
 the worldly policy of the Government in doing all they can to 
 increase the army both in numbers and efficiency at the 
 expense of crippling the educational agency all round, yet we 
 cannot help noting that the discipline, so far as it goes, has 
 done the Sihanaka youths good. Instead of having nothing 
 to do of a practical nature except tending their rice-fields and 
 cattle, the youth of the province, who are not scholars in the 
 schools, are now called up at stated intervals i^fom all parts 
 of Antsihanaka to drill. They are required to clothe them- 
 selves in white cotton trousers and other articles of a less 
 cumbersome nature than the lamha. The exercise in the 
 open air is beneficial, and they must necessarily be the better 
 for learning obedience to the word of command. They are 
 also not allowed to wear their hair in flowing curls and 
 ringlets, as is the usual custom. In as far as the training 
 for the army goes, it must do the youth no little good, and 
 already a considerable improvement in the general clean- 
 liness of our young friends is very noticeable. We have, 
 on the other hand, to note, however, that there has been, 
 up till lately (now happily we think becoming less), a feeling 
 of distrust of the Mission and its agents. Wrongly consider- 
 ing that the attendance at service on Sundays and school 
 on week-days was their previous fanompoana (unpaid 
 compulsory State service), they generally, and naturally, 
 thoughtthat, having been made soldiers, they were merely 
 transferred from one form of fanompoaiia to another, and 
 were not expected to attend church any more. We trust 
 that the agents of the Society may soon be able to dispel 
 this delusion, which is mingled with a good deal of heathen 
 prejudice. 
 
 Of late a number of stockaded villages, some of them new, 
 have been occupied by what may be styled sub-governors. 
 These villages are situated to the west and north on the extreme 
 
109 
 
 borders of the province. They have sinall garrisons, supplied 
 by the lately enrolled native soldiers and a sprinkling of 
 Hova officers. The object is twofold, first, to extend the 
 Hova power, and secondly, to secure greater safety on the 
 western and northern borders from marauding bands of cattle- 
 lifters and others, who have, for some years past, as in 
 other parts of the island, largely increased in number and 
 done much harm. This new departure touches the Society 
 in so far as new schools and churches have been formed 
 at the new outposts. Already three or four new schools 
 have been commenced, or teachers have been asked for, and 
 doubtless the number will increase during the next few years. 
 
 The Congregational Union of Antsihanaka was reorganized 
 by Mr. Stribling soon after our arrival, and has, with one 
 exception, met with regularity. It is quite clear that the 
 authorities look with a jealous eye on the power which such a 
 combination of the churches must necessarily have, although 
 it aims not at any political influence whatsoever. 
 
 We shall now endeavour to state in detail the various 
 aspects of the work committee to our care. 
 
 Medical Work. — Our dispensary days at Ambaton- 
 drazaka were Wednesdays and Fridays. At first nearly all 
 the dispensing was done by Mrs. Mackay, but for a long 
 time past it has been done by boys trained by us. The 
 numbers in attendance fluctuate very much, sometimes as 
 many as forty or fifty come in one morning, at others ten or 
 twelve, more often twenty to thirty, which may perhaps 
 be stated as the general average. Lately we have started 
 a vaccination day, when a goodly number attend. 
 
 Soon after our arrival in Antsihanaka, we opened a little 
 cottage hospital. Since our removing north to Imeriman- 
 droso, it has been closed. In all we had 240 in-patients, 
 medical, surgical, and obstetric. Some of the surgical cases 
 were major operations for stone, necrosis, elephantiasis of 
 leg, etc., with one death from shock from amputation. We 
 have tried to make even such a temporary hospital as useful 
 as possible by training some of our young friends as nurses, 
 clinical clerks, and dressers, as well as by having the most 
 useful appliances to the extent needed for efficiency. We have 
 printed case books, temperature charts, prescription papers, 
 and even a small book, written specially by Mrs. Mackay, 
 called Toro-lalana ho any ny Alpitsaho ("Advice to Nurses"), 
 which we have found very useful. The hospital medicines 
 are, for the most part, paid for out of the grant of the Society, 
 while the board of patients, payment of nurses' wages, cook, 
 etc., come out of the r/6 per week which we charge patients 
 who can pay. A number are unable to pay at all. Two or 
 
110 
 
 three friends at home keep a bed for cases of the latter 
 description, in memory of the late Mrs. Hedges, by subscrib- 
 ing the necessary £ 4 per annum. To these we are very 
 thankful, and would like to see others follow their example 
 in the future, when the new hospital is finished. We have 
 also on our hands permanently an old man of over 90, affected 
 with paralysis agttans, who came to us one evening after 
 dark some months ago. 
 
 Besides dispensing, we have for the past year and a 
 half, taught, as far as time would allow, Anatomy, Me- 
 dicine, Physiology, Therapeutics, and English, to our young 
 helpers, especially to two youths who live with us. These 
 are not only able to do most of the general work of 
 the wards, but have administered chloroform (under super- 
 vision of course), and have acted as special nurses on 
 operation cases, etc. 
 
 Evangelistic Work, etc.— The actual mission work 
 has been carried on in the shape of medical mission 
 services, evening prayers in the hospital, special Bible 
 classes for in-patients and their friends on Tuesdays, con- 
 versations in private and in public, "in season and out 
 of season," visitation and medical mission journeys, two 
 of which were made last year, the longest being round 
 Lake Alaotra, which took a fortnight and three days. 
 In that we had a lengthened course of daily prescribing, 
 dispensing, and preaching the Gospel by the aid of Mr. 
 Stribling's magic lantern. We have also at times tried 
 to help some of the in-patients, who have expressed a 
 desire to learn to read, so as to enable them to read God's 
 message of love. Some of these have had presented to themi 
 copies of the Gospel of Luke and other suitable literature. 
 In the Tuesday evening class we have gone through a 
 good part of Luke's Gospel, using the Rev. J. Sibree's book 
 on it as a text-book. In general it is by no means difficult to 
 find out that the native mind is extremely dull through non- 
 use on matters of spiritual concern. But when the people 
 come to such close quarters as in the hospital, their ignorance 
 can be felt ; and in conversation on spiritual things, one is 
 often sorely puzzled how to proceed, as they so indiscriminate- 
 ly agree to nearly everything" one says on the subject of reli- 
 gion. It is only by very great patience on our part that we 
 are able to get them to come to anything definite. 
 
 So far we have treated of the medical mission in its two 
 aspects. What we want specially are spiritual results. 
 It is difficult to say how far the influence of a medical 
 mission may penetrate, but it is ours to keep up, by God's 
 help, the flame of the sacred fire in our own hearts 
 
Ill 
 
 and that of our several helpers, and where that is not 
 already kindled in the latter, to call on God to come in the 
 power of the Holy Ghost to convert and consecrate to His 
 own service such as we have endeavoured to influence in 
 the rig-ht direction. We are not, however, without sure signs 
 that God has blessed the work. 
 
 Notes on a few cases may be of interest. We well remember 
 one girl of 17 or 18 years of age, who was nursed by us 
 previous to our going up to Imerina in 1888. Our leav- 
 ing necessitated her going to her friends in the Capital. 
 On bidding her good-bye, with little hope of seeing her 
 alive again, she intelligently expressed her trust in the 
 Saviour. 
 
 Another, a young man from this town of Imerimandroso, 
 (N. Antsihanaka) came to us last October, and though suffering 
 from advanced consumption, got much better under treat- 
 ment. We believe he had previously learnt something of 
 Christ, but whilst with us, he seemed to develop a real 
 heartfelt trust in his Saviour, and a corresponding loss of 
 the fear of death. When the Fandroana festival was near, he 
 determined to go home, much against our advice, and to 
 almost certain death, as his disease had taken just then a 
 turn for the worse. He said he did not fear, as his trust was 
 altogether in the Saviour. Since coming here, we learnt 
 that be died soon after his arrival. 
 
 Another case is that of a Hova, stationed here in Antsiha- 
 naka for many years as overseer of cattle for some Government 
 official in Imerina. His name was Rakotovao, and he was 
 about 45 years of age. He came to us twice as an in-patient, 
 latterly for pneumonia, which went on to phthisis. We had 
 known him as an exceptionally good example of Hova Christ- 
 ianity, though there was nothing specially remarkable about 
 him, except his quiet sincere manner, and his patience under 
 suffering. One 'night soon after the ill-defined crisis of the 
 pneumonia, he suddenly became extremely exhausted. He 
 thought himself dying, and but for energetic application of 
 stimulants, etc., he would most likely have departed this life 
 at the time. His wife was alarmed, sent for friends, etc., 
 while he himself prayed aloud in the most perfectly trustful 
 spirit, that he might there and then be safely landed on Jor- 
 dan's further bank, through the merits of the Saviour. He, 
 however, rallied, and soon got well enough to leave Ambato- 
 ndrazaka for a change of air. On our coming north, we met 
 him and his devoted wife on their way up to Imerina. It was 
 to us a sad sight, as he was going up evidently only to die 
 amongst his friends and relations, who, hearing of his rapid- 
 ly wasting condition, sent bearers to bring him to them. 
 
112 
 
 He was hardly able to speak above a whisper, and was 
 very weak. Our leave-taking- was cordial and in "sure and 
 certain hope" of meeting again, if not on earth, above. 
 
 The late lieutenant-governor of Amboavory, also named 
 Rakotovao, a man of about the same age, and having the same 
 disease as the preceding, we met for thefirst time on our journey 
 round the stations last year. He was very kind to us, and we 
 had the use of his house. For some months he improved under 
 treatment, but once or twice he had dangerous fits of hymop- 
 tyris. He at last turned up at Ambatondrazaka, and when 
 we came north to this our new station, he followed us, got 
 a house in an enclosure ten minutes' walk from us, "to be 
 near the missionary," as he put it. He had been a Christian 
 for a number of years, but his last conversation with me, 
 just a few days before he died, will always be remembered 
 by us. "Oh," he said, "I have no more any father or 
 mother, sister, wife or children, relations or friends, but I 
 have a Brother, even Jesus Christ." It was pleasant to 
 hear such a definite expression of faith in the Lord Jesus, 
 as the Malagasy professing Christians are generally so 
 hazy and indefinite about their real relationship to God as 
 their Father and Jesus as the Brother, Saviour, Friend. 
 The morning we moved our rush house up here to the top 
 of the Alarobia hill, with the aid of a number of friends, he 
 sent me a message to say how sorry he was not to be able 
 to send any one to help ; and next day he himself changed 
 his temporary residence, "the house of this tabernacle" 
 for "one eternal in the heavens." 
 
 These two last cases we cannot claim to have influenced 
 towards Christianity, but we give them to shew how we are 
 cheered in God's goodness from time to time. 
 
 Ever since we were able to take a part in the services 
 of the church, we have preached on an average to the 
 seven village congregations round Ambatondrazaka, and also 
 to the central one, on an average of thirty-five to forty times 
 a year. The Sunday school for the first year and a half was 
 taken in hand by me, but without permanent success. As 
 to the preaching in the little village preaching stations, styled 
 "churches,"- though without members or pastors, we can quite 
 agree, even at this date, with what our predecesor, the Rev. J. 
 Pearse, said, viz : that the Sihanaka are splendid listeners 
 to all outward appearance, but that when all is over, they 
 simply forget all about what was said, if even they took it in. 
 
 Mrs. Mackay has all along busied herself in different spheres 
 of usefulness, as health has been granted her. Sewing 
 classes have been held regularly, and we are deeply indebted 
 to the Rev. E. H. Stribling and his friends in England, 
 
113 
 
 as also to Mrs. Weymont, London, for their supplies of 
 patchwork and other articles of real value to such work. 
 Mrs. Sibree also, Mrs. Richardson, Miss Bliss, Miss Craven, 
 and Mr. and Mrs. Matthews deserve our warmest thanks, both 
 for sewing materials and hospital requisites, etc. Without 
 the aid of these friends, the hospital would have been put to 
 the expense of coverlets, etc., which, as things stand, were 
 made by the children by means of material provided so 
 kindly. 
 
 Another class held by my wnfe was one for midwifery, 
 which was attended at first by four, latterly by three, 
 trustworthy women. These have all passed a somewhat 
 stiff primary examination on the lately published useful 
 little work on the subject by Miss Byam. Two of these are 
 at Ambatondrazaka, and are in demand by their several 
 sisters in trouble, while the other is our hospital nurse here 
 with us, and goes to cases now and again when the people 
 have faith enough to call in her help. 
 
 A young people's Christian Union was started by 
 Mrs. Mackay some five months ago. This began quite of 
 itself, as it were. Three little girls from the Sunday school 
 came to my wife one day, after hearing some very earnest 
 Gospel words, and especially the last utterances of their then 
 departing- teacher, who spoke with tears in his eyes, and 
 broke down with emotion ; they came to say that they had 
 made up their minds to trust and follow Jesus. Whereupon 
 we started the above class, and though far apart, we hope, by 
 means of letters and occasional meetings, when we happen 
 to be at Ambatondrazaka, to keep the little flock together, 
 and to strengthen and help them to shine as lights "in the 
 midst of a crooked and perverse generation." 
 
 During the three years just terminated we have had 
 charge of the districts of Ambodinonoka and Ambohi- 
 tromby, which are contiguous, a day's journey to the west, 
 over a large swamp. To the former of these little 
 personal attention could be given. For the first year our 
 want of native help in carrying out our local medical mission 
 work prevented our giving it the attention it would otherwise 
 have received. During the second year the evangelist 
 in charge (Rakotomanga) was dismissed, as we had found out 
 that he was doing other than an evangelist's work, bringing 
 dishonour on his sacred office ; and during the past year 
 small-pox has hardly left the district, preventing our visiting 
 it (except the eastern portion), to settle a new evangelist in 
 the place of the one gone away. The district therefore is in 
 a very backward condition, but now, it is hoped, a fresh start 
 will be made, as a new evangelist is in prospect. 
 
114 
 
 The second district has been created since our coming, by 
 lopping off the northern portion of the former, and placing 
 one of the Society's College trained evangelists (Ratovon- 
 drahona) in charge. He and his wife have got on very well so 
 far, and as the latter is very energetic, teaching the school, 
 obstetrics, and sewing, with considerable vigour, there is 
 good hope that the district of Ambohitromby will soon be 
 what it never has been, viz : a bright oasis in the desert of 
 the south-west portion of Antsihanaka. 
 
 In the two districts there are only seven churches, with no 
 pastors, and but two or three members. These are qualified 
 to preach and teach the schools during the week. 
 
 One of the teachers from the Ambodinonoka district I'Rabe- 
 sihanaka) we had the pleasure of baptising on his professing 
 Christ as his Saviour. Another teacher has also lately 
 applied for baptism, also one of the natives of the province. 
 These, with others still to be raised up, we trust may yet 
 be faithful preachers of the word "in power and demonstration 
 of the Spirit" in days to come. 
 
 The Antsihanaka Congregational Union has recently 
 settled a catechist at Mangantany in the Ambodinonoka 
 district. This is part of a scheme of the native churches, 
 proposed by Mr. Stribling, -to supply men for the more 
 especial purpose of getting at the adult population, to teach 
 them to read and otherwise get them interested in the 
 Gospel. 
 
 Drunkenness. — It is necessary to at least briefly notice 
 this subject in any paper relating to the welfare of the 
 Sihanaka. It is the curse of this part of the country. Sugar- 
 cane is grown in nearly all the sheltered watered hollows 
 between the ridges of the low-lying hills, bordering on the 
 great plain and elsewhere. Sugar is not made by the Sihana- 
 ka. I he cane is nearly all used in making spirit, which is sold at 
 twopence the quart bottle. At marriages, funerals, circum- 
 cisions, and ceremonies of all kinds, it is sent for and collected 
 all round the country side, and men may often be met, 
 sometimes four or six together, carrying pitchers full of it, 
 two by two, swung on poles between them. Nearly every vil- 
 lage, especially here in the north, has its refuse heap of cut and 
 used up sugar-cane, its wretched tumble-down distillery, 
 with native still, which consists of earthen pitcher and 
 wooden trough with water, and a pair of hollow reeds run- 
 ning through to act as worm. In many places the distil- 
 lation is carried on in the open air, quite publicly. It is sad 
 to see how the natives are addicted to this cheap curse, and 
 to see so much good sugar-cane thrown away by conversion 
 into what brings its victims into a far worse state than the 
 
115 
 
 animals around them. We have often thought that if some 
 Christian friend, somewhat overburdened with a heavy purse, 
 and of truly philanthropic spirit, were to send out some 
 sugar-making machinery, sugar might perhaps be made 
 here by the Sihanaka themselves under superintendence, on 
 a business footing. We believe, with a comparatively small 
 outlay, sugar could be made of a much better quality than is 
 now made by the Hova, even good enough for Europeans, 
 and could be sold profitably in Imerina. Of course it could 
 not compete with Mauritius white sugar, our principal idea 
 being to supply a better article than is usually sold in Ime- 
 rina. 
 
 Sale of Books.— The selling of school and general 
 literature has fallen to our lot more or less entirely, 
 and we are glad to state that, generally speaking, as the 
 following figures shew, we have been the channel through 
 which not a little has passed to enlighten the otherwise dark 
 and ignorant native mind. 
 
 Bibles sold (and 30 given] 114 
 
 Testaments sold 852 
 
 Gospels, catechisms, temperance and 
 
 Gospel tracts, etc. 2000 
 
 Hymn Books 1362 
 
 Lesson books, slates, and copy books 5677 
 
 General literature — books, etc. 620 
 
 The value of all articles sent out from the two Mission 
 Presses (L.M.S. and F.F.M.A.) to our own and Mr. Stribling's 
 orders during the past three years amounts to about ;^ 167. The 
 quantity of periodical literature sold has not been at all up to 
 what we could wish, but remembering that there has been so 
 far no active pushing of our wares on the attention of those 
 capable of appreciating them, the general sales may be said 
 to be very satisfactory, and encourage the hope that, in 
 coming days, may we trust not far distant, we may see the 
 fruit of so much good seed scattered abroad so plentifully. 
 
 Change of Residence. — F'rom the very beginning of 
 our sojourn in Madagascar it had been fully intended that 
 eventually we should build a residence, and that most likely at 
 a new station. Had it not been for the unexpected and sudden 
 bereavement of our friend and colleague in the loss of his 
 dear wife at the Capital in the latter part of 1886, we doubt- 
 less long ere this would have been in new quarters. As it is, 
 the Directors have but lately granted our request to build 
 at Imerimandroso, on the border of Lake Alaotra, in what 
 is styled North Antsihanaka. 
 
 We came over here several months ago, and are set up 
 temporarily in a native house of wood and rushes, which 
 
116 
 
 cost about ^4. We had it removed to the present site for the 
 sake of health and convenience to the work. The site is on 
 the top of a high heather hill, facing Lake Alaotra, giving 
 splendid views of golden sun-sets. To the west of the lake 
 are seen the mountains of the second forest belt, whilst at 
 our back to the east and north is the first forest belt and 
 range of mountains, with many bare jagged peaks. Our., 
 new position is open to all the breezes that blow (in fact at 
 times it is somewhat too breezy), and should prove, with proper 
 accommodation, healthy, not only for ourselves, but for those 
 also whom we hope to have the privilege of nursing. The 
 most thickly populated part of the province is in this neigh- 
 bourhood. A day's journey to the north is Anosimboahangy, 
 our northernmost outpost at present. In this neighbourhood 
 there are eight churches with day-schools and teachers. 
 
 It had been our original intention to build our new house 
 this year, but circumstances prevented this, and we fear a 
 building, which can afterwards be used as class-room, is all 
 we shall be able to erect this winter to serve as dwelling-house 
 during the coming summer. Two reasons can be assigned for 
 this, reasons that cari be well appreciated by m.y colleagues 
 in Madagascar, viz : the slowness of the Government in com- 
 ing to an engagement about the land and having the papers 
 signed, and the exceeding avariciousness of the Hova artizans, 
 who try to get about double the right amount when 
 making agreements for bricks, etc. We do not mean to give 
 in, so prefer to wait till next year. 
 
 Cottage Hospital, etc. — For money to build a perma- 
 nent cottage hospital for Antsihanaka, we sent out a 
 preliminary short appeal to friends at home in March 
 last. Since then the temporary concern at Ambatondra- 
 zaka has been closed, and we see patients here on Mon- 
 days, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with monthly visits to 
 Ambatondrazaka, but have no indoor cases, as we have 
 no shelter for them at present. We long to have some 
 permanent structure for their benefit, and trust that friends of 
 the Society, on being officially, as well as privately, informed 
 of our wants, may be led to contribute towards the building and 
 furnishing of a small cottage hospital capable of accommo- 
 dating about sixteen patients for this still heathen province. 
 The amount needed is about ^250 or;^300. 'Jhe following 
 is an extract from the Foreign Secretary's letter on the 
 subject : — 
 
 "No grant has been made for the erection of a hospital, it bein^- felt 
 to be desirable that, as far as possible, provision for tliis should come from 
 otiier sources, and that the arrangements should be of the simplest kind 
 compatible with satisfactory work." 
 
117 
 
 One great felt difference here is that which comes from 
 being" in the midst of one's own district, instead of being a 
 day's journey away from it. With the aid of the evangelist 
 and a Normal School teacher for the school at Imerimandroso, 
 we hope to be able to accomplish a good deal in the coming 
 years for the Sihanaka round about. The following will 
 , give some idea of our work hitherto : — 
 (i) Three medical mission days a week. 
 
 (2) Visiting and reorganizing the village classes for adults, 
 and holding cottage meetings. 
 
 (3) Preaching every Sunday in the district and holding' a 
 Thursday prayer meeting with evangelists. 
 
 (4) Evening prayer meeting -started and kept up in houses 
 of communicants, the place of meeting being changed 
 weekly. 
 
 (5) Reorganization of higher class for youths. We have 
 added the teachers to this class, who come here weekly for 
 eight hours' instruction in Geography, Physical Geography, 
 Physiology, Preaching, Singing, Bible Notes, Old Testa- 
 ment History, advanced Grammar and Arithmetic. They 
 learn on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. The 
 evangelist and myself take four hours each weekly, and satis- 
 factory progress can be seen already. 
 
 (6) Tuesday morning sewing class by Mrs Mackay. 
 
 In conclusion, we need above all things an outpouring of 
 the Spirit of God here in Antsihanaka. Prayer is the instru- 
 ment given God's servants with which to assail the battlements 
 of heaven. And when, with an ever persevering, heart-felt, 
 heaven-heard cry of "Rend the heavens and come down," we 
 call night and day to the God of Sabaoth, surely we cannot but 
 trust and believe and expect, with the fullest assurance, that 
 His Spirit shall be made manifest in this as yet "valley of 
 dry bones." In this hope and trust w^e intend, God helping 
 us, to labour on till "the day dawn, and the shadows flee 
 away." 
 
 %•• 
 
118 
 
 THE TAMATAVE MISSION. 
 
 IT is exceedingly difficult to give anything like an adequate 
 review of the Society's work on the east and north-east 
 coast during the last ten years, owing to the lack of suitable 
 materials for the purpose. In the year 1880 the sphere of 
 operations was limited to the local district of the chief port, 
 and the statistics then published had reference to that district 
 alone. Subsequently it was considerably enlarged and placed 
 under the superintendence of Mr. Shaw. The responsibilities 
 of the missionary now extend to a tract of country about as 
 long as from one end of the island of Great Britain to the 
 other, having a breadth of from 20 to 50 miles, including some 
 thirteen provinces, from the size of Middlesex to that of 
 Yorkshire, and containing a population perhaps of from 50,000 
 to 60,000 souls. A comparative estimate therefore of the 
 position of affairs in the entire district at the beginning and 
 end of the decade cannot be satisfactorily made. We can 
 but give some idea of how things stand at present, and indicate 
 generally their relation to the past. 
 
 It has not been easy to gather statistics that are even 
 approximately correct. The distances are so great, communi- 
 cation so difficult, and people so unaccustomed to give definite 
 answers to definite questions, that many of the papers sent 
 out have not been returned, and those that have come in are 
 not all thoroughly reliable. In some instances therefore we 
 have had to fill in the answers ourselves, and in others to 
 correct those that have been received. As much care has 
 been taken as possible, however, in the hope of obtaining a 
 somewhat more satisfactory basis of comparison for the next 
 decennial period. These statistics are given on page 128. 
 
 The Churches. — The majority of the 75 congregations in 
 the district were in existence in 1880, many having sprung 
 up indeed at the commencement of the previous decade as 
 the result of the adoption of Christianity by the Court and 
 the burning of the national idols. About twenty have been 
 added during the last ten years ; others, however, have died 
 out from various causes. The number of adherents is prob- 
 ably about the same as it was ten years ago ; for although 
 they have somewhat increased in the extreme north, owing to 
 the strengthening of the garrison and the influence of Christian 
 officers, they have apparently decreased in the centre and the 
 
119 
 
 south, in consequence of the disturbing effects of the late 
 war, and possibly of the diminution of zeal on the part of some 
 of the local authorities. Here at Tamatave there is no pressure 
 of any kind brought by the heads of the people to induce them 
 to attend church, and somewhat less than there used to be in 
 other districts. This, however, is little to be regretted, as 
 it gives religion an opportunity of caring for itself and 
 propagating itself in its own way. 
 
 The comparatively few pastors, preachers, and communi- 
 cants afford some idea of the state of the congregations on 
 the coast. In fully one half there are no persons capable 
 of administering the ordinances of the Gospel and conducting 
 the affairs of a church. The places in which they meet are 
 but preaching stations. What teaching the people receive 
 is usually given by Hova soldiers and traders from the 
 interior, who are not always the most consistent of characters. 
 Hence the Gospel they proclaim does not invariably commend 
 itself to the hearts of the hearers, and has little chance of 
 effecting a change in their lives. 
 
 The vast majority of Betsimisaraka will have nothing to do 
 with Christianity. They regard it as a matter that entirely 
 concerns their oppressors, the Hova, and their foreign friends. 
 They go to service occasionally, but, as a rule, only when they 
 cannot avoid going, or are not able to send their children in 
 their place. The marked scarcity of adults in some of the 
 small congregations to which we minister is quite a feature 
 of church life in the lowlands, and is to be explained partly 
 by the dense ignorance and superstition in which they are 
 embruted and the gross immorality in which they are sunk, 
 but principally, we suspect, by the unspeakable political and 
 social system under which they live. Still, a few have been 
 brought to see that the religion constantly commended to 
 their notice is not altogether a matter of trivial import, to be 
 thoughtlessly and carelessly put aside at their caprice, but a 
 thing of grave moment, demanding their instant and solemn 
 consideration. In and around Tamatave we only know of 
 one or two who have learned thus to regard Christianity. 
 As for the rest, we can only hope that the gradual spread of 
 Christian education will result in a corresponding increase 
 of preparedness to receive and adopt the truth. 
 
 The Schools. — Under the superintendence of the evan- 
 gelists at Vatomandry, Mahanoro, Tamatave, Mahavelona, 
 Fenoarivo, and Anonibe, the schools have made some advance 
 during the last ten years, although Ave are unable to gauge it 
 accurately. Thereareaboutforty-threeschools,of which, how- 
 ever, it has been found impossible to examine more than twenty- 
 three. About one-third of the children are able to read, and 
 
120 
 
 more than one-fourth are able to write. It would be mislead- 
 ing to take this proportion as a measure of the others, which 
 are not within reach of even a pretence to ef&cient superin- 
 tendence, and many of which are schools only in name. In 
 almost all the congregations children are written as scholars, 
 but there is comparatively regular teaching in a few only. 
 
 Good teachers are seldom to be had, and adequate means for 
 their support are not always forthcoming. The vSociety renders 
 aid to various schools, but that of itself is not sufficient, and 
 the congregations are not sufficiently alive to the importance 
 of education to induce them to contribute liberally towards 
 the maintenance of an instructor for their children. Indeed 
 many parents v/ould rather pay for the privilege of keeping 
 them in ignorance. Hence little is to be expected in the shape 
 of material advancement. In some places, however, people 
 are being stirred up to a sense of their duty, and evangelists 
 and teachers are doing something towards preparing lads 
 v/ho shall have the future charge of schools. At Tamatave 
 we have upwards of forty who have been brought up from 
 various places in the district with the view of training them 
 for teachers. vSomething may be done with them perhaps, 
 but we are not very sanguine of success. The experiment 
 was tried before and failed. Many of the boys ran away, 
 and of those that remained and had some training, there are 
 not any who are engaged in the work of teaching. The 
 only one we know got well nigh starved out by the people 
 whose children he undertook to teach, and the last we saw 
 of him was at Diego Suarez, where he had taken refuge under 
 the French flag, and had found a much more lucrative 
 business of a very questionable character. 
 
 The monetary difficulty is certainly a very serious one. 
 If the lads at present in training could receive material 
 assistance until such time as they are able to be employed 
 as teachers, and if then there could be a fair prospect of their 
 receiving sufficient remuneration to enable them to live 
 decently, there would be a better hope of pushing forward 
 educationtil work, and laying a more solid foundation for the 
 spiritual superstructure we are so desirous of erecting. In 
 this, however, as in other things, we can but do our best. 
 By and by perhaps, if more mission funds are not available, 
 and even if they are, the Government and the people will 
 wake up to a sense of their duty to the children and provide 
 the necessary funds for their education. In the meantime, 
 the native church is not unmindful of their interests. Every 
 congregation where there is a school does something;, though 
 that something is not much ; and at the yearly meeting held 
 at Tamatave last June, so important did the work appear 
 
121 
 
 to the representatives of the churches, that they resolved to 
 devote the whole of the sums brought up in aid of the Local 
 Missionary Association, amounting in all to about ^ lo, to 
 the assistance of the most needy schools. 
 
 Sale of Books. — Considerable attention has been bestow- 
 ed on the sale of books and other school materials in the 
 belief that that in itself is a powerful means of spreading 
 education. Much must have been done in this direction 
 before 1887. Since July of that year we have been able to 
 dispose amongst other things of the following : — 
 
 Bibles 102 
 
 Testaments 712 
 
 Hymn Books 1362 
 
 Elementary lesson books 5900 
 
 Catechisms and small books 2850 
 
 Arithmetics 149 
 
 Slates 859 
 
 Grammars 620 
 
 Geographies 520 
 
 Commentaries for preachers, etc. 353 
 
 This is not all by any means that oug^ht to have been done. 
 
 But it is sufficient to prove that our native helpers have not 
 
 been idle, and that there is something like life in the people 
 
 amongst whom we are labouring ; for when a Malagasy 
 
 parts with his money, it is a sure sign that he values the thing 
 
 he gets in exchange for it. This diffusion of the means of 
 
 useful knowledge over a wide and sparsely populated district, 
 
 and the active attempt to impart it by week-day teaching 
 
 and Sunday preaching, cannot be and is not in vain. The 
 
 result to us sometimes appears to be nothing or worse 
 
 than nothing in the form of wilful persistence in evil. But 
 
 God surely has the work in His own keeping, and although 
 
 the workers are often weary and despondent over apparently 
 
 unfruitful toil, He himself will send the blessing in His own 
 
 way and in His own time. 
 
122 
 THE SOUTH-EAST COAST MISSION. 
 
 Commencement of the Mission.— As a mission district 
 of the London Missionary Society, the work was commenced 
 here in October, 1887, by the settlement of a missionary at 
 P^arafangana or Ambahy, a central point, and from which 
 access to the various parts of the district can be obtained 
 with comparative ease. Some years previously to this, 
 evangelists had been sent from the native Missionary Society 
 in the Capital to attempt work in this south-eastern corner 
 of the island, but the result only goes to prove, what has 
 been felt by most missionaries, that even the best of the 
 Malagasy are but weak-kneed, and very apt to quickly 
 deteriorate and lose their first enthusiasm when far removed 
 from the influence of the European. There was in 1887 very 
 little to shew that any attempts at teaching or preaching had 
 been made previously, even in the chief towns, and for all 
 intents and purposes of mission work, this was virgin soil. 
 
 Preceding the missionary by three months, another batch 
 of native evangelists had been sent from the Capital to work 
 under his superintendence at the four principal towns, viz : 
 Ambahy, Mahamanina, Vohipeno, and Ankarana. By the 
 time the missionary arrived, a small school had been formed 
 in each place, and a rough building erected as school-house 
 and chapel. But civil war broke out soon after, involving 
 several of the largest tribes, and entirely preventing any 
 attempt at work in the villages. Fortunately, though sharp 
 and disastrous to some tribes, the war was short; and early 
 in 1888 endeavours were made to influence the villages. 
 Meanwhile the mission house, school-room, dispensary, 
 teachers' houses, etc., had been erected in Ambahy, and by 
 assistance rendered to the many wounded, the fact that a 
 missionary had come to reside among them was noised about 
 over the whole district and beyond it. 
 
 Education. — Where darkness reigns and superstition 
 is rife, there can be little doubt that the education of the 
 young is a matter of primary importance. The mind of 
 the scholars is not only susceptible to influences for good, 
 but the heart has not become so imbued with reverence 
 tor ancient customs and foolish rites, with the fear of 
 evil designs on the part of the spirits of the dead, and 
 with the power of the diviners. They have not yet learned 
 to pray to their dead :incestors, and are easily led to lift up 
 the voice to the only Hearer of prayer ; and what is at first 
 
123 
 
 merely a form becomes, by the Spirit's influence, a devout 
 raising of the heart to God. 
 
 By the help of the native chiefs, as well as by the 
 assistance of the Hova officials, schools have been formed 
 in many of the larger centres of population. At first 
 a successful effort was made to enlarge the existing four 
 schools, and an appeal was made to the brethren in 
 the Betsileo province for teachers. We secured three, 
 and then an extension of the means of education was 
 at once made. As a few of the elder boys gave proof of 
 ability, they were separated from the general school, with a 
 view of receiving additional training' to fit them for teaching 
 the merest rudiments to the scholars of the newly-formed 
 schools under the superintendence and guidance of the 
 evangelists and the Betsileo teachers. In this way progress 
 has been made, and there have been established during the 
 three years since the Mission commenced 55 schools, with 
 about 3C00 scholars in daily attendance, of whom 905 have 
 learned to read in the New Testament, also to write and work 
 some arithmetic. 
 
 In the mission compound is a house for the accommoda- 
 tion of those under training for teachers. Of these there 
 are now nine, drawn from the various tribes around, and 
 who have entered into an engagement to remain at least 
 three years. The evangelist has a room in this house, 
 and takes the supervision of the lads when they are 
 not in the school practising, or in their classes with the 
 missionary. By keeping them constantly near the mission 
 house, a salutary effect is more quickly produced, and last 
 July we had the gratification of baptising the eldest lad, the 
 first-fruits of our prayers and solicitude. x\notherdwellingclose 
 to the mission house is occupied by the female evangelist, 
 who came at her own request from the Capital to work 
 among these people. She and her assistant take charge of 
 nine girls under the superintendence of the missionary's wife. 
 In this way a more direct and effective influence is being 
 exerted on those of the young who will, in the future, be the 
 leaders, it is hoped, in the good work. These have not been 
 gathered without trouble. It was long before the people 
 had sufficient confidence in the white man to allow even 
 their sons to come and live in his compound, and greater 
 difficulty was experienced in the case of the girls. But 
 now all is changed, and there are more applicants than 
 accommodation, and some have had to be rejected. 
 
 Itinerating.— Most of the villages of any size have been 
 visited, and many of them frequently during each year. 
 Examinations of schools have been conducted every six 
 
124 
 
 months, and prizes distributed to the deserving children ; 
 and the Gospel has been preached to all who could be as- 
 sembled together. Often this has meant that the missionary 
 has gone from house to hou.se seeking his congregation, 
 especially during the first two years of the Mission, when he 
 was regarded with a certain amount of distrust, if not of 
 actual fear. In the early stages of mission work, itinerating 
 forms an important part of the missionary's labour. 
 
 Medical Work. — Three times a week patients are seen 
 and medicine given in the dispensary. After a short 
 service has been held in the waiting-room, each patient is 
 examined and treated separately. The number varies greatly. 
 Sometimes there are only 5 or 6, at other times over 30. Many 
 of these come from a long distance, and we trust are a means 
 of carrying some of the truths of the Gospel into the unknown 
 interior. 
 
 Sunday Schools. — These have been formed at Farafa- 
 ngana and Ankarana, the former with an attendance of 120, 
 and the latter with nearly 100. These are taught by the 
 evangelists and day-school teachers, and by the missionary's 
 wife at the mission station. A very great deal of interest is 
 manifested, and good is being done. 
 
 Sunday Services. — These are conducted by the mission- 
 ary, the evangelists and teachers, and a few Christian Hova 
 located in the district, and in some places the Sabbath is now- 
 recognized and kept as a day of rest. Two years ago there 
 was very little difference between Sunday and the other 
 days in Farafangana, whereas now it is but seldom that any 
 one is seen fishing or at work on the Sabbath, and the con- 
 gregation, which then consisted of 20 or 30, numbers now 
 between 500 and 600. 
 
 Enquirers.— Too short a time has elapsed for us to feel any 
 impatience for the highest results, and so we feel cheered that 
 sorrie have come forward as candidates for baptism without 
 any undue persuasion. And now in Farafangana there is a 
 class of nine men and women from different villages learning 
 once a week with the missionary, with a view to being bap- 
 tised and received as members of the church of Christ. 
 
 Classes. — Two classes have been formed here, one 
 taught by the female evangelist twice a week, and one by 
 the missionary's wife. From these great results are expected, 
 as gaining the women means an influence on the whole family. 
 Bible classes and preachers' classes are also held on 
 Saturdays, when the teachers from the villages near come to 
 join with the Hova preachers and teachers here. They have 
 been well attended, and the effect has been visible in increas- 
 ed usefulness in the Sunday services. 
 
125 
 
 TABLE SHOWING THE LENGTH OF SERVICE OF EACH MIS- 
 SIONARY WHO HAS BEEN CONNECTED WITH THE MA- 
 DAGASCAR MISSION WITHIN THE LAST DECADE, WITH 
 THE STATION OR STATIONS HE HAS OCCUPIED. 
 
 Name. 
 
 Station. 
 
 'o "S ^ 
 ^■5 g 
 
 2 00 
 
 
 
 «l^ 
 
 
 W. E. Cousins 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1862 
 
 
 J. Barrett 
 
 , , 
 
 1 J 
 
 1885 
 
 B. Briggs 
 
 ,, 
 
 1863 
 
 
 J. Pearse 
 
 Imerina, Antsihanaka and Betsileo 
 
 } } 
 
 
 J. Sibree 
 
 Ambohimanga and Antananarivo 
 
 
 
 G. Cousins 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1864 
 
 1884 
 
 C. Jukes 
 
 ,, 
 
 1866 
 
 
 J. Richardson 
 
 Betsileo and Antananarivo 
 
 1869 
 
 
 J. Wills 
 
 Ambohimanga and Antananarivo 
 
 1870 
 
 
 P. G. Peake 
 
 Antananarivo and Isoavina 
 
 
 
 W. Montgomery 
 
 ,, 
 
 '^ 
 
 1889 
 
 T. T. Alatthews 
 
 Vonizongo and Antananarivo 
 
 
 
 C. F. Moss 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 
 1882 
 
 T. Brockway 
 
 Ambositra (Betsileo) 
 
 1 87 1 
 
 
 !g. A.Shaw 
 
 Fianaran tsoa( Betsileo) an dS.E. Coast 
 
 
 
 E. H. Stribling 
 
 Vonizongo and Antsihanaka 
 
 
 
 J. A. Houlder 
 
 Imerina and Tamatave 
 
 
 
 H. W. Grain ge 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1872 
 
 1882 
 
 R. Baron 
 
 Betsileo and Imerina 
 
 
 
 J. C. Thorne 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 
 
 T. Lord 
 
 J , 
 
 1873 
 
 
 W. C. Pickersgill 
 
 Imerina and Iboina 
 
 
 1883 
 
 J. Peill 
 
 Ambohibeloma and Ambohimanga 
 
 
 
 W. D. Cowan 
 
 Fianarantsoa (Betsileo) 
 
 1874 
 
 1881 
 
 C. T. Price 
 
 Fanjakana ,, 
 
 187s 
 
 1882 
 
 T. Rowlands 
 
 Ambohimandroso ,; 
 
 1879 
 
 
 J. Taylor 
 
 Tsiafahy (Imerina) 
 
 1880 
 
 
 A. S. Huckett 
 
 Imerina and Betsileo 
 
 
 
 T. Capsey, B.A. 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1881 
 
 i88s 
 
 C. Collins 
 
 Ambohibeloma (Imerina) 
 
 
 1886 
 
 H. T. Johnson 
 
 Fianarantsoa (Betsileo) 
 
 
 
 J. R. Bennett 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1882 
 
 1883 
 
 E. Taylor 
 
 Ambohimandroso (Betsileo) 
 
 
 1888 
 
 J. H. Haile 
 
 Ambohibeloma (Imerina) 
 
 1886 
 
 
 A. W. Wilson 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 
 
 J. G. Mackay 
 
 Antsihanaka 
 
 
 
 J. Flockhart 
 
 Vonizongo 
 
 
 1888 
 
 S. Ashwell 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1887 
 1889 
 
 
 W. Huckett 
 
 Vonizongo 
 
 
 R. Hitch 
 
 S. E. Coast 
 
 1890 
 
 R. Roberts 
 
 Ambohinamboarina (Betsileo) 
 
 1890 
 
 
 Miss Bliss 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1876 
 1879 
 
 
 Miss Cockin 
 
 Fianarantsoa (Betsileo) 
 
 1889 
 
 Miss Craven 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 1883 
 
 
 Miss Fredoux 
 
 [Fianarantsoa (Betsileo) 
 
 1 1886 
 
 
126 
 
 MISSIONARIES STILL CONNECTED WITH THE MISSION (1890). 
 
 Name. 
 
 < c 
 
 ^ 
 
 H 
 Q ex 
 
 Date of Arrival 
 in Madagascar. 
 
 Present Station. 
 
 Department of Labour. 
 
 W. E. Cousins 
 
 1862 
 
 Aug. 9,1862 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 Ambohipotsy District 
 
 B. Brigo:s 
 
 1863 
 
 May 29, 1864 
 
 " 
 
 Ampamarinana ,, 
 
 J. Pearse 
 
 >> 
 
 Oct. 7, 1863 
 
 Fianarantsoa 
 
 [sandra ,, 
 
 J. Sibree* i „ 
 
 Sept. 30, 1863 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 College &Analakely ,, 
 
 C. Jukes I 
 
 1866 
 
 Aug. 16, 1866 
 
 >» 
 
 Ankadibevava ,, 
 
 J, Richardson 
 
 1869 
 
 June 8, 1869 
 
 >> 
 
 Normal School, etc. 
 
 J. Wills* 
 
 1870 
 
 „ 5. 1870 
 
 )) 
 
 Faravohitra Dist. 
 
 P. G. Peake 
 
 ,, 
 
 ,. ,, ,. 
 
 Isoavina 
 
 Isoavina ,, 
 
 T.T.Matthews* 
 
 ,, 
 
 July 15. .. 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 Ambatonakanga ,, 
 
 T. Brockwayt 
 
 1871 
 
 ,, 14, 1871 
 
 Ambositra 
 
 Ambositra ,, 
 
 G. A. ShawJ 
 
 >) 
 
 ., w .. 
 
 S.E. Coast 
 
 S.E. Coast ,, 
 
 E. H. Stribling 
 
 )> 
 
 ), !> )) 
 
 Ambatondrazaka 
 
 Antsihanaka ,, 
 
 J. A. Houlder 
 
 ,, 
 
 », )) )) 
 
 Tamatave 
 
 Tamatave ,, 
 
 R. Baron 
 
 1872 
 
 Nov. ID, 1872 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 Amparibe ,, 
 
 J. C. Thorne 
 
 ,, 
 
 ,, 1, ,> 
 
 ,, 
 
 Palace School, etc. 
 
 T. Lord 
 
 1873 
 
 July 18, 1873 
 
 .. 
 
 Superintendent of Sch. 
 
 J. Peill 
 
 >j 
 
 Oct. 25, ,, 
 
 Ambohimanga 
 
 Ambohimanga Dist. 
 
 T. Rowlands 
 
 1879 
 
 Aug. 25,1879 
 
 Ambohimandroso 
 
 Ambohimandroso ,, 
 
 J. Taylor* 
 
 1880 
 
 Oct. 28, 1880 
 
 Tsiafahy 
 
 Tsiafahy ,, 
 
 A. S. Hucketf 
 
 ,, 
 
 >, )) ,) 
 
 Fianarantsoa 
 
 larindrano ,, 
 
 H. T. Johnson 
 
 1881 
 
 July 19, 1881 
 
 >> 
 
 Ilalangina ,, 
 
 J. H. Haile 
 
 1886 
 
 Nov. I, 1886 
 
 Ambohibeloma 
 
 Ambohibeloma ,, 
 
 A. W. Wilson 
 
 ,, 
 
 ,, ,, ,, 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 College, etc. 
 
 J. G. Mackay 
 
 ,, 
 
 ,, ,. ,. 
 
 Antsihanaka 
 
 Medical work, etc. 
 
 S. Ashwell 
 
 1887 
 
 Sept. 5, 1887 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 Printing Office, etc. 
 
 W. Huckett 
 R. Roberts 
 
 i88g 
 189c 
 
 „ 8, 1889 
 Aug. 20, 1890 
 
 Vonizongo r ■ 
 
 '^ [nna 
 
 Ambohinamboa- 
 
 Vonizongo District 
 Manandriana ,, 
 
 Miss Bliss 
 
 187^ 
 
 June 29, 1876 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 Girls' Central School 
 
 Miss Craven* 
 
 i88j 
 
 Nov. 24, 1883 
 
 >) 
 
 M 11 (, 
 
 Miss Fredoux 
 
 i88d 
 
 ,, I. 1886 
 
 Fianarantsoa 
 
 >» I> >, 
 
 * In England, f 12 years in S. Africa previously. J 3 years in South Seas previously. 
 
m 
 
 DEATHS OF MISSIONARIES OR MISSIONARIES' WIVES 
 
 FROM 1880 TO iSqO. 
 
 Name. 
 
 
 Date of Arrival 
 in Madagascar. 
 
 Station. 
 
 Date of Decease. 
 
 Mrs. Capsey 
 
 1881 
 
 July 19, 1881 
 
 Antananarivo 
 
 April 10, 1882 
 
 Rev.T.Capsey,B-A. 
 
 .. 
 
 M >, ,, 
 
 )> 
 
 ,, 12, 1886 
 
 Mrs. Stribling 
 
 1871 
 
 ,, 14, I87I 
 
 Ambatondrazaka 
 
 Nov. 29, 1886 
 
 Mrs. Haile 
 
 1886 
 
 Nov. I, 1886 
 
 Ambohibeloma 
 
 Dec. 24, 1888 
 
 DEATHS OF CHILDREN OF MISSION FAMILIES 
 
 FROM 1880 TO i8qO. 
 
 Name of Parentage. 
 
 Date of Decease. 
 
 Age. 
 
 Frankie, son of Rev. P. G. Peake 
 
 Nov. 
 
 15. 
 
 1880 
 
 7 years 
 
 Winnifred, daughter of Rev. R. Baron 
 
 Dec. 
 
 I, 
 
 1883 
 
 7 months 
 
 Marion, daughter of Rev. W. E. Cousins 
 
 Dec. 
 
 21, 
 
 1885 
 
 18 years 
 
 Margaret Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. C. Collins 
 
 Mar. 
 
 12, 
 
 1888 
 
 13 months 
 
 Charles, son of Rev. C. Collins 
 
 July 
 
 13. 
 
 1888 
 
 6 years 
 
 Arthur Willie, son of Rev. A. S. Huckett 
 
 Nov. 
 
 6, 
 
 1889 
 
 3 months 
 
 Katie Margaret, daughter of Rev. J. A. Houlder 
 
 Nov. 
 
 17. 
 
 1889 
 
 4 months 
 
 Ursula, daughter of Mr. J. C. Thorne 
 
 Jan. 
 
 9. 
 
 1891 
 
 I month 
 
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130 
 
 NOTES ON THE TABLES OF STATISTICS. 
 
 THE accompanying statistics require a few notes of com- 
 ment and explanation. 
 
 The table on page 128, as will be seen, gives the total 
 statistics of all the L.M.S. Missions throughout the island for 
 the years 1880 and 1890, as well as those of the L.M.S. and 
 F.F.M.A. combined for 1890. It has been found impossible, 
 for various reasons, to g'et the figures complete, hence the 
 queries in many of the columns. Had we been able to fill 
 in these gaps, the totals, under many of the headings, would 
 of course have been larger than they now are. 
 
 It ought also to be remembered that many other scattered 
 churches exist in distant parts of the country where Hova 
 are settled, but of which it has been impossible to obtain any 
 statistics. 
 
 In the table on page 129 may be seen the numerical increase 
 (or, in a few particulars, decrease) in the number of 
 churches, etc., that has taken place in each Mission within 
 the last ten years. On the w^hole, the figures are extremely 
 satisfactory and encouraging, showing, as they db, good 
 sound progress. A few of them, however, are noteworthy. 
 For example, under the Imerina Mission it will be seen 
 that the number of adults connected with the churches who 
 are able to read has gone up within the decade from 
 22,613 to 40,359, or nearly double. This and other similar 
 facts speak for themselves. As regards the number of child- 
 ren in the Sunday schools, it will be seen that, whereas in 
 1880 there were 300, there are in 1890 as many as 9200. There 
 are also nearly 10,000 more names of children on the day- 
 school registers than there were in 1880. As for the total 
 contributions raised by the churches, it will be noticed that 
 they have been more than doubled. 
 
 On the other hand, there is a decrease to the extent of over 
 10,000 in the number of church members, and of 8612 in the 
 number of scholars able to read ! These therefore demand a 
 word of explanation. In regard to the decrease in the number 
 of church members, it is not perhaps a matter which 
 ought to be regarded with much reg"ret, inasmuch as it 
 shows that there is a more spiritual conscience growing among 
 the churches. Many of the unworthy have either retired or 
 been expelled from church membership, and the churches are 
 evidently becoming more careful as to the character of those 
 whom they receive. 
 
 The large decrease in the number of scholars able to read 
 
131 
 
 is startling, and, at first sight, one is inclined to suspect an 
 error somewhere in the figures. It seems, however, undeni- 
 able that the 18,806 readers in 1880 have gone down to 10,194 
 in i8go ! This is explained to a large extent by the fact (as 
 stated more fully on pp. 66 and 67) that the elder boys in 
 the schools have, especially during the last two or three 
 years, frequently been removed by the Government and 
 enrolled as soldiers, or taken from school to search for gold' 
 for the Queen, thus not only thinning but injuring the schools 
 and prejudicing them in the eyes of the people. 
 
 In regard to Betsileo, the figures, as will be seen, are also 
 of a cheering character, the only exception, and that merely 
 a seeming one, being in the number of adherents. The 
 missionaries in Betsileo, following a different standard, give 
 under "Other Native Adherents" (p. 97) the number 15,620, 
 though the Report iox 1886 gave 44,177. Not improbably the 
 15,620 refers to the average total in attendance on worship 
 on Sundays. What is meant in Imerina by "Total Native 
 Adherents," however, is the number of those who are supposed 
 to attend the churches either regularly or occasionally, 
 the "Average Sunday Attendance" being given in another 
 column. The number 15,620 may be replaced therefore by, 
 say, 45,000. The amount given to teachers and thetotal contri- 
 butions for 1880, as given in the last two columns, were only 
 approximations to the truth, but the latter of these is doubt- 
 less much too large. It will be seen that within the decade 
 the number of children's names on the school registers has 
 increased three fold, a very pleasing and encouraging fact. 
 It would have been interesting to know the number of read- 
 ers, but our friends in Betsileo have unfortunately not sup- 
 plied us with the figures. Probably 12,000 or 14,000 will 
 not be far from the truth. 
 
 In Antsihanaka the totals are extremely satisfactory. The 
 number of the churches within the last ten j'-ears has been 
 doubled, of adherents more than trebled, the Bibles and 
 Testaments in circulation more than quadrupled, whilst the 
 number of preachers and of adults able to read has increased 
 six fold. The progress in regard to the schools and native 
 monetary contributions are equally encouraging. 
 
 For all this remarkable increase, and the progress of the 
 people which it implies, we give God thanks, and pray that 
 in the year 1900 we may have to record a great spiritual 
 harvest, of which we have begun already to gather the first- 
 fruits. 
 
132 
 
 THE FRIENDS' FOREIGN MISSION 
 ASSOCIATION. 
 
 [As the missionaries of tlie Friends' Foreign Mission Association 
 work in such close co-operation with those of the London Missionary 
 Society, we here append a brief report of their work during the last ten 
 years.] 
 
 THE Friends' Mission in this country during the past 
 decade has consisted on an average, year by year, or 
 four married missionaries, two and sometimes three single 
 ladies, and one single gentleman. 
 
 While uniting with the agents of the London Missionary 
 Society in all common work, such as Bible Revision, the 
 conduct of the Imerina Church Union and Missionary Soci- 
 ety, the Medical Mission, in preaching, and in other ways, 
 the Friends have their own clearly defined sphere of work, 
 extending from the Capital towards the south-west, the charge 
 of a congregation in the Capital, which is the "mother-church" 
 of those under their care in the country, their own High 
 Schools in the Capital, a Printing Press, and a small mission 
 to the Sakalava, supported by their adherents. 
 
 The most important feature of the country work has been 
 the opening of two mission stations, each consisting of a 
 suitable residence for the missionary, with an adjoining High 
 School and Cottage Hospital. That in Mandridrano, eighteen 
 hours to the west of the Capital, was occupied in 1888, and 
 has proved ot great value in bringing the missionary into 
 close quarters with his people and work. And the natives, 
 even those not interested in his religious teaching, greatly 
 appreciate the medical help which his residence among them 
 affords. The same may be said of the second station at 
 Arivonimamo, eight hours west. Here the missionary has 
 been settled since the close of 1887, renting a native house 
 till a more suitable residence could be put up. This has 
 since been successfully accomplished, with the addition of 
 rooms for a single lady, who will assist in the work among 
 the women and girls. 
 
 The country congregations under the care of the Friends 
 have increased by 22 since 1880, and now number 140. The 
 preachers have increased by 69, but the church members 
 have fallen off to the extent of 330, leaving as the present 
 total 3028. This shows a growth of enlightenment on the 
 part of the people, who no longer rush into the churches to 
 
133 
 
 prove their loyalty to their Queen, or at the bidding of the 
 local authorities ; and we hope it means that the heathen 
 element is being gradually eliminated from our congrega- 
 tions. There have been new members received year by year, 
 but they do not yet, as a whole, outnumber those who drop 
 away. There are 1087 more adult readers than there were 
 ten years ago, and 2624 more Bibles and Testaments in their 
 hands. Many of the old chapels have been replaced by more 
 substantial structures, though even these still leave much to 
 be desired both in character and appearance. 
 
 The "mother-church" of Ambohitantely, while it has lost a 
 third of its "members," has largely increased its "adherents" 
 and those able to read. Bibles and Testaments have nearly 
 trebled in number. 
 
 Our High Schools for boys and girls have been in success- 
 ful operation throughout the decade. The standard of the 
 entrance examinations has been raised from time to time, in 
 order to exclude such as may be suitably instructed in the 
 elementary schools, and the ground covered by the scheme 
 of education has been much enlarged. In spite of the higher 
 entrance test, however, the schools remain full, and we could 
 find more scholars if the accommodation were increased. 
 
 There has been manifested of late years an earnest Christ- 
 ian spirit in many of our scholars past and present. They 
 shew an intelligent understanding of the Gospel teaching 
 they have received, and exemplify its power by lives of purity 
 and uprightness, by unselfish acts of kindness and love, by 
 maintaining a number of little daily prayer meetings in 
 private houses, and, on the part of some, by preaching in 
 chapel, market, and country village. 
 
 The country elementary schools have become much more 
 numerous of late years than they were. A more intelligent 
 and efficient class of teachers is gradually being introduced, 
 from whom we may hope for improved results. 
 
 The F.F.M.A. Printing Office has found abundant work 
 in producing school books and other printed matter, as well 
 as maps and book illustrations. A monthly paper called The 
 Chiij'cJi and School \^a,s begun in 1884, and occupies a useful 
 and popular position, as does also I he Friend 0/ Youth, an 
 illustrated periodical for young people. 
 
 There is no doubt that the spiritual culture of the churches 
 here is slowly progressing. The minds of the more thought- 
 ful people are being led to estimate truly much that is evil 
 about them, and though as yet there is much fear of man, 
 preventing a courageous stand for the right, that will also 
 grow in due time. The feet of many are turned to follow 
 their Lord, and the outcome is sure. 
 
134 
 
 
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 ^.,3-«8 321818 « 
 
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 Ten years' review of mission work in 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00039 7028