were of immense value, and to them is to be
attributed much of the skill of the Madagascar workman of today.

There is no doubt that the manifest utility of their work did much to
win for the mission a measure of tolerance from the heathen rulers of
the country. One of the missionaries with great mechanical skill, in his
"Recollections," states that Queen Ranavalona in 1830 was beginning to
feel uneasy about the growing influence of foreign ideas and wished to
get rid of the missionaries. She sent officers to carry her message, and
the missionaries were gathered together to meet the messengers, and were
told that they had been a long time in the country and had taught much,
and that it was time for them to think of returning to their native
land. The missionaries, alarmed at this message, answered that they had
only begun to teach some of the elements of knowledge, and that very
many more remained to be imported, mentioning sundry branches of
education, among which were Greek and Hebrew languages, which had
already been taught to some. The messengers returned to the Queen, and
soon came back with the answer: "The Queen does not care much for Greek
and Hebrew. Can you teach how to make soap?" (And if cleanliness is akin
to godliness she was evidently groping in the right direction.) This was
an awkward question to address theologians; almost as much so as "Do you
know enough to come in out of the rain?" to some college graduates; but
after a moment's pause Mr. Griffith turned to Mr. Cameron and asked him
if he could answer it. "Give me a week," and it was given, and when the
messengers again met at the close of the week a bar of tolerable good
white soap, made from materials found in the country, was presented.
This was entirely satisfactory, and the manufacture of soap was
forthwith introduced, and is still continued to the present day. This
bar of soap gained the missionaries a respite of five years, the Queen
tolerating their presence on account of material advantage derived from
the work of the artisans. In believing that industrial training, the
knowledge to make things in demand, was the first necessary step for
the elevation of her people, the Queen was eminently correct.

During the fifteen years (from 1820 to 1835) the mission was allowed to
exist it was estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 children passed through
school, so that when the missionaries were compelled to leave the island
there were thousands who had l