354 POPULAR HYMNS. 



through all portions of the service is still the prevailing 

 fashion, and leaves much room for improvement. 



During the last three or four years there has been what 

 may be almost called a revival of congregational singing. A 

 large number of good Malagasy hymns have been written, all 

 in good rhythm, and many in rhyme, both by the mission- 

 aries and by natives. These have been set to lively tunes, 

 many of those introduced by the American revivalists being 

 now as popular in Madagascar as they were in England, and 

 have spread rapidly all over the country ; so that " Hold the 

 Fort," " Eing the Bells of Heaven," " The Sweet By-and-by," 

 and many others, are now as well known in their Malagasy 

 dress as in their original English form. Besides these, many 

 of the more classical English hymns have been naturalised in 

 Malagasy, such, for instance, as "Bock of Ages," "Hail to the 

 Lord's Anointed," and numerous others. In the capital and 

 its neighbourhood these Christian hymns have quite supplanted 

 the native songs, and are heard in every direction in the city 

 and the villages at the close of the day, when the people are 

 gathered together in family groups round their evening meal. 

 The introduction of the Tonic-Sol-fa system has done very 

 much to deepen and extend the national love of music and 

 singing, and many hundreds of the younger people can now 

 sing with ease from this notation. 



In preaching also a great advance' has been made. A few 

 years ago almost any one would undertake to rise and address 

 a congregation, for the Malagasy are naturally fluent and con- 

 fident public speakers ; but now, a general increase of intelli- 

 gence on the part of the hearers has necessitated a much 

 higher standard of ability on the part of the preachers ; so 

 that a constantly increasing body of intelligent men, well 

 versed in the Scriptures and able to speak with power, is 

 being raised up for the instruction of the native church. 

 Some few of these men are orators of no mean order, and have 

 great influence among the churches and in the country 

 generally ; and many of them can use their national legends 

 and proverbs with very powerful effect. 



In education and general enlightenment the central pro- 

 vinces of Madagascar stand in a somewhat advanced position 



