286 
MADAGASCAR. 
may be traced to the noble and disinterested work 
which good men of various schools of thought, 
as well as of many nationalities, have ungrudg¬ 
ingly bestowed upon the Malagasy, with a fear¬ 
ful loss of life and of health, and an enormous 
expenditure of time, and patience, and means. 
The generous sympathy and heroic devotion of 
some of these friends of the country, the sufferings 
they have undergone for its enlightenment and 
advancement, the ready sacrifice they have made 
for its highest interests, and the special marks of 
friendship and goodwill which it has received in 
rich abundance from the leading Governments 
of the world, have all combined to place upon 
the sovereign, the Government, and the people of 
Madagascar an obligation to persevere in the 
course of self-emancipation from the trammels 
of lingering superstitions, and the imperfect 
realisation of their capacities and responsibilities 
which still cling to them; and there is every 
reason to believe that the time will come, and 
that not in the far future, when this solemn 
obligation will be nobly and honourably dis¬ 
charged. 
