The cholera epidemic 1867 left a large number of Algerian orphans, and the education and Christian instruction of these children was the occasion of the founding of the society in Maison-Carrée (now El-Harrach) near Algiers; but from its inception the founder had in mind the conversion of the Arabs and the peoples of Central Africa. Lavigerie instructed his missionaries to speak the language of the people, eat the same food, and wear the same clothing. They therefore adopted the North African dress: the gandoura, the Arab cloak and the chechia, with as a religious sign a rosary worn around the neck like necklace. The nickname "White Fathers" derives from their garb.