The Institute For Deaf Mutes, under Mr. Van Asch's superintendence and direction, is situated at Sumner, and is a very important educational establishment. It was founded in 1880, by the New Zealand Government in small premises, and after several changes necessitated by the growth of the institution, now occupies two large wooden buildings, about half a mile apart, leased from Mr. C. L. Wiggins. The main building, a two-storey structure with verandah and balcony, is in the centre of about nine acres of land and contains about thirty rooms, accommodating thirty boys and a complete staff of servants. The domestic arrangements are in the hands of a steward and matron. At the rear, the school-rooms, four in number, are found. These are insufficient to accommodate the whole of the pupils and teaching staff. Consequently, part of the tuition is carried on at Beach Glen, which is also used as a residence for the director, and as a home for the girls who are in charge of the sub-matron. Pupils are drawn from all parts of the Colony, from Puhi in the north of Auckland, to Riverton in the south of Otago. The children are sent home regularly for their Christmas holidays, their travelling expenses being provided by the State. No child is debarred from becoming an inmate by reason of the poverty of its parents, but where the parents are able to contribute, their payments vary from £3 to £40 per annum, a certificate made before a magistrate as to the ability or otherwise of the parents to contribute, being required by the Department of Education. The clothing of the children is provided by their parents, repairs being attended to at the school. The system of education is that known as The Pure Oral System. The children are taught to speak with the mouth and to perceive the articulate speech of their neighbours by observing the movements of the lips, etc. Signs and finger language are entirely lgnored, their use being detrimental to the acquiring of speech, and of the habit of thinking in forms of language. The age at which children are usually admitted is seven. All pupils are expected to remain at school at least eight years, so as to enable them to learn the same subjects as hearing children, and, on leaving school, to converse with their friends and relatives, to read plain language with intelligence and to comprehend the greater part of the daily newspapers. The system of technical training is still incomplete, owing to the necessity for permanent premises, and, in the director's opinion, Sumner is not the most suitable locality for a permanent institution. It should be nearer to one of the centres of population, where advanced pupils can be boarded out. The staff of the establishment consists of the director and five assistant teachers. In addition to the ordinary schoolwork, the boys receive regular lessons in gardening, and the older ones in carpentry and milking; the girls receive instruction in sewing and domestic economy. The children enter with zest into outdoor and indoor games, the boys being especially proficient in football and other field-sports. There is a small museum in course of formation at the school.