SUMNER DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2277, 20 July 1881, Page 3

SUMNER DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM.

pFEOSI THE OWN COEKESPONDENT OF THE “ PBESS.”j WE LLINGTON, July 19. The following report on the Sumner Deaf and Dumb Asylum was presented to Parliament this evening : (1.) Beport of the medical officer, dated 13th ult. There are at present 21 pupils, 13 boys, and 8 girls, their ages ranging from six to nineteen. All were in good health until recently, but on the 20th of May lest a lad from one of the neighboring provinces after a fortnight’s admission was attacked with measles, and during the following week thirteen children were laid up, including three of the director’s children. They are now quite recovered. Three pupils in the institution have not been vaccinated, or at least have not the vaccine marks. I purpose attending to them immediately they have regained their strength. The buildings and premises occupied have been kept scrupulously clean and orderly. Since my last report extra accommodation has been most advantageously added. It consists of the dwelling house, detached schoolroom, and playgrounds, lately occupied by Mr Wiggins. The premises as they are at present are quite sufficient to accommodate thirty children. The schoolroom bsing subdivided and ventilated, is suited for the requirements of that number of pupils. The diet supplied is a good mixed and generous one. The fact that the pupils take their meals with the director, his family, and the assistant teacher would appear to furnish a sufficient guarantee that the food is of good quality and well cooked, inasmuch as there is no distinction made iu this respect between the pupils and those who are in charge of them. The pupils, as far as my observation enables mo to judge, are making pood progress in their education. The appointment of an assistant lady teacher, as recommended by me in October lust, has added considerably to the efficient working of the educational system, as the director is now enabled to devote a greater portion of his time to the more advanced pupils under hia care, the assistant teacher being in the meantime engaged with the younger ones. I cannot close my report without assuring you of the pleasure which it has afforded mo to inspect an institution which I am satisfied is so thoroughly well conducted and managed. It is only right to add that during the recent attack of measles a considerable amount of extra trouble and care were necessarily entailed in attending the afSicted children. The director, directoress, and assistant teacher were indefatigable in their attentions, and without additional assistance conducted their labors with great patience and kindness. In my opinion, the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Sumner is a boon and a credit to the colony.

I can confidently recommend parents who may unfortunately have children so afflicted to send them to this institution, whore, in addition to education, they will receive every attention and kindness.—l have, &0., H. H. Pbins.

2. Extract from the report of the InspectorGeneral of Schools :—I have paid four visits to this institution; the first two about the time of its establishment, the others last November and last April. Mr Tan Asch’s method of teaching the deaf to utter words and sentences and to follow the speech of others by watching the movements of the lips, &c., in my judgment, is thoroughly scientific and very successful. It requires teaching ability of a high order, and Mr Van Asch is an enthusiastic teacher. Very few persons know how wonderful are the results that have already been attained in making the dumb to speak, or, to put it more correctly, in teaching the deaf to speak, for the system is based ou the fact that the deaf are not dumb, as is commonly supposed. The necessity of unusually skilful teaching is apparent when it is remembered that for want of speech the deaf mute’s mind is comparatively undeveloped, and that ho must be taught to think as well as to speak. The bearing of the children towards their instructors betokens not only confidence but gratitude. I regard the institution as in every way a most satisfactory ons. —Wii. Jas. Habens.

3. Report by Mr Pope, dated 14th ult. —In accordance with instructions received from the Department, I wont to Sumner yesterday to visit the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. Many of the children had been suffering from measles, and though convalescent were not yet strong enough to go on with their ordinary work. Mr Van Aech, however, kindly did his best to enable me to form some idea of the nature of the method* adopted for training his pupils to understand what is said to them, to speak intelligibly and to write. A first visit to Sumner hardly enables one to do more than give an account of what ho has seen and heard there. It is possible, however, that a mere record of the first impression received by me on my visit to the institution may bo of some use. While I was at the school fire children were put through their exercise. One of these was a girl about eight years of age, three of them were boys about ten, and one was somewhat older. The girl had been only a few weeks at Sumner, but she was already able to produce many of the elementary sounds that constitute what may be called the deaf and dumb alphabet. The apparently hopeless task of making a deaf mute understand articulate speech is accomplished by causing the sight and the touch to do the kind of work that is ordinarily done fcy the sonee of hearing. The child was made to place one of her hands on the teacher's throat and the other on her own. At he same time she watched intently the motion and configuration of the teacher’s lips. By this means she obtains information that comes to ordinary children through the ear. She received it so thoroughly that she was able to reproduce almost exactly the sound uttered by Mr Van Asoh. Writing and speaking are taught simultaneously. The teacher utters a sound, say that which is represented by “ee." The pupil pronounces it, and then writes the letters on a slate. The sounds represented by “f ’’ and “t” are treated in a similar way. Finally, the sounds are combined, and the word ‘ feet” is produced. This was one of the words used yesterday. The little girl recognised the word when it was pronounced, pronounced it correctly herself, and finally wrote it correctly on the slate. Her frequent glances at her feet showed that she knew what she was saying. Many other words wore treated in the same way, including my own name, which she mastered without any difficulty. The other children were much further advanced. In their case it was easy to discern the practical benefits resulting from continued instruction under the system pursued by Mr Van Asoh. One of the younger boys had been about twelve months at Sumner, and was able to repeat almost any easy sentence that Mr Van Asch had previously pronounced for him, to write it down on the slate, and to give convincing evidence that he understood what he was saying. After the children had gone through the exercises, I asked the teacher to allow me to talk to the boy that appeared to be the farthest advanced. After one or two false starts had been made, we got on very well indeed. The little fellow understood quite well what I said to him, and gave intelligible and intelligent replies. In coming away I wished the children good bye. They immediately returned the salutation just as other children would have done. One cannot but regard the result achieved here as a masterpiece of the teacher’s art. The ordinary skilled teacher always does the best that can be done with material ready to his hand, but he who succeeds in teaching the deaf mute to utter and to understand speech is in the truest sense of the word on artist. He does not merely combine skilfully; he creates. It is quite unnecessary to say anything about the value of such work as is done here. Everybody recognises that what is required is merely that it should be fully known that here at Sumner the deaf are taught to hear (virtually) and the dumb to speak, and that if children are allowed to grow up in what is almost the most helpless condition that human beings can be placed in, the fault lies with parents that neglect to give their children the benefit of advantage’s that are so readily obtainable.— James H. Pope.