Evening star., 1922-10-04
TEACHER Of DEAF
DIES IN new YORK
Miss Sarah H. Porter of Co.
Iumbia Institution in This
City Succumbs.

Word has been received in Washing
ton of the death last Sunday night,
October j, near Keene, N. Y, OF Miss
Sarah Harvey Porter, for many years a
member of the faculty of the Columbia
Institution for the Deaf in this city.
Miss Porter had been in ill health for
some time with an affection Of the
lungs, but was not regarded as in a
serious condition, SO that the news OF
| her death caused shock to her
| friends in Washington. which has been
| mainly her home for nearly thirty
eight years.
Miss Porter was born July 21, 1856, OF
New England parentage. She prepared
herself to be a teacher and at first
| went into public school work. She was:
| however, early attracted to the special
work of the education of the deaf and
received instruction in this line at the
| under the direction Of Miss Harriet
| Rogers. In January. 1885. at the invita-
| tion of DR.. Edward Miner Gallaudet,
president Of the Columbia Institution
for the Deaf in Washington and the
foremost educator of the deaf in his
| day. she Joined the teaching force of
the primary department of that institu
ton. This department, known as the
Kendall School. not only gave primary
and grammar instruction to deaf chill
dren of the District and to many
students from other parts of the
country. but also became field for nor
NAL training.
Assists in Normal Work.
In 1891 a normal class for the train
ing of well educated hearing men
and women in the special art of in
Gallaudet. Miss Porter soon found
her element in assisting with this spe-
cial branch of the work at Columbia
Institution, and as time went on she
was relieved from the instruction of
the younger pupils and devoted all
her energy to the normal department.
In her capacity as instructor of the
young men and women entering a
special branch of the field she was
most successful She dealt largely
with the psychology of the deaf child,
the understanding of which is regard
ed as the real foundation Of success
full teaching in this field. In the judg-
ment of the members of the faculty
of the Columbia Institution probably
no one else in the world has spent as
much time in study and research
along the line of the special psychol-
ogy Of the deaf as Miss Porter.
During many years Miss Porter
wrote freely on the subject of her
profession and was frequent con-
tributor to the American Annals of
the Deaf. with articles bearing upon
the subject which she had made. her
specially. She took keen interest
in the personal welfare of the chill
dren who came under her instruction
and observation and often aided them
grea tly. She took under her care two
children and out of her own meager
means maintained and educated them.
Supporter OF "Woman's Rights
Miss Porter's activities were not
confined to teaching. She was an
ardent supporter of "woman's rights"
throughout the long struggle for
suffrage, and for some years she had
been Il voter in New York state. She
was interested in all political matters
and followed the debates in Congress
closely. She was member Of the
Columbia Historical Society for many
years and was the author of The Life
and Times of Anne Royal" published
in 1909. an acknowledged classic OF
Washington life.
While Miss Porter was unable to
finish college work in the earlier part
Of her life. she pursued studies at
George Washington University with
such success that she was granted the
degree of master OF arts by that lnStl-
tuition in recent years.
At the time Of her death Miss Porter
was near her home. which is situated
in the Adirondack mountains just
south of Keene, N. Y. She was on a
special leave of absence from Kendall
Green and had gathered much ma
terial for a treatise on the psychology
of the deaf which, in the estimate of
educators, would have been of i'm
mense benefit to the teaching pro-
fession.
Tribute by DR.. Percival Hall.
Dr. Percival Hall, president of the
Columbia Institution. speaking today
of Miss Porter's death, said:
1.-The profession Of instructors Of the
deaf have lost, through Miss Porter's
death, one of the most brilliant of
their membership and the world has
lost, through her inability to COM
plete her study Of the psychology of
the deaf, an opportunity for distinct
advance in the education of this spe-
cial class, through earlier and more
thorough and scientific understanding
of their real handicaps and needs"