Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-14
Determined to Continue
Playing Fairy Godmother
to Undernouished Children
of New England Towns

BOSTON, Mass, Oct. 11.-Muriel
Black, the mental Cinderella"
found hidden behind a small-salaried
job in a Plymouth cordage plant, is
not going to let sudden fame change
her self-mapped course Of life.
Long before a serious-faced group
of scientists had crowned her with
the title Of genius" she had deter
mined to play fairy godmother to
the unhealthy, undernourished and
mentally defective children of mill
towns.
She was thus engaged in trying
to build anew the warped little
minds when a survey Of industrial
workers, sent out by the Associated
Industries of Massachusetts, hap
pened along and discovered in this
pretty 24-year-old girl genus
mind.
The tests, upon which Miss Black
scored IT'S, were such as to have
stumped some of the keenest eXecu.
gered the genius searchers. She
was hailed as a young woman of
amazing brain capacity and per-
sonality.
Already the eye OF the big bust
ness concerns are upon her. Heads
Of great corporations are ready to
bid for her service. One executive
declared she would be worth $4,000
in few years.
At all of which Muriel Black
smiles perplexedly and protests:
I'm not a genius at all. There's
not a thing unusual about me. I've
just been trying to get an educa-
ton so that 1 may do the things 1
have dreamed about since l was a
little girl.
Wealth and power! They do not
interest me in the least. I really
don't care about them. | want to
study medicine and specialize in
children's diseases, or probably in
industrial ills. When I was a little
girl I planned it all out and one day
L met a woman physician and my
dream for useful effort unfolded.
That is what I am going to do
And there is every reason to be-
lieve her dreams will come true.
For many will now be more than
willing to help her and, If she does
consent to take high-salaried posi-,
tons in other lines, it will be to pave
the way for realizing her ambition
The story of her discovery is an
other variation of the Cinderella
tale.
Muriel Black left her home in
and having two years OF college
work. Social science appealed to
her as good beginning for her
larger ambition
She did welfare work with rail-
road company, had a physical cul-
ture course in a girls school, man.
aged a taxi company and finally
wound ubp in the little town where
the Pilgrims landed, working among
the children of mill hands and max
ing enough money to take a night
course in social psychology at Bos-
ton university
Some time ago the Associated In.
CuStrleS began an 1S-monthS' survey
of a number of factories to find evil
dences of displacement or of I'M
usual ability among workers. No
genius class people hove in sight.
but twenty boys were considered
worthy of study-and, of course.
Muriel
They were taken to Harvard uni
versity and the intelligence tests
applied. OF the twenty boys one
went as high as 159-marking him
Is unusually intelhgent-while MI
riel hit a high score of 175, which
save her a potential mental capacity
greater than many leaders in busi-
ness and thought.
She bewildered the scientists with
her ready reasoning. excellent judg-
ment, observation-disclosures and good
common sense
But TO Muriel Black. all this means
merely a quicker and better oppor-
tunity TO bring health and happiness
10 children who haven't had a
chance.