So Much to Do, So Little Time

Hilda Neatby became a figure of national controversy in 1953 withthe publication of So Little for the Mind, a harsh critique ofCanadian primary and secondary school education. In this collection ofher published and unpublished articles, speeches, and letters, MichaelHayden presents the woman behind the controversy in the context of hertimes. He also includes a complete bibliography of her works.

Although deeply concerned with education, Hilda Neatby was equallyoutspoken on other matters -- religion, history, politics, and the roleof women. She was a feminist before it was fashionable to be one, andan historian studying the role of Quebec in Canada. This book reveals,in her own words, the diversity of her interests. It is also aboutHilda and the people and events which influenced her. As a member ofthe Massey Commission, Hilda was instrumental in formation of TheCanada Council for the Encouragement of the Arts, Letters, Humanities,and Social Sciences.

Encouraged by her colleague Vincent Massey, Hilda produced SoLittle for the Mind. Based on four decades as a student andteacher, the book charged that Canadian schools did not provideintellectual training. Although welcomed by many teachers and parents,the book stirred up the educational establishment. Hilda Neatby emergesin this book as an impatient idealist who despaired of finding time toachieve her goals. She learned that Canadian society was not ready foran uncompromising, intellectual woman reformer and, as a result, shehad to concentrate more often on preservation and holding firm ratherthan reform. And Not to Yield, the title of her last book, isa fitting epithet to a woman who represents an important part ofCanada's recent past and whose ideas still deserve to be heard.