| Summary: | This study explores the beliefs of Violet McNaughton as they
influenced and were evidenced in her work of organizing and educating in
Western Canada during the years 1909-1929. It investigates the political,
cultural, and social milieu in which she lived and worked, particularly
the progressive reform movement which rose and fell in Canada during the
first three decades of the twentieth century.<p>
The study examines her belief in education, her belief in the
equality of women, and her belief in the need for a society based on the
principles of co-operation. It explores many of the ways in which
McNaughton expressed her beliefs in her work throughout these years in
such activities as: organizing the Women's Section of the Saskatchewan
Grain Growers' Association, instigating the formation of the Provincial
Equal Franchise Board, organizing the Women's Section of the Canadian
Council of Agriculture, working for the Progressive Party in
Saskatchewan, promoting the study of peace in western Canada, and writing
for the <u>Saturday Press and Prairie Farm</u> and the<u> Western Producer</u>.<p>
The study concludes that McNaughton's implicit belief in the
ability of adult education to improve the society in which she lived provided
the foundation upon which her philosophy was built and was the
driving force behind her work. Although the focus of her educational
activities shifted from organizing and educating in agrarian and women's
organizations to educating through her journalistic work, her belief in
education and its importance in her philosophy remained constant.
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