This paper examines some aspects of the work of Margaret McMillan (1860-1931), who is best known for her advocacy of child welfare and nursery education in the first decades of the twentieth century, but who was also closely involved in early socialist movements and, to a lesser extent, the campaign for women's suffrage. The particular focus is on her Scottish connections, which have hitherto received limited attention. Although most of her work was carried out in Bradford and London, it is argued that her early education in Inverness was an important factor in the direction of her life and that references to Scotland in her writing suggest an interesting combination of national pride, literary romanticism and intellectual disappointment. The complex elements in her social and educational philosophy are described and their mixed reception in Scotland is examined. Possible areas for further research are suggested. Is McMillan an example of a prophet who has been insufficiently honoured, not in the country of her birth (which was the United States) but of her childhood and adolescence? Was there something about the social conservatism of much of Scotland that made it inevitable that she would seek to put her ideas into practice in a more receptive environment? These questions are set against one (negative) characterisation of the Scottish educational tradition.