Page:Journal of William Maclay, United States senator from Pennsylvania, 1789-1791 (IA cu31924030423796).pdf/9



is a tendency, when dealing with public men of the past, to throw a glamour around their memory, and, by a systematic perversion or ignoring of facts, to lead present generations to regard them as little less than deities. The signers of the Declaration of Independence, the framers of our Constitution, and all who in any way were involved in the inception of this nation, are venerated with a childlike awe, rendering us oblivious to the motives which led to those occurrences or to the pressure of circumstances which induced many to take the course they did. The journal of William Maclay, beginning with the 24th of April, 1789, and ending on the 3d of March, 1791, gives a graphie description of the debates, ceremonies, and social life of that important period of our national existence. Some hesitaney has been felt in giving an unreserved publication of this journal to the world, owing to the severity of the criticisms made on prominent personages, which in a large degree serve to dispel the roseate illusions in reference to men of that day. It should be kept in mind, however, that the journal was strictly private in its nature, intended merely for personal reference, and that the thought of its publication seems never to have entered the mind of its author, else he undoubtedly would have smoothed over many phrases and erased entire passages, as being too forcible for public expression.