The State Historical Society of Wisconsin is now in the sixty-eighth
year of its existence. Quiescent during its first few years, with the
coming of Lyman C. Draper to the secretaryship of the Society in 1854
it immediately entered upon a period of aggressive activity which has
continued without interruption to the present moment. During the sixty
years of the remarkable leadership of Dr. Draper and Dr. Thwaites the
Society deservedly acquired the reputation of being one of the leading
historical organizations of the country. Our library, if not the
largest, is one of the best of its kind and in many respects its
collections are unique. In other fields of activity, too, the
Society’s achievements have been no less creditable to it and to the
state it represents.
No sadder disaster could befall the Society, however, than the
development on the part of its members of a feeling of serene
satisfaction with the record of its achievements. As with all living
organisms, we must go forward or retrograde. Only dead ones are
static. The manifold life of our state and country is constantly
changing. If our Society is to fulfil its proper function, it must
constantly strive to adjust itself to the current developments of the
world to which it belongs. With the passage of time the ancient good
becomes uncouth and it behooves us to assume the new duties which new
occasions teach.
In this spirit, after much thought and planning, we launch the
WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY. The problem of our historical society
differs materially from that of many others, particularly those in the
older-settled sections of the country. It must justify the support
which the taxpayers so liberally accord by rendering to the public the
fullest possible measure of service, and to this ideal it has long
subscribed. Equally important is it, however, that the public should
be aware of the facilities for service which the Society possesses in
order that these may be utilized. It is believed that the publication
of a quarterly magazine, devoted to the historical interests of the
state will afford a better avenue of communication with the Society’s
members and the general public than has been possessed heretofore.
Without sacrificing in any way the scholarly ideals of the Society, it
is hoped to make the magazine as interesting as may be to the ordinary
reader. As our immediate constituency we have in mind the seven
hundred members of the Society, whose tastes and interests, we have
faith to believe, are shared by thousands of other citizens of
Wisconsin. The historical interests of the professional scholars among
our membership are catered to by numerous historical reviews, but no
publication meets the needs of the far greater proportion of our
members who are not included in this group. To this constituency,
primarily, it is hoped the magazine will appeal. If this hope shall be
realized we will account the magazine a success. If it shall be
disappointed, on the contrary, the energies of the Society’s working
force will be directed to more fruitful ends as soon as this fact
shall have been established.