Sentence:  Commerce has done its perfect work; it has withdrawn our eyes from every general public care, from every generous manly thought, to our <WSD>ledgers</WSD> and our day-books—we are a nation of tills and counters, not of states and provinces! 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A book for keeping notes, especially one for keeping accounting records; a record book, a register.