Imperial Privileged National Gazette

...the good suffers; it will set variety and novelty as its goal, but by no means will it yield to that frivolous taste which seeks the new merely for novelty's sake. Furthermore, every freedom will be permitted that is compatible with good and beautiful morals.

Decency and order, justice and peace will thus be the spirit and the rule of this periodical: the three sisterly Hours The Horai in Greek mythology were goddesses of the seasons and the natural order of time., Eunomia Order, Dike Justice, and Eirene Peace, shall govern it. In these divine figures, the Greeks honored the world-sustaining order from which all good flows, and which finds its most striking symbol in the uniform rhythm of the sun’s course. Fable makes them the daughters of Themis and Zeus—of Law and Power; the very same Law that governs the change of seasons in the physical world and maintains harmony in the spiritual world.

It was the Hours who received the newborn Venus The Roman name for Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. upon her first appearance in Cyprus, clothed her in divine garments, and, having been adorned by their hands, led her into the circle of the immortals: a charming poetic invention which suggests that Beauty, even at its birth, must submit to rules, and can only become worthy of a place on Olympus, of immortality and moral value, through lawfulness. In light dances, these goddesses encircle the world, open and close Olympus, and harness the horses of the sun to send the invigorating light throughout creation. One sees them in the retinue of the Graces and in the service of the Queen of Heaven, because grace and order, decency and dignity, are inseparable.

The editor believes he can pledge with confidence that the present journal will prove itself worthy of the honorable name it bears upon its brow. What would not be fitting for him to assert in his own person, he permits himself to say as the spokesperson for the venerable society that has united to publish this work. With patriotic pleasure, he sees a plan coming to fruition that has occupied him and his friends for years, but which could not be maintained until now against the many obstacles standing in the way of its execution. Finally, he has succeeded in uniting several of Germany's most meritorious writers in a continuous work—something the nation, despite all attempts made by individuals thus far, has still lacked, and necessarily had to lack, because precisely such a number and selection of participants is required to combine excellence in individual parts with variety in the whole for a work destined to appear at fixed times.

The following writers will take part in this monthly

periodical: Captain von Archenholz in Hamburg. His Archiepiscopal Grace the Coadjutor of Mainz, Baron von Dalberg in Erfurt. Professor Engel from Berlin. Dr. Erhard in Nuremberg. Professor Fichte in Jena. Von Funk in Dresden. Professor Garve in Breslau. War Councilor Gentz in Berlin. Canon Gleim in Halberstadt. Privy Councilor von Goethe in Weimar. Dr. Gros in Göttingen. Vice-Consistorial President Herder in Weimar. Mr. Hirt in Rome. Professor Hufeland in Jena. Legation Councilor von Humboldt from Berlin. Chief Mining Master von Humboldt in Bayreuth. Privy Councilor Jacobi in Düsseldorf. Court Councilor Matthison in Switzerland. Professor Meyer in Weimar. Court Councilor Pfeffel in Colmar. Court Councilor Schiller in Jena. Mr. Schlegel in Amsterdam. Court Councilor Schütz in Jena. Court Councilor Schulz in Mitau. Professor Woltmann in Jena.

Since the society mentioned here by no means considers itself closed, participation will remain open at all times to every German writer who is inclined to submit to the necessary conditions of the institution. Also, anyone who requests it shall be permitted to remain anonymous, because in the acceptance of contributions, the focus will be only on the content and not on the "stamp" Schiller means the reputation or name of the author.. For this reason, and to promote the freedom of criticism, we will allow ourselves to depart from a general custom and keep the names of the authors of individual essays secret until the end of each annual volume; the reader can all the more easily put up with this, as this announcement already makes him acquainted with them as a whole.

Jena, December 10, 1794.

Every month, counting from the New Year, a piece of seven sheets in large octavo A standard book size where a large printed sheet is folded to create 16 pages. will appear regularly, and the publishing house will ensure a decent appearance. Those who desire copies on Dutch paper should place their orders in good time. The price for the year is one Carolin in gold A gold coin worth about 10-11 guilders. or six Reichsthaler, eight Groschen, Saxon; individual pieces cannot be sold for less than sixteen Groschen. The contributors should address themselves directly to the Editor of the monthly periodical; subscribers should contact the bookstores or the honorable post offices, among which the head post offices of Stuttgart and Canstatt handle the main shipping. Whoever orders ten copies at once receives the eleventh for free. Subscribers are requested to provide their names, as we are determined to append a list of them at the end of the year.