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"Guidelines for the Administration of Censorship and for the Behavior of the Censors" (1810)

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§ 10. Writings that attack the most high head of state and his dynasty or even foreign government administrations, and whose tendency goes towards spreading discontent and unrest, loosening the bond between subject and prince, undermining the Christian, and primarily the Catholic religion, corrupting the morals, promoting superstition, and books that preach Sozianism, deism, or materialism, and finally parodies of all kinds, are little suited to raise the fortune [Glück] of individuals or the well-being of the whole, and they are much more suited to destroy the same completely and they can no more demand leniency than assassins can demand toleration. Therefore they are to be handled according to the stringency of the heretofore existing regulations.

§ 11. The provided principles apply not only for printed writings and works, but also for handwriting.

[ . . . ]

§ 15. From now on the censor only has the following formulas for printed works: Admittitur, Transeat, Erga Schedam conced., Damnatur.

Admittitur is issued by the censor to those writings that may be openly sold and also announced in the newspapers. Transeat to writings that are not entirely suited to general circulation, but are also not suited to strict restriction. They may be sold, but may not be announced in the newspapers. Erga Schedam conced. is received by writings in which the offensiveness outweighs the good and the common interest, and that can safely only be issued by the police to businessmen and to people blessed by scholarship in return for collateral [Reserve]. Damnatur, as the highest grade of prohibition, is reserved only for such writings that undermine the state, religion, or morals. Permission to read such writings is also granted by the police, and every three months they will submit a list to His Majesty of the people who are allowed this type of book, and the writings that they were allowed to read. [ . . . ]

§ 17. The conventions regarding handwritten manuscripts remain as before. Only one new one appears: Toleratur. A manuscript judged in this way can be printed and advertised in the catalogs, but not in the newspapers. It applies to domestic writings that could be read by an educated audience, but are not suitable to come into the hands of uneducated people. This type of judgment is also applicable to political writings, the broad circulation of which the government administration does not want to take any notice of. [ . . . ]

§ 22. The earlier regulations, which are not changed or abolished through these provisions, remain in effect.



Source of original German text: Herrmann Th. Schletter, ed., Handbuch der deutschen Preß-Gesetzgebung. Sammlung der gesetzlichen Bestimmungen über das literarische Eigenthum und die Presse in den deutschen Bundesstaaten [Handbook of German Press Laws. Collection of Legal Decisions on Literary Property and the Press in the German Federal States]. Leipzig: E. F. Steinacker, 1846, pp. 168-71.

Reprinted in Walter Demel and Uwe Puschner, eds., Von der Französischen Revolution bis zum Wiener Kongreß 1789-1815 [From the French Revolution to the Congress of Vienna 1789-1815], Deutsche Geschichte in Quellen und Darstellung, edited by Rainer A. Müller, vol. 6. Stuttgart: P. Reclam, 1995, pp. 264-70.

Translation: Ben Marschke

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