German Table Society

[2] The society was founded on 18 January 1811,[2] the 110th anniversary of the crowning of Frederick I as King in Prussia, by poet Achim von Arnim and economist Adam Müller.

During the society's meetings, its members dined communally, told stories, sung songs, and discussed politics.

Von Arnim wrote the statutes of the organisation, which were decided on democratically by the original members.

However, he also had to be a "man of honour", who was "born in the Christian faith", meaning that women and Jews were banned from becoming members.

[5] Clemens Brentano gave his "Philistine speech" (German: Philister-Rede) at the society, in which he associates Philistinism with Judaism; he describes Jews as "flies left over from the Egyptian plagues", that could be caught on "the stock exchange with mortgage bonds".