The first preface of Latomia presents itself rather self-critically in 1878. For too long Freemasons had practised in intellectual stillstand, for too long they had been too careless not only about current events but also about what their faith and their ideals demanded. «We no longer worked in the right manner nor fought, we abstracted from reality just like the Romantics had done before; by doing so, however, we ignored our services to the principles of humanitarianism...» Fundamental reforms were demanded, most of all the long-awaited foundation of the «Vereinigte Großloge von Deutschland» (United Grand Lodge of Germany). From this institution the Freemasons expected «true authority and a reasonable system of laws» which were hoped to affect each individual lodge and thus help its members to gain more self-confidence . However, the self-criticism went even further: the lack of a «true, inner sympathy» was criticised, as well as negligent admission criterias. The interaction of freedom and responsibility needed to be redefined for every individual. Freemasonry was «no artifical theory but work on the improvement of human existence; our law needs to demand this work more forcefully than before, and our methods need to lead in this direction.» Under the editorship of B. Cramer (after his death in 1894 Robert Fischer took over this position) the issues therefore focused on the propagation of these demands as well as on providing impulses and suggestions for improvement. Aside from general reports and biographies the periodical, which appeared up until 1933, also published detailed essays on topics such as «The school of Life», «The Definition of Work», or «Discipline and Authority».