Origin of the Children's Progressive Lyceum.

[On the 25th of January, 1863, at Dodworth's Hail, No. 806, Broadway, New York, Mr. A.J. Davis made the following remarks and suggestions, explanatory of the origin, organisation, and objects of the Children's Progressive Lyceum. Phonographically reported.]

Friends of Human Progress: We have assembled this afternoon to inaugurate an association for the physical and spiritual improvement of both sexes, and of all ages.

The plan is not original with me. It is an attempt to unfold and actualise on earth, partially at least, a progressive juvenile assemblage like those in the Summer-Land; whither children are constantly going from earth, and where they are received into groups for improvement, growth, and graduation. In those heavenly societies and spheres the young grow and bloom in love as well as in wisdom—in affection as well as in true knowledge.

This Sunday meeting of the young may, therefore, be appropriately styled the "Children's Progressive Lyceum." It is something truer and higher than what is ordinarily called a "Sunday-School." It embraces within its plan the healthful development of the bodily functions, the conscientious exercise of the reasoning page 4 faculties, and the progressive unfolding of the social and divine affections, by harmonious and happy methods.

Here let me mention that in the Summer-Land these "Groups" are arranged, classified, and designated in accordance with the immortal laws of music, A Group at first simply represents a note: afterwards, when the members are more advanced, it represents an octave; and ultimately, when harmony is established, the whole assemblage constitutes, so to say, a musical instrument of twelve octaves, instead of six and a half or seven, as we have hero in the popular piano or church-organ. It is beyond the power of earthly language to describe the celestial melody, "the fairy-like music," of this human musical instrument! Truly, by such a combination of angel-voices the "morning stars" may be taught to sing their part in the anthem of the spheres.

In these assemblages the children are always enthusiastic, mutually affectionate, and full of beautiful happiness. Those who never truly sung a note on earth, soon learn to sing harmoniously as well as to think intuitively and accurately. The little ones sing and think with as much spontaneous melody and healthful happiness, as do birds in the forest trees, or children in the glee and enjoyment of their common sports.

Music, therefore, is to be an invariable and prominent element of our terrestrial Progressive Lyceums. The plan is to unfold the groups into a "Harmonial Choir" of the first magnitude and importance.

These Associations of the young on earth, to be in sympathetic harmony with corresponding bodies of youthful brothers and sisters in the Summer-Land, should have public re-unions and festivals twice a year, and semi-public rehearsals and soirees as frequently as may bo found necessary for purposes of progress and discipline. The latter, if possible, as often as once in every twelve weeks, and a general pie-nie festival and a grand excursion punctually and uniformly once a year, on some bright and inspiring day in the spring or summer time. These public social entertainments and exhibitions will produce the happiest effects upon both participants and spectators.

Such progressive Sunday gatherings of our beloved children, will be, to some extent, a realisation of the age of harmony on earth. Let little children come freely into the Groups, for "of such is the kingdom of heaven." The harmony and melody of these youthful Spiritualising associations will correspond to the harmony and melody of the eternal kingdom of love, wisdom, and peace.

There are many cogent reasons why friends of progress should everywhere establish and multiply these Children's Progressive Lyceums. One of them is, the conspicuous fact that young minds are being constantly miseducated by the supporters of the popular dismal theologies. Your little ones acquire lessons in orthodox Sunday Schools which require years of mental struggling to unlearn. They receive unhappy lessons and learn to believe in unhappy thoughts. Another reason is, large numbers of the chil- page 5 dren of liberal-minded parents are carelessly straying off on Sunday out into the fields and byways, and thus many of them waste the day, and their plays are many times not profitable either to themselves or to their companions. But the former reason is paramount, that thousands of the children of progressive friends, merely to have some social place regularly to go to on Sunday—for the simple attractions and pleasures of meeting playmates and acquaintances—join dismal orthodox assemblies, go to the popular churches, and thus acquire narrow and bigoted opinions which deeply embitter the fountain of affection, and of times poison the cup of an entire life. It is not unfrequent that the innocent victims of an orthodox "Catechism" grow up prejudiced, one sided, and narrow-minded members of community during all after years. Such minds are enemies of progress, because they entertain conscientious convictions unfriendly to reforms based on the largest liberty of reason. This progressive work, for the true and harmonious education of the young, should be carried energetically forward in every part of Christendom. Spiritualists should now begin, like true philosophers and philanthropists, to work at the very roots of society. Let us gather the Children—

"Gather them in from the street and lane,
Gather them in, both halt and lame;
Gather the deaf, the poor, the blind—
Gather them in with a willing mind.

"Gather them in that seek for rest—
Gather them in from East and West;
Gather them in that roam about,
Gather them in from North and South.

"Gather them in from all the land—
Gather them into our noble band;
Gather them in with spiritual love,
Gather them in for the Sphere above."

The manifest object is, to develope a system of spirit-culture which must, in its practical workings, prove exceedingly valuable, if not a model, for parents and teachers, at home and in public institutions, for the successful development of the real genius, moral powers, and the reasoning faculties of the youth of both sexes. Here, from the divine fountain of heavenly life, is given the grand basis for the erection of newer and more effective systems of academic and collegiate education.

Charity should be early taught to the members. Each Group should look after the little physical necessities of its members. Poor parents cannot easily clothe their little ones sufficiently nice and tidy to associate freely with the children of the more fortunate. Leaders, therefore, should teach and induce the better clothed members to contribute garments, shoes, stockings, money, or whatever will add to the comfort and `happiness of the unfortunate. All personal distinctions in the matter of social position, or of dress, must be carefully removed from the thoughts of each Group. page 6 Here all meet as immortal children of the infinite Father and Mother.

Graduation, or the promotion of members, will be one of the finest effects of this Progressive Lyceum. The progressive ascension of children from primary to superior Groups, and the advancement of members to the position of leaders or officers, is a part of the system.

The members of our Groups will become the men and women of the future; they will, in a few years, be scattered through all the different paths of human life. They will be not only sisters and brothers: but wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, members of different social and political movements, always exerting an influence in society. Therefore, how important it is that we start with this new, this better, this diviner idea of education, in keeping with the harmonious and musical principles that regulate both matter and mind throughout the universe. We wish to be at one with the Father, and the way to commence is to ascertain and establish true relations with Mother Nature. Hence we commence with exercises of a physical character; because well-organised, well-disciplined physical organisation, is the firm and beautiful temple in which the spirit may live, and the basis on which it may be erected as a sublime and bright superstructure for the eternal spheres.

The Lyceum is an inspiration—that is to say, it is an idea which was found to have expression in the Summer-Land—and we desire to realise on earth, as far as possible, the music and harmony of the heavens. The wise and gentle men and women who, as angels of purity and beauty, inhabit the Summer-Land, educate the little babes who go there every day, and not only those who are children in years, but also in matters of thought and principle. These educational processes in the heavens are independent of books—of the ordinary formal methods of instruction. They are based upon the identity between motion and life in body and spirit—the principles that regulate matter and mind For instance, if children there were to be taught the principles of astronomy, they would not sit down to Mitchell's Astronomy, or Burritt's "Geography of the Heavens," or the text-books of whoever may have written on the subject; for the constellations themselves are astronomers, and every planet waltzes about its primary on the same principle that one human being will pass another in the street, or in the waltz, or in the mazes of the dance. The bright-eyed, golden-haired, and happy-hearted children in the heavenly Groups go through various marches, where by they are taught to comprehend the operation of planets, shewing how one star plays around another, how satellites move around planets, how planets and satellites move around the sun, how suns with planets and satellites move around greater suns, and how all constellations move around some still greater and more central controlling power. All this attractive knowledge is Acquired by the beautiful marches of the little persons who go to the Zellabingen Association, or to some corresponding Lyceum. page 7 And thus they are taught, by these semi-waltzing exercises, the astronomy that the Father and Mother have expanded throughout the firmament.

So it is in other departments of knowledge. You can teach geography and the origin and the flowing of river—can represent a poem, or any conception that has ever been expressed in literature, or art, or sculpture, or in the epics of the world—by means of musical motions, either by the hands or feet, or the whole body, or by the study of signs and symbols.

These Groups of young people are representative of family circles and progressive communities. They are planets and satellites; and they also signify other bodies and higher degrees of nature For example: the first Group is called "Fountain Group." Next, a "Stream," flowing from the fountain. Then, a "River," into which the stream widens. Next, a "Lake." Then from the lake, a "Sea." Then onward into the "Ocean." Now we safely gain the "Shore." Next we joyously behold a "Beacon" on the shore. Then a "Banner" of progress is waving in the free air. At this point we look above and discover a new "Star" in the heavens, Then an aspiring "Excelsior" spirit enters the heart. And lastly, having passed upward from the "Fountain," we begin to realise internally something of the "Liberty" of the sons of wisdom, truth, and righteousness.

Thus we have a complete Lyceum, composed of twelve Groups, each containing twelve members. When the applicants are more numerous than would be sufficient for any Group, a new Group is organised, and is called the duplicate of that group. When a sufficient number of new Groups come forth to form a new organisation—viz., twelve duplicates—then is established an independent Lyceum, having its officers, leaders, banners, colours, and everything necessary to constitute an individual movement.

Each Group has a badge for each of its members, of a significant and appropriate colour. Fountain Group is represented by red, which means the first form of love; it is ardent; is the primary, or basic love. Stream Group has the badge of pearl, which colour signifies the love that is fleeting—beginning and ending with the senses. River Group is represented by orange colour, which indicates organic love, or the love which pertains to the physical being; is, in fact, a part of the mere conscious life of the child, Lake Group is represented by lilac, which means objective love, or the momentary interest of the mind in whatever affects the senses. Sea Group is represented by yellow, which means filial love, or devotion to superiors. Ocean Group is represented by a badge of purple, which means fraternal or brotherly love. Shore Group is represented by green, which indicates the freshness of youth, the useful or first wisdom-affection. Beacon Group has the deep blue colour, signifying love of justice—a desire to gain true and correct ideas of things. Banner Group has a crimson badge, representing power—an earnest love for any congenial undertaking or pursuit, Star Group has azure colour, signifying love of the beautiful— page 8 especially the love of the distant and the truly sublime. Excelsior Group has pure violet, which signifies aspiring or progressive love. Liberty Group wears a white badge, which includes all the other colours, and signifies harmonious love.

These Lyceum children are not to be catechised according to a book with stereotyped questions and fixed answers, such as, "Who made you?" "Who redeemed you?" "Who sanctified you?" &c. With the orthodox system of religious training in the beginning, there comes, between the susceptible years of ten to twenty, a spiritual distemper called "getting religion." Many youthful persons have it as children have the mumps or measles; and they go into the churches, and all the little things that were said to them in their Sunday Schools come up and produce their impression. They usually remember what they have learned, and that is all. For themselves, as independent, thinking, immortal beings, they know nothing. Memory is the channel into which all their spiritual feelings rush and remain: and thus the miseducation, twisting the mind for years and years, as too many can testify, consigns the soul to dungeons of doubt and despondency, and spreads a gloom over all the fair face of nature. You know how wrong and evil such teachings are, especially for the little and gentle ones in our homes. We wish to break all this theology asunder. It is the most outrageous imposition and falsehood,