The Lyceum Union, a coming together of the various Lyceums that sprung up in the succeeding years, owes a lot to Alfred Kitson. A first district Lyceum conference was held in 1884 where it was decided to hold annual meetings to discuss the best ways of encouraging Lyceums. Two years later Alfred chaired and was the secretary of the annual conference where 20 delegates. Alfred's organisational and literary skills allowed the Lyceum movement, in 1889 to draw up a constitution for the formation of a 'Union of Lyceums,' and in 1890 the British Spiritualists Lyceum Union (BSLU) was formed with Alfred as its Honorary Secretary. In 1948 the BSLU amalgamated with the SNU and from that point the Lyceum became a branch of the SNU with special responsibility for training the young.

Andrew Jackson-Davis, was called in his time the 'Ploughkeepsie Seer' as he developed the ability to go into a trance state and could demonstrate his psychic ability. He called his altered state of consciousness, the 'superior condition and it is said to have induced within him a 'very active and intense psychic ability.'

It was in January 1863 that he gave a lecture to a Spiritualist audience in which he described a vision he had when in one of his 'superior condition' states of consciousness. He described seeing spirit children being taught and trained in the spirit-world and suggested that a similar system of learning would be of great benefit to children on the earth. This lecture inspired some members of the audience and, very shortly after, some of them met and established the first 'Children's Progressive Lyceum.'

The primary objective of this first Lyceum was the cultivation and harmonisation of the individual by the development of the Physical, the Intellectual, the Moral and the Spiritual faculties of the young.  The objectives  were, the promotion of Truth, Justice, Fraternal Love, Purity, Beauty, Music, Art, Health, Science, Philosophy and Spirituality.