Wesleyan University Missionary Lyceum records

The Missionary Lyceum at Wesleyan was founded October 22, 1834, after an address to undergraduates by the first president of the university, Rev. Dr. Willbur Fisk, on the importance of forming a society for "the benefit of the missionary cause." The purpose of the Lyceum was to promote a missionary zeal among its members by way of debates, addresses, collection of artifacts and literature from foreign missions, and the exchange of correspondence with various missionaries. A brief discussion of the Lyceum may be found in Carl Price's Wesleyan's First Century, p.42-43.

In the first constitution, adopted October 27, 1834, the name of the organization was announced: "This society shall be called the Missionary Lyceum of the Wesleyan University." In the minutes which were kept of the meetings, various recording secretaries referred to "Missionary Lyceum," "Lyceum," "Society," or "Missionary Society." However, the minutes of the September 6, 1845 meeting begin: "A special meeting of the M & T [Missionary & Theological] Lyceum was convened . . . ." It was referred to as the Theological and Missionary Lyceum in minutes for every meeting thereafter. A revised constitution and "bye-laws" were discussed also, and while no revised constitution for 1845 is recorded, Article I of the May 1, 1848 revised constitution states: "This society shall be styled the Theological and Missionary Lyceum of the Wesleyan University."

A previous missionary society, which Price refers to as being "literary in character," was begun at Wesleyan on November 21, 1831, but folded the following spring. It appears, however, that the members of the Missionary Lyceum were also conscious of the necessity of a strong background in writings pertaining to theology and missionary work. Daniel P. Kidder, first corresponding secretary of the Lyceum, wrote to the Rev. R. Spaulding on November 6, 1834, announcing the formation of the Lyceum and explaining its goals:

That . . . which at present seems most favorable for awakening Christian sympathy and calling forth benevolent action is the collection and communication of facts, illustrative of those whom we commiserate. This will chiefly be done through the medium of domestic and foreign correspondence and the embodying and condensing of intelligence as may reach us through the press.

In a letter from Dr. Fisk (June 8, 1837) to the Lyceum, he advocated the enlargement of their museum and the beginnings of a library of missionary literature:

[Another] process of exciting the missionary spirit and aiding the missionary cause, through your society, is that of collecting a library, that shall have a direct relation to the missionary work. Although your library is still small yet it is a number around which future accumulations will I trust be collected, until the Missionary Library of the Wesleyan University shall contain all that is important to the missionary student . . .you have from the Wesleyan Missionary Society, in London, their Reports and missionary notices, from the Commencement of that very efficient missionary Institution, an Institution which for its activity & vigor and the extent of its beneficial results & direct & collateral influences, is second to no other Mis. Society in the Christian Church - you have also from that unrivaled Institution, the "British & Foreign Bible Society" 124 vols. Embracing the different versions of the bible and parts of the Bible in 81 different Languages and Dialects, all of the first workmanship, literary and mechanical.

Correspondence was an important function of the Lyceum. Letters were received from and written to missionaries all over the world; ministers and members of other missionary societies also wrote to Wesleyan to acknowledge honorary memberships, and a student at Iowa Wesleyan University asked how to set up a missionary society similar to the Lyceum.

The corresponce of the Lyceum traces the origins of its missionary museum, later part of the Wesleyan Museum. Corresponding secretary, Daniel P. Kidder, wrote to the Reverend Mr. Spaulding on November 6, 1834, requesting his "African curiosities" to be housed with the society as the beginning of a museum. In 1835, Kidder sent a form letter to several missionaries, requesting information about their activities and artifacts for the museum. In 1840, Joyn Seys wrote from Monrovia (Liberia) that he had sent the Lyceum

. . . a box of shells, &c, which I beg the gentlemen of the Lyceum to accept of, and to place, if they consider them of sufficient value, among the other curiosities of their cabinet.

Dr. Fisk also wrote the Lyceum:

This society will aid the [missionary cause] . . . by . . . its Missionary Cabinet or Museum. In this you have already a good beginning; but we hope that the members of the society, both the graduates and undergraduates, will exert themselves to enlarge this museum.

Dr. Fisk was most influential in the dealings of the Lyceum and remained devoted to its objects until his death in l839.

The Lyceum's correspondence was varied. James Fulton of Shelbyville, Kentucky wrote six letters in 1835, one of which described what he had learned about methods of Chinese printing. Jonas King wrote from Constantinople on March 18, 1836, detailing his duties there and the hardships of life as a missionary. From his mission post in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Daniel P. Kidder wrote in February, 1836, that Roman Catholicism seemed distressingly prevalent there, but that he was optimistic of converting people. Former Lyceum member, H.A. Wilson wrote from Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1841, conveying some frustration with his teaching duties in the mission there:

The school includes both sexes and hitherto have been accomodated in the same room. I had much rather have a school of one hundred in any part of New England than one of 50 in [Buenos Aires]. They are the mostungovernable set of children that I ever saw . . . When they are out of school . . . they run wild and require to be sassed in order to tame them down and ring them under any kind of discipline. School keeping here is truly a work of patience.

The Lyceum took an innovative step in 1848 by according honorary membership to a woman. Adelaide Fitzgerald of Middletown wrote on July 22 to acknowledge the honor and to thank the members of the Lyceum.

Although the Lyceum at times could boast of more than forty active members, its appeal declined somewhat in the 1850s. The led to an "advertisement" to members in the records book in 1858, proposing a new constitution, new amendments, by-laws and amendments to by-laws, in order to "rejuvinate" the almost inactive society. The last recorded minutes were for January 1871, and the last students to sign the roster were members of the class of 1873. The custom of annual commencement sermons delivered before the Lyceum continued until 1878, however.