On the left of the scene appeared Uncle Sam holding the lamp of knowledge to light the way to success for the crowd of eager boys and girls at the bottom of the hill. In sharp outline he drew the steps upon which they might mount—each step a book they could master. The first step was marked—Primer, the next First Reader and then came Elementary Arithmetic, Second Reader, Grammar, Geography, History, Physiology, Rhetoric, Algebra, Physics, Latin, Greek, Geometry, Political Economy and Trigonometry. The last step faded out in the blazing light of the Sun of Success at the top of the hill. He drew the figures of little boys and girls on the lower rounds, bigger boys and girls on the middle ones, young men and women mounting the hill crest. At the bottom of the cartoon he wrote:
“Uncle Sam invites all his children of every race and kindred and tongue to come up higher!”
“Now, once more, children,” Vassar cried, “tell me on what this country’s greatness rests?”
Again the shout came as from a single throat:
“All men are created equal!”
“Good! Now give me the passwords!”
“Liberty!”
“Equality!”
“Fraternity!”
The three shouts came as three salvos from a battery of artillery.