ABSTRACT
The North ougilt to insist that men and children shall have equal rights and opportunities in all public school,; and institutions. The common school is peculiarly an American institution, an institution which our Fathers put among the fundamental things. It was called the common school, because it was the common heritage of American youth. Now, it is not enough to build two school houses equally good, two hospitals, two churches on opposite sides of the street, one for white children and one for black, as is proposed in some. perhaps, in all of the Southern States. The moment this is done, a brand is put upon the colored children. But in a Republic, whose fundamental law is that all the citizens are equal, we cannot consent to any such discrimination. . . . Two civilizations cannot grow up side by side and keep the peace; we tried that and failed We cannot afford to try that experiment again.
