Section 1. Legislature shall require towns to support public schools; duty of Legislature.
A general diffusion of the advantages of education being essential to the preservation of
the rights and liberties of the people; to promote this important object, the Legislature
are authorized, and it shall be their duty to require, the several towns to make suitable
provision, at their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public schools; and it
shall further be their duty to encourage and suitably endow, from time to time, as the
circumstances of the people may authorize, all academies, colleges and seminaries of learning
within the State; provided, that no donation, grant or endowment shall at any time be made
by the Legislature to any literary institution now established, or which may hereafter be
established, unless, at the time of making such endowment, the Legislature of the State
shall have the right to grant any further powers to alter, limit or restrain any of the
powers vested in any such literary institution, as shall be judged necessary to promote
the best interests thereof.
