Abstract
The classical studies do not occupy the position of relative prominence held some years ago. The Middle West never kept pace with the East in the regard manifested for these studies. In the pioneer stages of the development of a country there is comparatively little contact with instruments of culture. Education is then almost primitive in its simplicity. Wresting a livelihood from the wilderness is not conducive to the cultivation of the fine arts. Since development began on the Eastern Seaboard and was extended westward only after the lapse of many years, education was on a fairly high plane in the East when the Middle West was being settled. The classical languages gained a firm foothold in the East, but the western portion of the country has not followed the East in its attitude toward the classical studies. It seems now that it may not ever adopt a favorable attitude; at least for the present the emphasis is more and more away from the classical studies.