An investigation of the statistics of the freshman class has disclosed some interesting results concerning Harvard's hold on the West. The tide has turned, and instead of losing western support, as has been the case year by year for five years past, Harvard has gained from the West a larger number than she has had from that section since the class of '90 entered college. Last year there were only four men from west of Missouri, and this year there are eleven. But this is hardly a fair estimate of what is commonly called the West. Taking into account the States bordering on the northern bank of the Ohio, and on the Mississippi north of and including Missouri it is seen that the support has been increasing for the last two years. '93 contributed 30 men from these States, '94 contributed 34, and '95 contributes 39. With the exception of '92 no previous class has drawn more than 30 men from this part of the country. Combining these States with the farther West, it will be seen that '95's contribution from these sources is 50, while that of '94 was 38, and that of '93 was 34. '92 only contributed 60.

With this increase from the West, there has been a corresponding falling off of the men from Massachusetts. Although the aggregate number of students from Massachusetts is increasing every year, the proportion of the increase is not so great as that from other parts of the country. For example the proportion of the Massachusetts increase to the total gain in 1889 was 87 per cent.; in 1890 it was 71 per cent.; and this year it has fallen off to 53 per cent. And so Harvard is drawing even its undergraduates from broader fields.