A MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA) STATISTICAL SURVEY SHOWS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS STUDYING FRENCH, SPANISH, GERMAN, OR LATIN IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS DURING EACH SCHOOL YEAR FROM 1958-59 TO 1964-65, THE PERCENTAGE STUDYING EACH LANGUAGE IN RELATION TO THE TOTAL HIGH SCHOOL POPULATION, AND THE PERCENTAGE STUDYING LATIN IN RELATION TO THE TOTAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE ENROLLMENT. THE DATA REVEAL A CONTINUOUS DECLINE IN THE STUDY OF LATIN IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS, AS COMPARED TO THE STUDY OF THE OTHER THREE LANGUAGES, AND POINTS TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AMONG STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND PARENTS OF THE CULTURAL VALUES OF CLASSICAL STUDIES FOR THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING STUDENT. WHAT IS STRONGLY URGED IS THE KIND OF NATION-WIDE "PUBLIC RELATIONS" PROGRAM THAT THE MLA LAUNCHED IN 1952 ON BEHALF OF MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "THE CLASSICAL WORLD," VOLUME 59, NUMBER 9, MAY 1966. (GJ)