diff --git a/activesupport/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb b/activesupport/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb
index d5c51ca417..97e20bdaf4 100644
--- a/activesupport/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb
+++ b/activesupport/lib/active_support/dependencies.rb
@@ -549,10 +549,21 @@ module ActiveSupport #:nodoc:
       end
       alias :get :[]
 
+      class Getter # :nodoc:
+        def initialize(name)
+          @name = name
+        end
+
+        def get
+          Reference.get @name
+        end
+      end
+
       def new(name)
         self[name] = name
-        self
+        Getter.new(name)
       end
+      deprecate :new
 
       def clear!
         @store.clear
diff --git a/activesupport/test/class_cache_test.rb b/activesupport/test/class_cache_test.rb
index 3d3ae559e5..4d19e9841a 100644
--- a/activesupport/test/class_cache_test.rb
+++ b/activesupport/test/class_cache_test.rb
@@ -52,7 +52,9 @@ module ActiveSupport
       end
 
       def test_new
-        @cache.new ClassCacheTest
+        assert_deprecated do
+          @cache.new ClassCacheTest
+        end
         assert @cache.key?(ClassCacheTest.name)
       end
 
@@ -61,9 +63,13 @@ module ActiveSupport
         assert !@cache.key?(ClassCacheTest.name)
       end
 
-      def test_new_returns_self
-        v = @cache.new ClassCacheTest.name
-        assert_equal @cache, v
+      def test_new_returns_proxy
+        v = nil
+        assert_deprecated do
+          v = @cache.new ClassCacheTest.name
+        end
+
+        assert_equal ClassCacheTest, v.get
       end
 
       def test_anonymous_class_fail
diff --git a/activesupport/test/dependencies_test.rb b/activesupport/test/dependencies_test.rb
index b3ada53497..bc7f597f1d 100644
--- a/activesupport/test/dependencies_test.rb
+++ b/activesupport/test/dependencies_test.rb
@@ -479,13 +479,13 @@ class DependenciesTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     with_loading 'dependencies' do
       c = ActiveSupport::Dependencies.ref("ServiceOne")
       service_one_first = ServiceOne
-      assert_equal service_one_first, c.get("ServiceOne")
+      assert_equal service_one_first, c.get
       ActiveSupport::Dependencies.clear
       assert ! defined?(ServiceOne)
 
       service_one_second = ServiceOne
-      assert_not_equal service_one_first, c.get("ServiceOne")
-      assert_equal service_one_second, c.get("ServiceOne")
+      assert_not_equal service_one_first, c.get
+      assert_equal service_one_second, c.get
     end
   end